Makah Whaling Negative

8/9/2019 Makah Whaling Negative

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**Politics DA**


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LinksGOP hates respecting tribal rightsRyan, 12 executive director for the Defending Wisconsin PAC (Jeremy,AddictingInfo, Wisconsin GOP Votes o !re"# $"tive Americ"n re"ties%,htt&' )))*"ddictinginfo*org + -+ - +. )isconsin/go&/votes/to/0re"#/n"tive/"meric"n/tre"ties , - +. -+1The Wisconsin GOP is attempting to pass a bill c"22ed Assem02y !i22 3+4*Assem02y !i22 3+4 is " 0i22that )"s introduced )ithout "n "uthor, " 0i22 th"tto this d"y c"nnot get " sing2e &erson to c2"im o)nershi&* Wh"t this 0i22 doesis peel back decades of legislation "s it &ert"ins to the mining industry* Itallo s mining companies to !se land in Wisconsin ith "ery littlereg!lation # The reason for the bill is simple# The mining companies

ere !pset that they needed to be reg!lated * In "n "ttem&t tocounter"ct this they )rote " 0i22, )ithout "n "uthor, "nd h"d it introduced*

he 5e&u02ic"ns then s"id th"t there )"s no need for " &u02ic he"ring on this0i22 "nd )ou2d not "22o) &u02ic in&ut* Wisconsin 6t"te 5e&resent"tive J"net!e)2ey dis"greed "nd c"22ed " &u02ic he"ring in West A22is, over 7fteen hoursround tri& from the &ro&osed site of the mine* he 2oc"2s sho)ed u&, des&itethe dist"nce* It )"s then th"t " second &u02ic he"ring )"s schedu2ed, "t there8uest of the Democr"ts* his he"ring too# &2"ce "t " sm"22 hote2 in 9ur2ey,Wisconsin, much c2oser to the &ro&osed mine site th"n West A22is* At thishe"ring the &eo&2e s&o#e "t 2ength "nd " 2oc"2 consensus )"s "ssumed* heconsensus, ho)ever, )"s th"t )hi2e the 2oc"2s )ou2d 2i#e to see mining, theydo not )"nt this 0i22* his 0i22 is f"r too 0ro"d "nd "22o)s for " :-+ 0i22ion mineth"t )ou2d destroy $orthern Wisconsin* $orthern Wisconsin current2y h"s "2ot of n"tur"2 0e"uty* There are also se"eral tribes in this area, all of

hich ha"e $ederal peace treaties # ;"ny of the tri0es sho)ed u& tod"y"s the Assem02y de0"ted the 0i22* They orry for their land, their air, andtheir ater# %maller mines than this one ha"e ca!sed ma&or iss!es#'!t rather than ork ith the tribes and local people, Rep!blicanRepresentati"e (e) %tone said it as not his &ob to pro"ide a seat atthe table for tribes # hey #e&t the 0i22 "s is* ri0"2 2"nd is considered itso)n sovereign n"tion* As )ith every sovereign n"tion, )e h"ve tre"ties soth"t )e c"n #ee& the &e"ce* It as agreed, by treaty, that these tribes

o!ld not ha"e their reso!rces infringed !pon # This mine, ho e"er,o!ld destroy their ater and air, breaking the $ederal treaty and

declaring ar on a so"ereign nation * re"ties "re not o&tion"2* Thepassage of this bill literally and legally declares ar on the tribes ofthe north#

P* key to o"ercome animal rights opposition to +akahhale h!ntsamb, - Inte22igence 5e&orter for the 6e"tt2e Post (


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A2re"dy &ursuing "n o0scure "dministr"tive )"iver in its strugg2e to one d"yhunt )h"2es "g"in, the ;"#"h Indi"n $"tion is no) "2so ex&2oring its o&tionson "nother front' Congress* .!ring a recent "isit to the nation/s capital,tribal o0cials informally raised to members of ashington/scongress ional delegation the idea of seeking a bill to allo ane ception for +akah hale h!nts * ?We@ve >ust t"2#ed to them " 2itt2e "tthis &oint,? ;"#"h Ch"irm"n !en Johnson Jr* s"id 2"st )ee#* ?Whether"nything )i22 come of it, )ho #no)s ? 6uch discussions // sti22 em0ryonic, "t0est // h"ve yet to yie2d "ny &romises of su&&ort* There is no s!ch billno , nor any g!arantees from la makers that there e"er ill beone #In fact, %en# +aria *ant ell , .3 ash#, already appears to besome hat distancing herself from any potential proposal to allo fora tribal haling e ception# 4It is "ery !nlikely that she o!ld try to!se the %enate to force this iss!e,4 C"nt)e22 s&o#es)om"n Ch"r2"$eum"n s"id 2"st )ee#* he ;"#"h h"ve " )h"2ing tr"dition th"t d"tes 0"c#some +, ye"rs, 0ut the tri0e sus&ended its )h"2e hunts in the -=+ s // in&"rt 0ec"use the commerci"2 )h"2ing industry h"d hunted gr"y )h"2es ne"r2yto extinction* In -==3, )ith the m"mm"2s@ num0ers re0ounding, the feder"2government removed the gr"y )h"2e from the end"ngered s&ecies 2ist* Andthe tri0e 0eg"n t"#ing ste&s to )h"2e "g"in* he ;"#"h // )ith su&&ort fromthe $"tion"2 Oce"nic "nd Atmos&heric Administr"tion // eventu"22y )on "sm"22 "nnu"2 h"rvest 8uot" from the Intern"tion"2 Wh"2ing Commission* In-===, tri0"2 )h"2ers successfu22y 0rought in the tri0e@s 7rst )h"2e in moreth"n . ye"rs* Anim"2 &rotection "ctivists soon sued the tri0e "nd its feder"20"c#ers, )inning " string of 2eg"2 victories to sto& the hunts* In its mostrecent o&inion, the feder"2 =th Circuit Court of A&&e"2s ru2ed th"t $OAAshou2d h"ve conducted " more stringent environment"2 "n"2ysis 0eforeendorsing the hunts* he court "2so ru2ed th"t, 0efore the tri0e c"n 2eg"22yhunt "g"in, it must 7rst see# "nd )in "n exce&tion to the ;"rine ;"mm"2Protection Act* he -=.+ feder"2 2") gener"22y &rohi0its "nyone in the Bnited6t"tes from h"rming gr"y )h"2es or other se" m"mm"2s* he ;"#"h h"d"rgued th"t 0ec"use they h"d "n ex&2icit right to hunt )h"2es in their -tre"ty )ith the B*6* government, the tri0e )"sn@t su0>ect to the 2")* !ut thecourt dis"greed* And inste"d of "&&e"2ing to the 6u&reme Court "nd ris#ingthe ch"nce of setting 0"d &recedent for other tri0es, the ;"#"h o&ted tocom&2y )ith the ru2ing 2"st month 0y 72ing "n "&&2ic"tion )ith $OAA for ")"iver to the 2")* Winning such "n exce&tion // " &ursuit th"t cou2d t"#e t)oye"rs or more of "dministr"tive he"rings "nd &"&er)or# // h"s neverh"&&ened 0efore, oEci"2s s"y* Whi2e th"t &rocess moves "he"d, the +akahare considering hat might be their only other option5 congressionalhelp# Tribal representati"es met indi"id!ally late last month ith*ant ell, %en# Patty +!rray , .3 ash#, and 6#%# Rep# 7orm .icks, .3

ash#, among others, to disc!ss the possibility of seeking a halinge ception thro!gh federal legislation * A2"s#"n $"tives, )ho don@t h"vetre"ty rights, "re "22o)ed to hunt )h"2es under "n exce&tion th"t )"s )ritteninto the m"mm"2 &rotection 2") )hen it )"s en"cted more th"n F ye"rs"go* 6o )hy shou2dn@t the ;"#"h // the on2y $"tive Americ"n tri0e )ith "nex&ress tre"ty right to )h"2e // "2so 0e exem&t from the 2") ?We >ust thin#it@s unf"ir,? s"id John Arum, the tri0e@s "ttorney* 6ome o&&onents of thetri0e@s hunts "ctu"22y m"y &refer th"t the ;"#"h receive " )h"2ing exce&tion


