Cultural relativism assumes that we can say what culture an individual belongs to. That may seem obvious when we think in the abstract or look at small cultures from a distance. But is it? Maybe it's not so easy matter to define the boundaries of a culture. Think about these questions:

• What if a person belongs to a subculture within a larger culture? Suppose she is an Italian American in 1910 when there were millions a recent Italian immigrants in the US. Which culture does the person belong to? Which cultural standards apply to their behavior? Which standards are binding on that person?
• What if a person belongs to many different groups within a larger culture? For example, a person may belong to a religious group, an ethnic group, an occupational group, a racial group, an so on. If all these groups have some ethical standards, which set of standards is binding? If standards conflict, which one is the controlling standard?