Question 1

In ethical absolutism, the importance of cultural context is maximized.

Accepted Answer

Ethical absolutism holds that certain actions are objectively right or wrong, regardless of cultural context or individual perspective. Therefore, the importance of cultural context is minimized or even rejected altogether in this ethical theory.

Question 2

One of the advantages of an ethical absolutism position is the way it takes the role of culture and ethnorelative thinking seriously.

Accepted Answer

Ethical absolutism does not take culture and ethnorelative thinking seriously. It holds that there are objective moral principles that apply universally, regardless of cultural or contextual differences. Ethical relativism, on the other hand, recognizes the importance of cultural and contextual factors in shaping ethical beliefs and practices.

Question 3

The ethical relativism position states that the role of culture must be considered an important factor in judging behavior.

Accepted Answer

Ethical relativism believes that moral principles are relative to culture, and so the cultural context must be considered when judging behavior.

Question 4

According to Chapter 12, the ethical relativism position has both pluses and minuses in making intercultural ethical judgments.

Accepted Answer

Chapter 12 discusses how ethical relativism can be useful in acknowledging cultural differences and understanding the context in which ethical decisions are made. However, it also highlights the drawbacks of ethical relativism in failing to hold individuals and societies accountable for harmful practices and neglecting universal ethical principles.

Question 5

One of the limitations of the ethical relativism position is that it uses fixed standards in judging all actions across all cultures.

Accepted Answer

One of the main tenets of ethical relativism is that moral principles are relative to individual cultures and therefore there are no fixed standards across cultures.

Question 6

Ethical and competent intercultural communicators emphasize the optimal integration of knowledge, ethnorelative attitude, culture-sensitive interaction skills, and communicating ethically and respectfully with culturally dissimilar others.

Accepted Answer

Ethical and competent intercultural communicators value and integrate knowledge, an ethnorelative attitude, culture-sensitive interaction skills, and ethical, respectful communication with people who come from different cultural backgrounds.

Question 7

According to Chapter 12, while individualists apply the "particularistic" standard to make ethical decisions, collectivists apply the "impartial" standard.

Accepted Answer

According to Chapter 12, collectivists apply the "particularistic" standard to make ethical decisions, while individualists apply the "impartial" standard.

Question 8

In practicing parallel thinking, we try to imagine the perceived problematic event happening to a close ingroup member and thus motivate ourselves to generate multiple perspectives in analyzing the situation.

Accepted Answer

In practicing parallel thinking, one tries to take on the perspectives of others, including ingroup members, to generate multiple perspectives and analyze a situation from different angles.

Question 9

Perspective thinking means trying to take on the perspective of the other cultural person by stepping into their mindset and "heartset."

Accepted Answer

Perspective thinking is also known as empathetic thinking or perspective taking. It involves trying to understand the world through the eyes of someone from a different cultural background, and involves both cognitive and affective empathy – understanding both the other person's thoughts and emotions.

Question 10

In applying the ODIS method in a question of culture and ethics, the first step (represented by "O") is to object to any unacceptable cultural practice.

Accepted Answer

In applying the ODIS method in a question of culture and ethics, the first step (represented by "O") is actually to observe the cultural practice and gather relevant information about it before making a judgment or objecting to it.

Question 11

Compare and contrast the ethical relativism and ethical absolutism positions.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Compare and contrast the ethical relativism and...

Question 12

Discuss some of the strengths and limitations of the ethical absolutism position.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss some of the strengths and limitations...

Question 13

Discuss some of the strengths and limitations of ethical relativism.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss some of the strengths and limitations...

Question 14

Identify an ethical dilemma and describe the different perspectives that an ethical absolutist and an ethical relativist would have on the dilemma. (Note: You may choose to describe a sample scenario here.)

Accepted Answer

The answer of Identify an ethical dilemma and describe the...

Question 15

(Describe a current ethical intercultural controversy here). Evaluate this ethical dilemma using 2 of the 10 questions that the textbook suggests when considering culture-based ethical situations. What would be your decision?

Accepted Answer

The answer of (Describe a current ethical intercultural controversy here)....

Quiz 12: How Can We Become Ethical Intercultural Communicators

In ethical absolutism, the importance of cultural context is maximized.

One of the advantages of an ethical absolutism position is the way it takes the role of culture and ethnorelative thinking seriously.

The ethical relativism position states that the role of culture must be considered an important factor in judging behavior.

According to Chapter 12, the ethical relativism position has both pluses and minuses in making intercultural ethical judgments.

One of the limitations of the ethical relativism position is that it uses fixed standards in judging all actions across all cultures.

Ethical and competent intercultural communicators emphasize the optimal integration of knowledge, ethnorelative attitude, culture-sensitive interaction skills, and communicating ethically and respectfully with culturally dissimilar others.

According to Chapter 12, while individualists apply the "particularistic" standard to make ethical decisions, collectivists apply the "impartial" standard.

In practicing parallel thinking, we try to imagine the perceived problematic event happening to a close ingroup member and thus motivate ourselves to generate multiple perspectives in analyzing the situation.

Perspective thinking means trying to take on the perspective of the other cultural person by stepping into their mindset and "heartset."

In applying the ODIS method in a question of culture and ethics, the first step (represented by "O") is to object to any unacceptable cultural practice.

Compare and contrast the ethical relativism and ethical absolutism positions.

Discuss some of the strengths and limitations of the ethical absolutism position.

Discuss some of the strengths and limitations of ethical relativism.

Identify an ethical dilemma and describe the different perspectives that an ethical absolutist and an ethical relativist would have on the dilemma. (Note: You may choose to describe a sample scenario here.)

(Describe a current ethical intercultural controversy here). Evaluate this ethical dilemma using 2 of the 10 questions that the textbook suggests when considering culture-based ethical situations. What would be your decision?