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through Congress r"ther th"n )inning one through "n "dministr"tive &rocess,Arum "dded* he 2"tter )ou2d 0e " 7rst/of/its/#ind )"iver th"t someo&&onents h"ve s"id cou2d o&en the doors to others )ho m"y )"nt to see# to)h"2e* '!t 7aomi Rose , a marine mammal biologist for the 8!mane%ociety of the 6nited %tates 33 among the coalition of opponents thats!ed to stop the +akah/s h!nts 33 said either scenario is!nacceptable# 4$or !s, it/s a real simple e9!ation5 e do not antthem h!nting gray hales again, period ,4 she said# The animalprotection gro!p has since "oiced its concerns to ashington /scongressional delegation o"er any potential tribal haling bill 33e"en tho!gh acti"ists foresee the tribe/s legislati"e prospects to be!nlikely# 4To get an amendment to the la like that passed, yo! ha"eto ha"e an a f!l lot of friends on the 8ill,4 Rose said# 4 e don/tthink they ha"e eno!gh#4


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**Humpback CP**


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*P


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17*

Te t5 The 6nited %tates federal go"ernment sho!ld f!l:llits 1;;- Treaty of 7eah 'ay obligations to the +akah

Indian Tribe in the area of c!lt!ral h!mpback haling#+akahs prefer to h!nt h!mpback hales3 speed andmigrationRenker, 12 3 Ann ;* 5en#er received her Ph*D* in "nthro&o2ogy from heAmeric"n Bniversity in W"shington, D*C* in -= ., A resident of thereserv"tion since -= 4, she h"s "2so 0een "n ex&ert )itness for the ri0esince -==3 (Wh"2e 9unting "nd the ;"#"h ri0e' A $eeds 6t"tement%,Intern"tion"2 Wh"2ing Commission, ;"y,htt&' i)c*int &riv"te do)n2o"ds ds f "8+&-3) oc#o o3gc) 43/A6WH+ 3*&df1 ># Arch"eo2ogic"2 "nd ethnohistoric"2 d"t" demonstr"te th"t +akahs h!nted se"eral speciesof hales th"t tr"ve2ed through their territory, incl!ding the gr"y ( schrichtius ro0ustus1,h!mpback (;eg"&ter" nov"e"ng2i"e1, 7n0"c# (!"2"eno&ter" &hys"2us1, "nd right ( u0"2"en"g2"ci"2is1 )h"2es* 9ue2s0ec# (-= "' , -==3'-.-1 discusses the traits )hich make 0oth gr"y )h"2es"nd h!mpbacks attracti"e prey # In addition to s imming slo ly andnear the shore , 0oth ty&es of hales co!ld appear d!ring m!ltipleseasons, incl!ding the s!mmer# 8!mpbacks ha"e also been kno n tomigrate along the coast , 0ut not to the extent th"t gr"y )h"2es do* $on/Indi"n )h"2e huntersch"r"cteri e the gr"y "s the more "ggressive s&ecies of the t)o during " hunt (9"ge2und -= .1*

Gray hales key to ocean biodi"ersity*arrillo3R!bio, ; Program specialist at the 7ational


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'iodi"ersity loss risks e tinction#Ra& ?12(P* J* 6"n>eev" 5">, former 9e"d of oo2ogy De&"rtment, ;"dr"s Christi"n Co22ege, !e)"re the


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'acklines 3 +akahs Like 8!mpbacks

8!mpbacks are the most historically signi:cant

Renker, 12 3 Ann ;* 5en#er received her Ph*D* in "nthro&o2ogy from heAmeric"n Bniversity in W"shington, D*C* in -= ., A resident of thereserv"tion since -= 4, she h"s "2so 0een "n ex&ert )itness for the ri0esince -==3 (Wh"2e 9unting "nd the ;"#"h ri0e' A $eeds 6t"tement%,Intern"tion"2 Wh"2ing Commission, ;"y,htt&' i)c*int &riv"te do)n2o"ds ds f "8+&-3) oc#o o3gc) 43/A6WH+ 3*&df1 >#

he +akahs h!nted the "ariety of hales )hich s)"m in their tr"dition"2oce"n "re"s, b!t fa"ored the &redict"02e gr"y )h"2e "nd the slo er , 2ess"ggressive h!mpback hale * According to the O ette d"t", these erethe most ab!ndant species and ere relati"ely easy to capt!re #

ogether they acco!nt for o"er @-A of the ta onomically identi:ed

hale bones % (9ue2s0ec# -==3'+..1*
http://iwc.int/private/downloads/ds5fzaq2p14w88ocko00o4gcw/64-ASW%204.pdf)//jkhttp://iwc.int/private/downloads/ds5fzaq2p14w88ocko00o4gcw/64-ASW%204.pdf)//jkhttp://iwc.int/private/downloads/ds5fzaq2p14w88ocko00o4gcw/64-ASW%204.pdf)//jkhttp://iwc.int/private/downloads/ds5fzaq2p14w88ocko00o4gcw/64-ASW%204.pdf)//jk


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'acklines 3 Gray hales k2 'io.

Gray hales key to Paci:c marine ecosystems

Pal!mbi et al, 2BBC 3 +iller Professor of +arine %ciencesat %tanford 6ni"ersity# =%tephen, Lenfest Ocean Program,htt&' )e0*st"nford*edu grou& P"2um0i P$A6 pop!lationsiDe of @E,BBB hales co!ld ha"e res!spended CBB million c!bic

meters of sediment ("s much "s t)e2ve Su#on 5ivers1 and pro"ided foodto at least one million seabirds * R Im&roving the genetic "n"2ysis&ursu"nt to IWC recommend"tions sti22 2ed to simi2"r conc2usions "s &riorgenetic studies historic &o&u2"tions of P"ci7c gr"y )h"2es )ere 2i#e2y much2"rger th"n current2y estim"ted # ct sho!ld bedecreased by at least half, to 2B; hales per year or less * A2thoughthe )estern &o&u2"tion of the P"ci7c gr"y )h"2e is "2re"dy 2isted under theB*6* nd"ngered 6&ecies Act, this "n"2ysis suggests th"t the pop!lationhas decreased e"en more than originally tho!ght * he IWC current2y&rohi0its commeric"2 hunting of &"ci7c gr"y )h"2es* his &rohi0ition isconsistent )ith the study@s 7ndings th"t c!rrent pop!lations are likelys!bstantially decreased from historic le"els * 5ecent ne)s&"&er re&ortssho) gr"y )h"2es to 0e thin "nd st"rving* A simi2"r e&isode in -=== "2so 2edto high "du2t "nd c"2f mort"2ity* If the oce"ns c"n not su&&ort the current&o&u2"tion of ++, gr"y )h"2es 0ut once su&&orted - , , then thec"&"city of the oce"ns to su&&ort "22 #inds of 2ife m"y 0e diminishing*Whether this diminishment is due to g2o0"2 )"rming, over7shing, &o22ution, orother f"ctors is "n im&ort"nt 8uestion for the future*
http://web.stanford.edu/group/Palumbi/PNAS/LenfestRS.pdfhttp://web.stanford.edu/group/Palumbi/PNAS/LenfestRS.pdf


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'acklines 3 'io. F

+arine ecosystems key to s!r"i"al%ielen ?1A


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%pills O"er

+akah gray hale h!nting &!sti:es (apanese and Icelandichaling3 kills tho!sands of hales

Good, 2BBB studied Astro&hysics "t Whitm"n (5oss, Whitm"n, Wh"2ing!"n%, htt&' )))*)hitm"n*edu "c"demics courses/of/study rhetoric/studies resources &u02ic/s&e"#ing/ex"m&2e/out2ines/videos/&o)er&oints )h"2ing/0"n 1 >#5e&* J"c# ;etc"2f $ D6 DA st"ted ? The +akahs ha"e already done thedamage e feared# This ill no open the door for more 9!otaincreases# (apan has already stated the desire to allo fo!r "illageson the Tai&i Penins!la to be granted a 9!ota # Iceland has anno!ncedthat it plans to res!me commercial haling# Tho!sands of halesmay be killed beca!se of this claim of 4c!lt!ral necessity#4 @

