Transcript conventionalism - Western Washington University

conventionalism
for
Cultural relativism, long a key concept in
anthropology, asserts that… each culture
has its own values and practices.
-Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban
Chronicle of Higher Education
cultural relativism
We have to study each ethnological specimen
individually in its history and in its medium...
By regarding a single implement outside of
its surroundings, outside of other inventions
of the people to whom it belongs, and
outside of other phenomena affecting that
people and its productions, we cannot
understand its meanings...
-Franz Boas
The Principles of Ethnological Classification
cultural relativism
We recognize that morality differs in every
society, and is a convenient term for
socially approved habits.
–Ruth Benedict
Patterns of Culture
cultural relativism



Descriptive Cultural Relativism: Different
societies have different moral beliefs and
practices.
Methodological Cultural Relativism: When
studying other cultures, the anthropologist
should temporally suspend (or bracket) his or
her own moral beliefs and practices.
Meta-ethical Cultural Relativism: The moral
beliefs and practices of a society determines
what is right within that society; that is, if the
moral beliefs and practices of a society say that a
certain action is right, then that action is right, at
least within that society.
cultural relativism
Conventionalism: There are no
objective moral truths. “X is right” means
“My society approves of X”. “X is wrong”
means “My society disapproves of X”.
 Subjectivism: There are no objective
moral truths. “X is right” means “I
approve of X”. “X is wrong” means “I
disapprove of X”.

conventionalism
If Subjectivism is true, then there is no
disagreement between Al and Bill.
2. There is a disagreement between Al and
Bill.
3. [So] Subjectivism isn’t true.
1.
the problem of moral disagreement
If Subjectivism is true, then what Racist
Joe said was true.
2. What Racist Joe said was not true.
3. [So] Subjectivism isn’t true.
1.
the problem of moral fallibility
Moral beliefs differ from society to
society.
2. If (1), then there are no objective moral
truths.
3. [So] There are no objective moral
truths.
1.
the cultural differences argument