CHAPTER 6: RELATING
Central Focus
Are there universal moral principles?
Does morality vary from culture to culture?
Is it disrespectful to judge other peoples’ moral beliefs and practices?
Is it possible to learn from the practices of other cultures?
Key Terms
Moral Isolationism
Ethical Relativism
Ethical Objectivism
Law of the Talion
Readings
Midgley
Moral isolationism, the view that we can only make moral judgments about, and from
within, our own culture, is nonsense
To judge simply means to form an opinion, we should avoid forming crude opinions, but
there is nothing wrong with forming opinions in general
If we cannot criticize, then we cannot praise either
If we cannot judge because we lack complete understanding, then we cannot judge our
own culture either
moral isolationism would mean abandoning moral reasoning altogether
moral reasoning is a necessity because it is what guides our own behavior
It is right to be concerned about hypocrisy, oppression of other cultures, but this should
not lead us to moral skepticism as it involves moral judgment itself
Failure to apply moral judgment to other cultures is failure to take them seriously
Furrow
Both ethical relativism and absolutism are indefensible
Relativism gets lots of press, but is still a minority view
Society seems to have settled on certain basic moral premises in theory, if not in actual
practice
Civilization is thought by some to depend upon belief in moral absolutes, but this is
mistaken
The debate between relativism and absolutism is irrelevant; the dilemma is false
Absolutism can never remove the personal, contingent nature of moral vision and choice,
and relativism fails to consider common moral principles at work across time and culture
Relativism isn’t really the problem it may seem to be because people who profess to be
relativists can usually be shown to believe differently in practice
Morality must apply to concrete individuals in particular times and places, not some
abstract, universal being who doesn’t exist
We face a moral crisis because morality entails crisis, this is simply the nature of things
Miller
Considers the Law of the Talion
Notes that “we” (civilized people) are often embarrassed by the biblical injunction
Stresses the virtues of the honor society
Criticizes Western culture as engaging in “self-deception about human nature”
Argues that honor societies have a better grasp of everyday psychology, honor cultures
are more honorable, are better at achieving equality
Henrich
Utilizes evolutionary framework to explain cooperative behavior
Appeals to experiments in social science to show notions of justice and fairness are
culturally shaped