>llo ing makah to kill gray hales spills o"erGood, 2BBB studied Astro&hysics "t Whitm"n (5oss, Whitm"n, Wh"2ing!"n%, htt&' )))*)hitm"n*edu "c"demics courses/of/study rhetoric/studies resources &u02ic/s&e"#ing/ex"m&2e/out2ines/videos/&o)er&oints )h"2ing/0"n 1 >#R ? (apan seeks permission to kill -B hales in a 4traditional4 h!nt "s"n ?short/term re2ief "22oc"tion? to he2& the economies of it@s northern 7shingto)ns, hile R!ssia re9!esting that %iberian halers from the*h!kotska penins!la be allo ed to kill :"e highly endangeredbo head hales, as ell as their e isting 9!ota of 1KB grey halesann!ally , of )hich they on2y m"n"ged to 7nd "nd #i22 2"st ye"r # Thirteen

tribal bands on anco!"er Island , !ritish Co2um0i", C"n"d", >ust "crossthe 6tr"ight of 6"n Ju"n de Nuc" from the ;"#"h, like ise declared theirinterest in haling , "nd )ere ex&ected to "&&2y for 8uot"s next ye"r*These re9!ests are f!eled by the +akah promoting their s!ccess init/s hale h!nt# The fact that the +akahs ha"e been granted

haling rights makes any nation or tribe eligible for their o nhaling rights # The +akahs/ haling rights m!st be torn from their

blood soaked hands#
http://www.whitman.edu/academics/courses-of-study/rhetoric-studies/resources/public-speaking-example-outlines-videos-powerpoints/whaling-banhttp://www.whitman.edu/academics/courses-of-study/rhetoric-studies/resources/public-speaking-example-outlines-videos-powerpoints/whaling-banhttp://www.whitman.edu/academics/courses-of-study/rhetoric-studies/resources/public-speaking-example-outlines-videos-powerpoints/whaling-banhttp://www.whitman.edu/academics/courses-of-study/rhetoric-studies/resources/public-speaking-example-outlines-videos-powerpoints/whaling-banhttp://www.whitman.edu/academics/courses-of-study/rhetoric-studies/resources/public-speaking-example-outlines-videos-powerpoints/whaling-banhttp://www.whitman.edu/academics/courses-of-study/rhetoric-studies/resources/public-speaking-example-outlines-videos-powerpoints/whaling-banhttp://www.whitman.edu/academics/courses-of-study/rhetoric-studies/resources/public-speaking-example-outlines-videos-powerpoints/whaling-banhttp://www.whitman.edu/academics/courses-of-study/rhetoric-studies/resources/public-speaking-example-outlines-videos-powerpoints/whaling-banhttp://www.whitman.edu/academics/courses-of-study/rhetoric-studies/resources/public-speaking-example-outlines-videos-powerpoints/whaling-banhttp://www.whitman.edu/academics/courses-of-study/rhetoric-studies/resources/public-speaking-example-outlines-videos-powerpoints/whaling-banhttp://www.whitman.edu/academics/courses-of-study/rhetoric-studies/resources/public-speaking-example-outlines-videos-powerpoints/whaling-banhttp://www.whitman.edu/academics/courses-of-study/rhetoric-studies/resources/public-speaking-example-outlines-videos-powerpoints/whaling-ban


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**Topicality**


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T ItsInterpretation3 ItsJ refers to the 6nited %tates $ederalGo"ernment and is possessi"e6pdegra"e @1 (W*C*, x&2"n"tion of IP Code Address Pur&ose%, /-=,htt&' )))*su&reme2")*org ref i&code u&degr"v*htm1

;ore s&eci7c"22y, 2oo#ing "t the m"& on &"ge -- of the $"tion"2 IP Code Directory, e*g* "t " 2oc"2 &ostoEce, one )i22 see th"t the 7rst digit of " IP Code de7nes "n "re" th"t inc2udes more th"n one 6t"te* he7rst sentence of the ex&2"n"tory &"r"gr"&h 0egins' ?A IP Code is " numeric"2 code th"t identi7es "re"s)ithin the Bnited 6t"tes "nd its territories for &ur&oses of ***? cf* +4 CN5 -*-/-(c1X* 7ote thesing!lar possessi"e prono!n 4its 4, not 4their4, therefore carryingthe implication that it relates to the 4 6 nited % t"tes? as a corporationdomiciled in the . istrict of * ol!mbia =in the sing!lar senseM, not inthe sense of being the -B %tates of the 6nion =in the pl!ral senseM#

he m"& sho)s "22 the 6t"tes of the Bnion, 0ut it "2so sho)s D*C*, Puerto 5ico "nd the Virgin Is2"nds,m"#ing the ex&2"n"tory st"tement 2iter"22y correct*

iolation3 the plan is carried o!t by the +akah Tribe3Tribal nations are so"ereign go"ernmentsd/ct are regarded as "ehicles of4tribal so"ereignty4N they act as go"ernments "nd not >ust "s cor&or"tions,though they "re often 2imited 0y feder"2 funding "nd "uthority* Indian h!nting and :shingrights ha"e been protected "g"inst st"te "nd 2oc"2 regu2"tion, though "n u2tim"te "uthorityh"s 0een reserved outside the re"2m of tri0"2 sovereignty* Indi"n n"tions "re reg"rded "s immune from suit)ithout their consent, under the doctrine of ?sovereign immunity,? yet their &o)er over non/mem0ers ofthe &"rticu2"r n"tion is sometimes severe2y 2imited*

oting iss!e3

aM Limits neg interp key a) f!nctionally do!bles topicsiDe by introd!cing h!ndreds of ne potential actors h!rts neg research b!rden and critical thinking#
http://www.supremelaw.org/ref/zipcode/updegrav.htmhttp://www.supremelaw.org/ref/zipcode/updegrav.htm


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bM Gro!nd allo ing them to !se non3!sfg actors robs !sof all o!r politics .>s, spending .>s, and criti9!es of6%$G action3 makes it impossible to be negati"e

>) has no intrinsic right to haling lit pro"es# Ignore2>* gro!nd args in:nitely regressi"e &!stifyincreasingly tangential "iolations of other ords in theresol!tion hich thrashes limits#

cM


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**Cultural Relativism K**


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Notes


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What is cultural relativism?

Cultural relativism de i!itio!Dictio!ary"com# !o date(Dictionary.com, no date, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cultural+relativism ,

Accessed: 7/1 /1!, "#$the co!cept that the importa!ce o a particular cultural idea varies rom o!esociety or societal sub%roup to a!other# the vie$ that ethical a!d moralsta!dards are relative to $hat a particular society or culture believes to be%ood&bad# ri%ht&$ro!%"

Cultural relativism(&'ultural "elativism: ruth )s "elative,* http://www.cultural relativism.com , Accessed:7/1 /1!, "#$'ultural "elativism: ruth )s "elativeCultural relativism is the vie$ that !o culture is superior to a!y otherculture $he! compari!% systems o morality# la$# politics# etc . 't(s thephilosophical !otio! that all cultural belie s are e)ually valid a!d that truthitsel is relative , dependin% on the cultural environment. Those $ho hold tocultural relativism hold that all reli%ious# ethical# aesthetic# a!d political

belie s are completely relative to the i!dividual $ithi! a cultural ide!tity ."elativism often includes moral relativism (ethics depend on a social construct$,situational relativism (ri%ht or wron% is based on the particular situation$, and co%nitiverelativism (truth itself has no ob ective standard$.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cultural+relativismhttp://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cultural+relativismhttp://www.cultural-relativism.com/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cultural+relativismhttp://www.cultural-relativism.com/


