Since times immemorial, there is an ongoing debate about whether morality should be considered subjective and culturally relative, or an objective concept applied universally. From my perspective, morality contains both given elements. While certain fundamental moral principles appear to be shared across humanity, their interpretation and application are inevitably shaped by cultural, historical, and social contexts.
On the one hand, morality should encompass universal and objective concepts. This is in light of some assumptions that some moral values transcend beyond cultural borders. For instance, in most of the communities, it is taken for granted that we are forbidden to rob, abuse children, have extramarital affairs, and even slaughter. Therefore, if morality be considered subjective, we would have no basis for condemning slavery, genocide, or torture beyond saying that we personally dislike them. In reality, international conventions, including United Nations and Universal Declaration of Human Rights, were established on that assumption.
On the other hand, morality should also be relative when it comes to distinct culture. This is proposed by the fact that different cultures reach no agreement on all aspects of morality. To illustrate, issues regarding marriage, gender roles, family responsibilities, public responsibilities, and individual freedom, are distinctive in each culture. While Western countries highly value individual autonomy, Asian communities often prioritize collective harmony and filial piety. An action considered sensible in one place can be ill-judged in another. However, this gap of difference does not necessarily mean the crystal-clear gap of being right and wrong. Instead, it justifies that moral judgments are often filtered through cultural experiences.
As a student, who has been educated to adhere to universal principles while still allowed for individual awareness of cultural morality based on my own origin, I believe that moral progress often emerges from a dialogue between universal principles and cultural traditions rather than from the complete dominance of either one. Taken as an example, respecting others’ values should be universally worth complying with, but the way of expressing respect towards them can be different. Publicly standing up for those who get criticized is a kind of respect, while keeping silent can also be considered that.
To encapsulate, in a globalized world, the challenge is not to choose between moral universalism and cultural relativism, but to balance both. Recognizing shared human values while respecting cultural diversity allows societies to purse ethical progress without falling into either moral absolutism or moral nihilism.