Are all societies and cultures morally equal?

[AmericanPride]

Schmedlap,

I agree to a large extent, with the caveat that there are religious leaders who enter into politics or political movements with their religious ideal as the political aim. Often, these are radicals or revolutionaries who meet with little success, but sometimes they are relatively successful. Populism, with its appeal to the people's passions IMO is the main driving force of introducing religion into politics, and on some occasions as developments radicalize the followers, religious zeal trumpeting political pragmatism.

[slapout9]

muddying the water with facts. We don' need no stinkin' facts!!!! Our opinions will do just fine, thank you very much.

JohnT

Nomination for SWC Quote of the week

[goesh]

Ken has put us on a real slippery slope. What about the jihadists that sought and had a good death via suicide bombing and not retreating from a fire fight when they could have? How much 'religious' inspiration does that inspire and how could that be measured? I recall as a young teen seeing on tv the buddhist monks immolating themselves in viet nam - how much did that really reverberate? I don't think religion can be easily dismissed from the equation. Look at our own cultural dynamics that unfold in a theatre of war - the band of brotherhood mind-set that develops and can't readily be explained by behaviorism or traditional cultural values. All notions of the flag, democracy, mom and pop back home and apple pie all go out the window in the first fire fight and something quasi spiritual IMO takes its place.

[Ken White]

All notions of the flag, democracy, mom and pop back home and apple pie all go out the window in the first fire fight and something quasi spiritual IMO takes its place.

Hands down -- all the rest is late night Dorm chatter.

[Schmedlap]

I don't think religion can be easily dismissed from the equation. Look at our own cultural dynamics that unfold in a theatre of war - the band of brotherhood mind-set that develops and can't readily be explained by behaviorism or traditional cultural values. All notions of the flag, democracy, mom and pop back home and apple pie all go out the window in the first fire fight and something quasi spiritual IMO takes its place.

I think most religions advocate values consistent with this trait, but I don't think the trait is derived from one's faith. We are pack animals. Canine teeth.

[marct]

Hi AP,

Given that each person possess "life", would not "life" be an effective or sufficient foundation for establishing an absolute and universal morality? This is also different from survival, whereas survival of the fittest implies, and arguably requires, that the strong dominant the weak.

It's a good idea, but I don't think it holds water - my cat is alive, the viruses currently attacking my wife are alive, so we would have to include all "life" and that, as any biologist will tell you, is a very tricky thing to define . How would we quantify "superiority" based on "life"? By sheer populatiion numbers? If so, bacteria win hands down !

[marct]

Hi Schmedlap,

As a non-anthropologist questioning an anthropologist on this issue, I feel kind of like a one-armed man stepping into a boxing match. But what the heck... I think you're blending two issues into one.

Let me get back to you on this one in the morning.

Cheers,

Marc

[Greyhawk]

Comparing the poll results to the discussion.

[Abu Suleyman]

IF and only IF all societies and cultures were exactly the same.

Actually there are two ways that cultures could all be morally equal, the first is if they are all the same. The second is if there is actually no objective moral standard against which to judge them. You could say a third which is that the moral standard is either ambiguous enough or ambivalent enough that there is no way to judge them. While I see the distinction, I believe that is just weaseling out of the question.

Insofar as all cultures are not the same, and I accept a potential objective moral standard against which cultures could be judged, I must accept that all cultures are not morally equivalent. I can do so without positing that "my" culture is morally superior, or knowing or positing any possible morally superior culture.

[Rank amateur]

since morality itself is culturally constructed

Then they are morally equal. Whatever works for that culture is moral.

[Majormarginal]

If anyone stumbles upon the meaning of life, then please send me an email.

It is a Monty Python movie.

[Majormarginal]

He wrote in "Rules for Radicals" Do these particular ends justify these particular means?

I'll read up on moral relativism.

I've gone from being concerned about much to being concerned for peace at my address. I don't have much use for absolute belief.

The older I get the more I believe that most things are scams. That might be an absolute belief.

Paradox? Dichotomy?

I believe we're not the Army that manifested destiny.

[Ron Humphrey]

Meaning is found in Life
And life is what you make of it.

Since it occurred to me that this meant I was the one responsible
for making my own life meaningful I liked it.

Considering that the someone just passed away recently after a very full and meaningful life I definitely think I'll stick with it

Sorry Marct, non of them facts here please

[Ron Humphrey]

I believe we're not the Army that manifested destiny.

would that be

[Kiwigrunt]

There is no meaning to life. Life is just what it is. Meaning is something we add to it, and to everything else. There is no meaning inherent to it.
Life probably was not meant to be ‘solved’ either, just meant to be lived. Problem is that many of us (including yours truly) don’t always get that and spend a lifetime looking for it.
So Ron has probably got the right idea. If we can't help adding meaning to it anyway, we may as well choose a meaning that serves us. And there's the next challenge for many of us.......

[Starbuck]

And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, we not only discuss counterinsurgency tactics, but also the meaning of life itself.

[Schmedlap]

I'm curious - since this thread was started by the moderator - what prompted this question?

[Starbuck]

I'm guessing it has something to do with the implications of trying to impose value "x" on a society that truly believes in value "y".

[marct]

I'm guessing it has something to do with the implications of trying to impose value "x" on a society that truly believes in value "y".

That would be my guess as well - at least in part. One of the things I've noticed is that it is always a good thing to challenge our own assumptions if for no other reason (and there are others ) than that we will not automatically block our perceptions. I remember reading an interview with a PRT person who said there was no social infrastructrure in Iraq - blithely ignoring the kinship based system that had been operating for millenia because it didn't match his preconceptions of what a social structure should be.

[John T. Fishel]

But there were others where the inteviewee had a good handle. Those interviews are good sources of support for a number of positions on a number of the threads here.

Cheers

JohnT