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Real World +amples

+treme e+ample o cultural relativism Al%er# No date(David Al%er, -A in hilosophy 0n%lish, ) ), 2A in American hilosophy, ) ),

h.D. in hilosophy from enn 3tate, &*#andout 4: 'ultural "elativism,* 5o date,*http://www.davida%ler.com/teachin%/bioethics/ethicaltheories/#andout46'ultural"elativism.pdf , Accessed: 7/11/1!, "#$'ultural relativism ('"$ is a theory about the nature of morality which contends that (i$there are no ob ective, universal moral rules and (ii$ the moral rules that do e ist areculture bound. )n other words,there is the ne%ative claim there are no moral claims such as 8illin% is wron% that wouldapply to every culture, andthere is the positive claim that there are moral rules but they vary dependin% upon theculture, society, conte t.'oncernin% the positive claim, what '" contends is that what is morally permissible is

what accords with socially approved customs or standards while what is morally wron% is what %oes a%ainst the customs or standards of society. )f you do an action e in oneculture, it mi%ht be morally acceptable, whereas if you perform e in another culture, it

would be morally wron%. An +treme +ample : he ,ivaro are a! '!dia! cla! . They are k!o$! to be a!i!te!sely $arlike %roup , tremendously protective of their freedom and unwillin% tosubordinate themselves to other authorities. '! this ierce society# headhu!ti!%a!d shri!ki!% the heads is a process much revered a!d ho!ored" Thispractice is morally permissible . )n contrast, i! the -"."# choppi!% osomeo!e/s head the! tryi!% to preserve it is !ot o!ly a crimi!al o e!ce# butheld by almost everyo!e to be immoral" Accordi!% to CR# there is !oob0ective# u!iversal rule that says headhu!ti!% is $ro!%" "ather, it is morallypermissible 1eve! admirable2 or the ,ivaro# $hile it is morally $ro!% romthose i! the -"."
http://www.davidagler.com/teaching/bioethics/ethicaltheories/Handout2_CulturalRelativism.pdfhttp://www.davidagler.com/teaching/bioethics/ethicaltheories/Handout2_CulturalRelativism.pdfhttp://www.davidagler.com/teaching/bioethics/ethicaltheories/Handout2_CulturalRelativism.pdfhttp://www.davidagler.com/teaching/bioethics/ethicaltheories/Handout2_CulturalRelativism.pdfhttp://www.davidagler.com/teaching/bioethics/ethicaltheories/Handout2_CulturalRelativism.pdf


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N 3


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The 5akah tribe uses $hali!% as a mea!s o cultural traditio!"This e+hibits a type o cultural relativism"

.ciullo# 6778(5ic8 9. 3ciullo, h.D. 3tudent, Assistant Debate 'oach, and raduate eachin% Assistant, Department of 'ommunication at eor%ia 3tate niversity, resident '0;at 5ic8 9. 3ciullo 'onsultin%, )3 )5#0 )5 0"5A );5A< ';5>05 );5 ?;" #0 "0


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u!dersta!d its history i!evitably leads to a ailure to u!dersta!d culturalclaims"'innamon 'arlarne, an author who has written e tensively on whalin%, is one suchscholar who has failed to fully e plore the traditions of the 2a8ah while thorou%hlyanaly in% other whalin% cultures.F1 )n a recent law review articleF4 'arlarne, who has animpressive record of publication and scholarly achievement,FC does not %ive so much asa nod to the continuin% debate surroundin% the 2a8ah. he history of the )nternational

=halin% 'ommission (&)='*$ in her article is self described as brief, but mana%es to listmultiple other cultures who have participated in whalin%.F! here is always a dan%er indiscussin% an issue that is of tremendous international import to for%et the many %roupsinside a country that may have different, if not competin%, sta8es in the issues andpolicies at hand. his is truly an error or omission that spea8s to the tendency of scholarsto i%nore or conveniently for%et the discussion of oneEs countryEs indi%enous populations.

While Cultural Relativism seems a %ood idea at irst# it/s actually!ot a %ood idea" 't 0usti ies mass atrocity# %e!ocide# a!d racism"Rachel# 4


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accorda!ce $ith the code o o!e(s society" 3uppose in 1H7F, a reside!t o .outh A rica $as $o!deri!% $hether his cou!try(s policy o apartheidBa ri%idlyracist systemB$as morally correct" All he has to do is ask $hether thispolicy co! ormed to his society(s moral code" ' it did# there $ould have bee!!othi!% to $orry about# at least rom a moral poi!t o vie$"This implicatio! o Cultural Relativism is disturbi!% because e$ o usthi!k that our society(s code is per ect $e ca! thi!k o $ays it mi%ht beimproved . @et Cultural Relativism $ould !ot o!ly orbid us rom critici>i!%the codes o other societies it $ould stop us rom critici>i!% our o$!" Afterall, if ri%ht and wron% are relative to culture, this must be true for our own culture ust asmuch as for other cultures.

The alter!ative is to re0ect cultural relativism a!d embraceob0ectivism" b0ectivism does !ot rely o! cultural !orms ratherit relies o! ob0ective morals that do !ot orce us to depe!d o!those $ho make cultural 0ud%me!ts

Curtler# 6776(#u%h 2ercer 'urtler, author of five boo8s, holds de%rees from 3t. 9ohnEs 'olle%e and5orthwestern niversity, he is rofessor of hilosophy and Director of the #onors

ro%ram at 3outhwest 3tate niversity in 2innesota, & he 2yopia of the 'ultural"elativist,* 4 4, D?, Accessed: 7/11/1!, "#$The alter!ative to cultural relativism is !ot absolutism , as many havemaintained. o say that values are not mere opinions is not to say that they areunchan%in%, eternal standards that are 8nown only to a handful of e traordinaryindividuals. The alter!a@ tive , rather, is ob0ectivism , the vie$ that values areob0ective i! the se!se that they do !ot depe!d upo! those $ho make value

0ud%me!ts i! a!y $ay# thou%h our %rasp o these values is al$ays partial a!dte!uous . ) have e amined this view in some detail in another place,4 but it mi%ht be

appropriate to %ive a brief overview of the position here. alues are )ualities or eatures o our i!ter@sub0ective $orld that Ere)uireFap@ proval . To reduce values to approval# as the relativist $ould# is to i%!orethe act that the approval is brou%ht about by virtue o a disti!ctive )ualityo eatures i! our com@ mo! $orld that co!tributes to our $orld/s rich!essa!d variety . As 9ohn 2ullen has said in this re%ard, & We ca! observe 5otherTeresa/s %ood!ess Pfor e ampleQ with our own eyes. As $e observe her cari!%actio!s# $e are observi!% her %ood!ess . bserva@ tio! plays a crucial role i!

value claims . 't makes per ectly %ood se!se to say , in the presence of herministerin% to the poor, R Gook at $hat a %ood perso! she is# you ca! see it $ith

your o$! eyes"/ *9 What 5ulle! is talki!% about , of course, is the i!tuitiveaspect o Pascal/s Et$o@mi!dedF approach to reaso!i!% . '!tuitio!# or

Pascal# is com@ bi!ed $ith discursive thou%ht (esprit %SomStriJue$ to allo$ usto reaso! about comple+ moral issues . We EseeF 5other Teresa/s %ood!ess# but $e are also able to reaso! to it rom basic ethical pri!ciples , or values, andthe facts we collect when we observe her behavior in the presence of those who suffer.Pascal , the mathematician and devout 'hristian, sa$ more clearly tha! most ho$ the heart a!d mi!dmust $ork to%ether i! our search or truth"

he )uality o a %ive! eve!t is valuable , !ot the approval that is atte!da!tupo! it . ' , for e ample, ho!esty is valuable i! the se!se that it Ere)uiresF a


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positive respo!se (i.e., we approve of honest actions and ud%e them to be &%ood*$,the! ho!esty# like 5other Teresa/s %ood!ess# is a charac@ teristic eature oour $orld that all ou%ht to reco%!i>e a!d espouseB$hether or !ot they doso i! act . Ho!esty , li8e any other value, is systemically related to other ea@tures o our $orld such that atte!tio! to those other eatures re)ue!tlyope!s us to the Ere)uired!essF o the value itsel . We see a ma! %ive thedropped $allet back to its o$!er a!d those eve!ts lead us to ack!o$l@ ed%ethe value o ho!esty# $hich $e admire a!d approve . #onesty has a %estaltJuality that &reJuires* reco%nition by those able and willin% to open themselves to itBnotin the way that the ).".3. reJuires our chec8 every year, but in the sense of lo%ical necessity.!#onesty may not always be called for in a %iven situation (absolutism$, but it is always a%ood thin%. And most impor tantly, if it is the ri%ht thin% to do in this situationBtoreturn the walletBthen it is the ri%ht thin% to do in any similar situa tion. )n a mar%inalcase in which one mi%ht lie to spare anotherEs feelin%s, or obviously, to save the life of afriend, honesty may not be called for. )n fact, it mi%ht be wron% to tell the truth. hesituation will reveal to us the relationship of one value (honesty in this case$ to others(care for others, for e ample$, and e perience and thou%ht will direct us to theconclusion as to which value ou%ht to be adhered to in a particular case. -ut whatever wedecide to do in a specific case, honesty continues to be a value: it is a %ood thin% to behonest. )n a particular case, however, it mi%ht be better not to behonest, because honesty is in conflict with, say, concern for the life of another human

bein%.he hint of situational relativism in this e ample is not pernicious, because the situ

ation does not determine the valueO it merely ma8es it possible for us to become aware of the value and its relation to other values in the same situation. >alues themselves are notsituational, despite the fact that our awareness of them happens to be. Atten tion must

be turned to the values in the situation that confronts us, and not to the situation inisolation, or our personal reac tion to the situation. his is a difficult thin% to as8 in ana%e in which consciousness is inverted and we are preoccupied with our own reactions to

the world rather than to the world itself. -ut it is necessary if we are to ma8e sense of ourmoral life.

