Moral Guidelines in Dealing with Cyberspace: Relationship between Cultural and Moral Relativism in Communication Age

Abstract

Cultural relativism is one of the well-known arguments of those who believe in moral relativism; different morals existing among diverse cultures indicate that moral absolutism has no value. Hence, there is no single origin as wisdom or human nature for common moral judgment .On the other hand, according to moral absolutism, moral precepts are universal and considered the antithesis of moral relativism. We show in this article that encounter between these two theories before and after the appearance of communication age and cyberspace have serious consequences and previous moral and cultural achievements are to be undermined. This article argues that cultural relativism does not necessarily lead to moral relativism without taking information era into consideration. That is to say, cultural relativism interrelates with moral absolutism. Afterwards, we indicate that cultural relativism is more connected with moral relativism by considering communication in the context of information era. That is why cyberspace plays a key role in creating values and modern cultural and moral phenomena. It provides a new version of the relationship between culture and morality, so that we can call it a new theory that is "cyber moral and cultural relativism".

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