b0ectivism i! ethics e!tails the claim that values are eatures o ourcommo! $orld a!d that the reaso!s $e %ive i! de@ e!di!% our value

0ud%me!ts dra$ atte!@ tio! to those values either directly or by $ay o othereatures o our $orld that are related systemically to those values . ;ur

reasons also try to show the relationship amon% values. ?or instance, in our previ ouse ample # our reaso!s try to sho$ that ho!esty is e!tailed by the Ethi!F moralpri!ciple o respect or perso!sBi! that $e $ould !ot lie to or deceiveperso!s $ho are deservi!% o respect# a!d keepi!% the $allet ourselves is a

orm o deceptio!" ;ur rea sons also try to draw attention to features of the eventitselfBthe spontaneity of the action, the implications of the finderEs 8eep in% the wallet

himself, etc. Reaso!i!% i! this ma!!er leads us to the co!clusio! that theri%ht thi!% to do i! this case is to retur! the $allet . )n this way, our ethical 0ud%me!ts ca! be ar%ued# de e!ded# a!d i !eed be re0ected o! ratio!al%rou!ds that are bi!d@ i!% across cultural bou!daries"0thical ud%ments cannot always be sim ply a matter of one personEs opinion at aparticular momentBthou%h they may be much of the time, for those who do not thin8much about ri%ht and wron%. As lo!% as atte!tio! is ocused o! the valuesprese!t i! the situatio! itsel (and not our personal reaction to that situation$ $eca! discuss the )uestio! o the truth or alsity o the value 0ud%me!t i! a


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mea!i!% ul $a y. Cul@ tural relativism does !ot allo$ or this ki!d o %ive a!dtake# because the vie$ reduces values to our reactio!s to situatio!s , sim ply.

hat is, cultural relativism reduces values to the opi!io!s a!d eeli!%s opar@ ticular people at a particular time a!d place . -ut this sort o reductio!is simplistic i! the e+treme . This is $hy cultural relativism is truly a!

absurd vie$ it reduces situatio!s to a particular perso!/s EtakeF o! thatsitu@ atio!" ' o!e adopts this positio!# the! there is really !o poi!t i!discussi!% di ere!ces o opi!io! about $hat is a!d $hat is !ot valuablethere is !o moral hi%h %rou!d "

Admittedly, thou%h, there are elements of &absolutism* in the ob ectivist view. #onesty,for e ample, is always a %ood thin% even when it must be avoided in the presence of a%reater %oodBas when we lie to save a friendEs life. hus, while ob ectiv ism smac8s attimes of absolutism, which is unpalatable to the postmodernist temper, it admits thatour %rasp of values is never absolute. We ca! !ever be certai! that $e are ri%ht

$he! $e make value 0ud%me!ts . )n this way ob ectivism avoids the pitfall ofabsolutism and the specter of imperialism that so bothered 2ichael =al er.)n short, the vie$ su%%ested here does !ot lead to do%matism . 't rests o! thek!o$l@ ed%e that our claims i! ethics are corri%ible . -ut it i!sists that , inprinciple at least, there are correct a!d i!correct value 0ud%me!ts# a!d iti!vites those $ho di er to e!%a%e i! dialo%ue . This

i!vitatio! ca!!ot be e+@te!ded by the cultural relativist , ofcourse, si!ce i values are relative to cultures# the! there is really !othi!% totalk about . ;ne simply notes that the aliban, for e ample, deny women their basichuman ri%hts, at least as we see them, and one leaves it at that. ;r one reads that youn%

alestinian men and women drape themselves in e plosives, wal8 into a crowdedrestaurant, and blow up themselves and a do en men, women, and children. And thenone hesitates to be & ud%mental*T 't is iro!ic i! this re%ard that those $ho

embrace cultural relativism seek to avoid a positio! they re%ard as i!toler@a!t o!ly to all i!to a positio! that closes the door to ope! dialo%ue a!d thereaso!able resolutio! o moral di ere!ces .

ur values a!d the reaso!s $e have or espousi!% those values are !ot!ecessarily relative to our culture# to our place a!d time . >alues can bediscussed, compared,re ected, or displaced, as can our reasons for holdin% them. hey are ob ective or real,and $hile our %rasp o them is te!ta@ tive a!d is most assuredly a ected bycul@ tural co!sideratio!s# it is !ot determi!ed by those co!sideratio!s . alues are !ot cul@ turally relative . 3uch a view is myopic and i%nores what is mostinterestin%, what is most important, and what is most valuable about the diversity of

cultures.


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Gi!k


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6NC

4@The 4ac believes $e should allo$ the 5akah tribe to $hale because it/s a cultural traditio!" This traditio! dates back to

:#777 years a%o@that/s .ciullo" Ho$ever# $e believe this allo$sor other cultural traditio!s to be socially acceptable $hich isproblematic because it 0usti ies u!ethical actio!s because o!eculture accepts it"

6@They use the $hale hu!ti!% as a mea!s o rituals a!d culturaltraditio!@that/s a li!k 5akah"com# !o date(2a8ah.com, website for the 2a8ah tribe, & he 2a8ah =halin% radition,*http://ma8ah.com/ma8ah tribal info/whalin% , Accessed: 7/1 /1!, "#$

he 2a8ah =halin% radition2a8ah =halin% U A ift from the 3ea

Whali!% a!d $hales are ce!tral to 5akah culture . The eve!t o a $halehu!t re)uires rituals a!d ceremo!ies $hich are deeply spiritual . 5akah

$hali!% the sub0ect a!d i!spiratio! o Tribal so!%s# da!ces# desi%!s# a!d basketry . ;or the 5akah Tribe# $hale hu!ti!% provides a purpose a!d adiscipli!e $hich be!e its their e!tire commu!ity . )t is so important to the2a8ah, that in 1 FF when the 2a8ah ceded thousands of acres of land to the %overnmentof the nited 3tates, they e plicitly reserved their ri%ht to whale within the reaty of5eah -ay.5akah $hali!% traditio! provides oil# meat# bo!e# si!e$ a!d %ut or stora%eco!tai!ers use ul products# thou%h %ai!ed at a hi%h cost i! time a!d %oods"
http://makah.com/makah-tribal-info/whalinghttp://makah.com/makah-tribal-info/whaling


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Alter!ative


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27*

The alter!ative is to re0ect cultural relativism a!d embraceob0ectivism" b0ectivism does !ot rely o! cultural !orms rather

it relies o! ob0ective morals that do !ot orce us to depe!d o!those $ho make cultural 0ud%me!tsCurtler# 6776(#u%h 2ercer 'urtler, author of five boo8s, holds de%rees from 3t. 9ohnEs 'olle%e and5orthwestern niversity, he is rofessor of hilosophy and Director of the #onors

ro%ram at 3outhwest 3tate niversity in 2innesota, & he 2yopia of the 'ultural"elativist,* 4 4, D?, Accessed: 7/11/1!, "#$The alter!a@ tive , rather, is ob0ectivism , the vie$ that values are ob0ective i!the se!se that they do !ot depe!d upo! those $ho make value 0ud%me!ts i!a!y $ay# thou%h our %rasp o these values is al$ays partial a!d te!uous . )have e amined this view in some detail in another place,4 but it mi%ht be appropriate to%ive a brief overview of the position here.

alues are )ualities or eatures o our i!ter@sub0ective $orld that Ere)uireFap@ proval . To reduce values to approval# as the relativist $ould# is to i%!orethe act that the approval is brou%ht about by virtue o a disti!ctive )ualityo eatures i! our com@ mo! $orld that co!tributes to our $orld/s rich!essa!d variety . As 9ohn 2ullen has said in this re%ard, & We ca! observe 5otherTeresa/s %ood!ess Pfor e ampleQ with our own eyes. As $e observe her cari!%actio!s# $e are observi!% her %ood!ess . bserva@ tio! plays a crucial role i!

value claims . 't makes per ectly %ood se!se to say , in the presence of herministerin% to the poor, R Gook at $hat a %ood perso! she is# you ca! see it $ith

your o$! eyes"/ *9 What 5ulle! is talki!% about , of course, is the i!tuitiveaspect o Pascal/s Et$o@mi!dedF approach to reaso!i!% . '!tuitio!# orPascal# is com@ bi!ed $ith discursive thou%ht (esprit %SomStriJue$ to allo$ us

to reaso! about comple+ moral issues . We EseeF 5other Teresa/s %ood!ess# but $e are also able to reaso! to it rom basic ethical pri!ciples , or values, andthe facts we collect when we observe her behavior in the presence of those who suffer.Pascal , the mathematician and devout 'hristian, sa$ more clearly tha! most ho$ the heart a!d mi!dmust $ork to%ether i! our search or truth"

he )uality o a %ive! eve!t is valuable , !ot the approval that is atte!da!tupo! it . ' , for e ample, ho!esty is valuable i! the se!se that it Ere)uiresF apositive respo!se (i.e., we approve of honest actions and ud%e them to be &%ood*$,the! ho!esty# like 5other Teresa/s %ood!ess# is a charac@ teristic eature oour $orld that all ou%ht to reco%!i>e a!d espouseB$hether or !ot they doso i! act . Ho!esty , li8e any other value, is systemically related to other ea@

tures o our $orld such that atte!tio! to those other eatures re)ue!tlyope!s us to the Ere)uired!essF o the value itsel . We see a ma! %ive thedropped $allet back to its o$!er a!d those eve!ts lead us to ack!o$l@ ed%ethe value o ho!esty# $hich $e admire a!d approve . #onesty has a %estaltJuality that &reJuires* reco%nition by those able and willin% to open themselves to itBnotin the way that the ).".3. reJuires our chec8 every year, but in the sense of lo%ical necessity.!#onesty may not always be called for in a %iven situation (absolutism$, but it is always a%ood thin%. And most impor tantly, if it is the ri%ht thin% to do in this situationBto


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return the walletBthen it is the ri%ht thin% to do in any similar situa tion. )n a mar%inalcase in which one mi%ht lie to spare anotherEs feelin%s, or obviously, to save the life of afriend, honesty may not be called for. )n fact, it mi%ht be wron% to tell the truth. hesituation will reveal to us the relationship of one value (honesty in this case$ to others(care for others, for e ample$, and e perience and thou%ht will direct us to theconclusion as to which value ou%ht to be adhered to in a particular case. -ut whatever wedecide to do in a specific case, honesty continues to be a value: it is a %ood thin% to behonest. )n a particular case, however, it mi%ht be better not to behonest, because honesty is in conflict with, say, concern for the life of another human

bein%.he hint of situational relativism in this e ample is not pernicious, because the situ

ation does not determine the valueO it merely ma8es it possible for us to become aware of the value and its relation to other values in the same situation. >alues themselves are notsituational, despite the fact that our awareness of them happens to be. Atten tion must

be turned to the values in the situation that confronts us, and not to the situation inisolation, or our personal reac tion to the situation. his is a difficult thin% to as8 in ana%e in which consciousness is inverted and we are preoccupied with our own reactions tothe world rather than to the world itself. -ut it is necessary if we are to ma8e sense of our

moral life.b0ectivism i! ethics e!tails the claim that values are eatures o ourcommo! $orld a!d that the reaso!s $e %ive i! de@ e!di!% our value

0ud%me!ts dra$ atte!@ tio! to those values either directly or by $ay o othereatures o our $orld that are related systemically to those values . ;ur

reasons also try to show the relationship amon% values. ?or instance, in our previ ouse ample # our reaso!s try to sho$ that ho!esty is e!tailed by the Ethi!F moralpri!ciple o respect or perso!sBi! that $e $ould !ot lie to or deceiveperso!s $ho are deservi!% o respect# a!d keepi!% the $allet ourselves is a

orm o deceptio!" ;ur rea sons also try to draw attention to features of the eventitselfBthe spontaneity of the action, the implications of the finderEs 8eep in% the wallethimself, etc. Reaso!i!% i! this ma!!er leads us to the co!clusio! that the

ri%ht thi!% to do i! this case is to retur! the $allet . )n this way, our ethical 0ud%me!ts ca! be ar%ued# de e!ded# a!d i !eed be re0ected o! ratio!al%rou!ds that are bi!d@ i!% across cultural bou!daries"0thical ud%ments cannot always be sim ply a matter of one personEs opinion at aparticular momentBthou%h they may be much of the time, for those who do not thin8much about ri%ht and wron%. As lo!% as atte!tio! is ocused o! the valuesprese!t i! the situatio! itsel (and not our personal reaction to that situation$ $eca! discuss the )uestio! o the truth or alsity o the value 0ud%me!t i! amea!i!% ul $a y. Cul@ tural relativism does !ot allo$ or this ki!d o %ive a!dtake# because the vie$ reduces values to our reactio!s to situatio!s , sim ply.

hat is, cultural relativism reduces values to the opi!io!s a!d eeli!%s opar@ ticular people at a particular time a!d place . -ut this sort o reductio!is simplistic i! the e+treme . This is $hy cultural relativism is truly a!absurd vie$ it reduces situatio!s to a particular perso!/s EtakeF o! thatsitu@ atio!" ' o!e adopts this positio!# the! there is really !o poi!t i!discussi!% di ere!ces o opi!io! about $hat is a!d $hat is !ot valuablethere is !o moral hi%h %rou!d "

Admittedly, thou%h, there are elements of &absolutism* in the ob ectivist view. #onesty,for e ample, is always a %ood thin% even when it must be avoided in the presence of a%reater %oodBas when we lie to save a friendEs life. hus, while ob ectiv ism smac8s at


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times of absolutism, which is unpalatable to the postmodernist temper, it admits thatour %rasp of values is never absolute. We ca! !ever be certai! that $e are ri%ht

$he! $e make value 0ud%me!ts . )n this way ob ectivism avoids the pitfall ofabsolutism and the specter of imperialism that so bothered 2ichael =al er.)n short, the vie$ su%%ested here does !ot lead to do%matism . 't rests o! thek!o$l@ ed%e that our claims i! ethics are corri%ible . -ut it i!sists that , inprinciple at least, there are correct a!d i!correct value 0ud%me!ts# a!d iti!vites those $ho di er to e!%a%e i! dialo%ue . This

i!vitatio! ca!!ot be e+@te!ded by the cultural relativist , ofcourse, si!ce i values are relative to cultures# the! there is really !othi!% totalk about . ;ne simply notes that the aliban, for e ample, deny women their basichuman ri%hts, at least as we see them, and one leaves it at that. ;r one reads that youn%

alestinian men and women drape themselves in e plosives, wal8 into a crowdedrestaurant, and blow up themselves and a do en men, women, and children. And thenone hesitates to be & ud%mental*T 't is iro!ic i! this re%ard that those $hoembrace cultural relativism seek to avoid a positio! they re%ard as i!toler@

a!t o!ly to all i!to a positio! that closes the door to ope! dialo%ue a!d thereaso!able resolutio! o moral di ere!ces .ur values a!d the reaso!s $e have or espousi!% those values are !ot

!ecessarily relative to our culture# to our place a!d time . >alues can bediscussed, compared,re ected, or displaced, as can our reasons for holdin% them. hey are ob ective or real,and $hile our %rasp o them is te!ta@ tive a!d is most assuredly a ected bycul@ tural co!sideratio!s# it is !ot determi!ed by those co!sideratio!s . alues are !ot cul@ turally relative . 3uch a view is myopic and i%nores what is mostinterestin%, what is most important, and what is most valuable about the diversity ofcultures.

The alt solvesColumbia lectro!ic !cyclopedia# 6777('olumbia 0lectronic 0ncyclopedia, 4 ,http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/pro ects/mmt/udhr/concepts/CFG.html , Accessed: 7/14/1!,"#$The de!ial that there are certai! ki!ds o u!iversal truths . here are two maintypes, co%nitive and ethical. Co%!itive relativism holds that there are !ou!iversal truths about the $orld the $orld has !o i!tri!sic characteristic s,there are ust different ways of interpretin% it. he ree8 3ophist rota%oras, the firstperson on record to hold such a view, said, M2an is the measure of all thin%sO of thin%sthat are that they are, and of thin%s that are not that they are not.M oodman, utnam,and "orty are contemporary philosophers who have held versions of relativism. "ortysays, e.%., that M (ob0ective truth( is !o more a!d !o less tha! the best idea $ecurre!tly have about ho$ to e+plai! $hat is %oi!% o! .MCritics o co%!itiverelativism co!te!d that it is sel @re ere!tially i!cohere!t# since it prese!ts itsstateme!ts as u!iversally true# rather tha! simply relatively so" thicalrelativism is the theory that there are !o u!iversally valid moral pri!ciples all moral pri!ciples are valid relative to culture or i!dividual choice . hereare two subtypes: conventionalism, which holds that moral principles are valid relativeto the conventions of a %iven culture or societyO and sub ectivism, which maintains that
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individual choices are what determine the validity of a moral principle. )ts motto is,2orality lies in the eyes of the beholder. As 0rnest #emin%way wrote, M3o far, aboutmorals, ) 8now only that what is moral is what you feel %ood after and what is immoral is

what you feel bad after.M'onventionalist ethical relativism consists of two theses: a diversity thesis, whichspecifies that what is considered morally ri%ht and wron% varies from society to society,so that there are no moral principles accepted by all societiesO and a dependency thesis,

which specifies that all moral principles derive their validity from cultural acceptance.?rom these two ideas relativists conclude that there are no universally valid moralprinciples applyin% everywhere and at all times. he first thesis, the diversity thesis, or

what may simply be called cultural relativism, is anthropolo%icalO it re%isters the fact thatmoral rules differ from society to society. Althou%h both ethical relativists and nonrelativists typically accept cultural relativism, it is often confused with the normativethesis of ethical relativism.The opposite o ethical relativism is ethical ob0ectivism , $hich asserts thatalthou%h cultures may di er i! their moral pri!ciples# some moralpri!ciples have u!iversal validity . 0ven if, e.%., a culture does !ot reco%!i>e a

duty to re rai! rom %ratuitous harm# that pri!ciple is valid a!d the cultureshould adhere to it . here are two types of ethical ob ectivism, stron% and wea8..tro!% ob0ectivism , sometimes called absolutism, holds that there is o!e truemoral system $ith speci ic moral rules" he ethics of ancient )srael in the ;ld

estament with its hundreds of laws e emplifies absolutism. Weak ob0ectivismholds that there is a core morality# a determi!ate set o pri!ciples that areu!iversally valid (usually i!cludi!% prohibitio!s a%ai!st killi!% thei!!oce!t# steali!%# breaki!% o promises# a!d lyi!% $. -ut $eak ob0ectivismaccepts a! i!determi!ate area $here relativism is le%itimate# e"%"# rulesre%ardi!% se+ual mores a!d re%ulatio!s o property" -oth types of ob ectivismreco%ni e what mi%ht be called application relativism, the endeavor to apply moral rules

where there is a conflict between rules or where rules can be applied in different ways.?or e ample, the ancient 'allactians are their deceased parents but eschewed theimpersonal practice of buryin% them as disrespectful, whereas contemporary society hasthe opposite attitudes about the care of dead relativesO but both practices e emplify thesame principle of the respect for the dead.

Accordin% to ob ectivism, cultures or forms of life can fail to e emplify an adeJuatemoral community in at least three ways: (1$ the people are insufficiently intelli%ent to putconstitutive principles in orderO (4$ they are under considerable stress so that it becomestoo burdensome to live by moral principlesO and (C$ a combination of (1$ and (4$.0thical relativism is sometimes confused with ethical s8epticism, the view that we cannot8now whether there are any valid moral principles. 0thical nihilism holds that there areno valid moral principles. 9.


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'mpacts


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Gau!dry Gist

Cultural relativism is a hu%e co!tradictio! a!d 0usti ies massatrocities# racism# %e!ocide# a!d more

Phillips# 6744( revor hillips, former chair of the 0Juality and #uman "i%hts 'ommission (0#"'$,former television e ecutive and presenter, head of the 'ommission for "acial 0Juality,& ay "i%hts, "eli%ion, and 'ultural "elativism,* 9une 4!, 4 11,http://thomasmoreinstitute.wordpress.com/4 11/ G/4!/%ay ri%hts reli%ion andcultural relativism , Accessed: 7/11/1!, "#$#ow would a consistent cultural relativist view civil ri%hts movements which clash withma ority opinionN

@et relativism has fallen out of fashion because, i! order to be co!siste!t# those $ho celebrate/ adva!ces i! le%al ri%hts or %ays a!d claim that the socialapproval o homose+uality i! the West reveals its moral %ood!ess# must alsocelebrate the act that homose+uals $ere publicly bur!t alive i! ourth@ce!tury Rome# or e+ecuted i! moder! day 'ra! or Ni%eria" A ter all# they areo!ly doi!% $hat is co!sidered %ood i! their culture/ . he co!siste!t culturalrelativist , an ious not to commit either of the capital sins of R ud%in%E or Rimposin% oneEs

views on other culturesE, $ould also have to celebrate the bloody persecutio! o,e$s i! medieval urope 1eve! thou%h it $as co!dem!ed at the time byChurch authorities $, a!d mi%ht $ell have to side $ith those $ho scolded

black civil ri%hts leaders i! America or polarisi!% the commu!ity a!dcausi!% social discord by a%%ravati!% ma0ority $hite opi!io!"Cultural relativism does !ot teach ma! ho$ to liste! to the voice oco!scie!ce# or ho$ to use his mi!d to reaso! about morality# but simplypushes him to ollo$ the herd . )t is not indisputably a %ood thin% to be aRfreethin8erE who continually Juestions received moral norms. Care ul co!sideratio!may o te! lead to the co!clusio! that the mai!stream/ vie$ is correct" Iethistory sho$s that the mai!stream ca! , and does , %o a$ry# a!d a society i!

$hich o!e ca!!ot )uestio! the mi!d o the ma0ority is slidi!% to$ard morala!archy a!d tyra!!y"Cultural relativism alls apart $he! co! ro!ted $ith the simple truth thateach i!dividual huma! bei!% is a member o multiple societies a!d cultures"), for e ample, am a member of a particular family, belon%in% to a particular reli%ion, aparticular ethnic %roup, a particular political party, and a particular nation. ve! i $eaccepted that the relativistic idea o truth a!d %ood!ess $ere correct (whichit is not$, $e $ould have !o $ay o decidi!% $hich culture# $hich

mai!stream/ vie$# $e should ollo$ i! case o a co! lict" he choice ofRnational cultureE is arbitrary, owin% its potency only to the power of the 3tate to impose

its view by force, which hi%hli%hts a%ain the lin8 between relativism and tyranny.Cultural relativism is morally reprehe!sible because it 0usti iesthe Na>is killi!% o the ,e$s because o cultural values a!dse%re%atio! o blacks i! the .outh due to cultural traditio!sCurtler# 6776(#u%h 2ercer 'urtler, author of five boo8s, holds de%rees from 3t. 9ohnEs 'olle%e and5orthwestern niversity, he is rofessor of hilosophy and Director of the #onors
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ro%ram at 3outhwest 3tate niversity in 2innesota, & he 2yopia of the 'ultural"elativist,* 4 4, D?, Accessed: 7/11/1!, "#$

! the ace o it# cultural relativism makes per ectly %ood se!se . We are !o$ a$are o the i!credible variety o cultural di er@ e!ces amo!% the peoples o the $orld (thou%h perhaps our awareness of cultural similarities has been undulyeclipsed$, a!d $e all $ish to avoid Eeth!oce!trism#F or the vie$ that our o$!culture is superior to others i! every respect . We

!ote , for e ample, that o!e culture leaves the elderly out i! ree>i!% $eather to die# $hile a!@ other relishes the prese!ce o the elderly i! thehome to help raise childre!# a!d a third places the elderly i! !ursi!% homes

$here they $ill be com ortable# i isolated# i! their old a%e . 'ultural relativistsac8nowled%e these differences and conclude that these customs are the result ofenculturationO they i!sist that everyo!e is Ee!titled to his or her o$! opi!io!Fas to $hether or !ot a!y o these cultural practices is pre erable to a!other"

!e must!/t be E0ud%me!tal#F $e are told . Any ud%ment about one cul ture fromthe perspective of another cul ture is ruled out of order, because, it is said, we are not ofthat culture. -ut is this conclu sion warrantedN

o be sure, if ) ud%e the practices of another culture with respect to the elderly from the

perspective of my own cultural practices, my cultural bias will obtrude. -ut this does notrender it impossible to ma8e sound ud%ments based on evidence and ar%umentation,since my ud%ment may not be simply a matter of cultural bias, and it may even bepossible to eliminate bias alto%ether. 9ud%ments are always perspec tival, but one needonly reco%ni e the bias in oneEs perspective to reduce it somewhat. his is the tas8 ofeducation, one would thin8, and it is a si%n of an educated person that he or shereco%ni es and eliminates mere bias whenever it raises its u%ly head. !ce relatively

ree o bias# o!e mi%ht come to see that there are ma!y %ood reaso!s $hythe practices o a!other culture are either acceptable or u!acceptable o!moral %rou!ds" )n sayin% this, ' should !ote im@ mediately that sou!d moral%rou!ds are the o!ly basis or cross@cultural criticism . Customs that aremerely stra!%e or pecu@ liar rom our poi!t o vie$ are !ot !ecessar@ ily

$ro!% . ) may be put off or pu led by the marria%e practices of another culture, fore ample, but it is not clear that this constitutes any %rounds for criticism. .ome be@ haviors# o! the other ha!d# raisepro ou!d moral )uestio!s a!d are deservi!% o care@ ul scruti!yBa!d#perhaps# co!dem!atio! . reatment of the elderly is a borderline case, so we mi%ht

well be%in with that.)f, for e ample, ) come to reali e that a %iven culture re%ards the elderly as a bur denand this is why they leave the elderly out in sub ero weather to free e, ) may also cometo reali e that this conviction rests upon fear, pre udice, or simply mista8en informationabout the &uselessness* of eld erly peopleBa view that i%nores, for e ample, the

wisdom that comes with a%e and the invaluable aid the elderly can lend in raisin% the youn% and assistin% them to avoid past mista8es. Accordin%ly, ) may be ustified in ud%in% that particular cultural practice to be wron% headed. )f, however, the elderlyconsent to this treatment, it is not clear that such a practice is morally wron%. At theheart of every moral ud% ment lies a nest of facts that can be addressed in a reasonablemanner. And while these facts will not entail by themselves a moral ud%mentBtheycannotBthey can cer tainly support, or fail to support, that ud% ment.

hus, $e are o! much more solid %rou!d $he! $e 0ud%e the Na>is to have bee! $ro!% to persecute the ,e$s based o! misi! orma@ tio! about racialsuperiority a!d i! erior@ ity . We !o$ k!o$ , for e ample # that the !otio! oEArya! racial supremacyF $as biolo%ically u!te!able . 3imilarly, ma!y o the


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Escie!ti icF treatises $ritte! i! the !i!e@ tee!th ce!tury to EproveF that blacks $ere i! erior to $hites o! the %rou!ds o cra!ial capacity $ere bo%usB rom a scie!ti ic sta!dpoi!t . 'ranial capacity has nothin% to do with intelli%ence.

And yet this &fact* was widely used to ustify oppression of blac8s in the American 3outh.)n addition to facts that can, or cannot, be substanti ated to assist us in %ainin% aperspective on an action, there are certain fundamental moral values involved in thelatter case as well.The move rom di ere!t marria%e prac@ tices to treatme!t o the elderly topersecu@ tio! o those di ere!t rom ourselves is comple+ . And the reasonin%here, as ascal saw so clearly, must combine both discur sive and intuitive thin8in%Osuch thin8in% is not e act and precise, but it can yield plau sible conclusions.?urthermore, the %rounds for criticism are firmer as we pro ceed. 2ichael =al er hasshown us where to draw the line. )n his boo8, hic8 and hin, Wal>er de e!ds the

vie$ that there is a core morality that all huma!s i!sti!ctively de@ e!d#re%ardless o cultural bias . He calls this Ethi! (or RminimalE$morality ,* and iti!cludes u!dame!tal pri!ciples o 0ustice a!d huma! ri%hts . Accordin% to

=al er, re%ardless o our cultural bias# a!d $hether or !ot $e ca! articulatethese pri!ciples# all huma! bei!%s recoil at the si%ht o i!0ustice or the

de!ial o huma! ri%hts# $herever they may occur"3urely this is correct, and ust as surely, this provides a basis for cross cultural value ud%ments. hese %rounds are precisely the same as the %rounds we see8 for moral ud%ments within our own culture as well. his is important to note, because any attempt toundermine relativism must provide criti cal %rounds that operate within any culture

while also see8in% to %o beyond the re stricted boundaries of cultural bias. ;rom theperspective o the $ider culture# o!e ca! come to a cross@cultural 0ud%me!tthat ra@ cial persecutio! is $ro!% i! a!other culture eve! i o!e does !othappe! to be a member o that particular culture . As the 2ar ist critic erry0a%leton (of all people$ has noted in this re%ard, cultural relativism leaves Eitsel

$ith !o more reaso! $hy $e should resist ascism Pfor e ampleQ than the feeblypra%matic plea that fascism is not the way we do thin%s in 3usse or 3acramento.*

)ndeed, in 0a%letonEs view, postmodern theorists have &produced...an enervatin% and aparaly in% s8epticism, and unseated the soverei%nty of =estern 2an, in theory at least, by means of a full blooded cultural relativism which is powerless to defend ei ther =estern or 0astern =oman Pfor e ampleQ a%ainst de%radin% social practices.*1'ultural relativism is an absurd view, and no one ta8es it seriously in his or her actualpractice. hat is to say, despite our theoretical commitme!t to be tolera!t oothers# !o o!e is ope! to every other poi!t o vie$# a!d !o o!e $ouldhesitate# i! prac@ tice# to co!dem! a!other (re%ardless of that personEs cultural

bac8%round$ or activities they re%ard as morally o e!sive" )t is this practical factthat has so freJuently reJuired our contemporary cultural rela tivists to constructfantastic and fabulously positive accounts of the value systems of other culturesBotherwise, they could not themselves avoid comin%, sometimes, to condemnation.) hasten to note, however, that the view ) am defendin% does not imply any su%%es tionof cultural superiority, per se. )t does not su%%est that one culture is superior or inferiorto another, because it does not consider cultures as wholes. "ather, it fo cuses attentionupon specific practices that violate the fundamental principles of &thin* morality. The

0ud%me!t that o!e/s o$! culture is someho$ superior to a!other leads usdirectly to eth!oce!trism# $hich certai!ly must be avoided . he view defended here, however, does su%%est that any specific practice as found within any %ivenculture, at any %iven moment, mi%ht be sub ect to criticism on rational %rounds as

violatin% fundamental principles of ustice and human ri%hts. )n ustice and lac8 of


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respect for the di%nity of persons (which is the foundation of human ri%hts$ are wron% wherever they are found.

hus, the same li!e o reaso!i!% thatleads me to co!clude that the Na>is $ere $ro!% to

persecute the ,e$s $ould also lead me to co!clude# $ithi! my o$! culture#

that .outher! se%re%atio!ists $ere $ro!% to oppress blacks" Reaso!i!%about moral@ ity ca!!ot be culture@

bou!d# a!d a!y criti@ cisms o a!other culture that are sou!d , especially those based on &mini mal* morality, must also apply pari passu to oneEs own culture. values of our own culture, but they are true because they are supported by evidence andcritical ud%ment.

Cultural relativism is u!ethicalHor!er# !o date(2ichael #orner, hilosopher, truth see8er who promotes 'hristianity, &)3 here Any"eal "i%ht or =ron%N,* 5o Date,http://www.michaelhorner.com/articles/ri%htorwron%/pa%e4.html , Accessed: 7/11/1!,"#$5a!y people thi!k that si!ce $e i!d di ere!t moral pri!ciples i! di ere!tcultures# there ca!!ot be ob0ective moral pri!ciples bi!di!% o! all culturesmorality must be culturally relative" This ar%ume!t , however, be%i!s $ith amisleadi!% use o data# is lo%ically allacious# does !ot allo$ us to make

$hat $e $ould !ormally co!sider to be le%itimate moral 0ud%me!ts# a!dleads to bi>arre co!clusio!s"

A closer look at the data sho$s that moral commo!alities amo!% culturesare much more abu!da!t tha! moral di ere!ces . The di ere!ces are actually a small mi!ority" We study them in anthropolo%y classes because theyare the e+ceptio! # but i! act the vast ma0ority o moral pri!ciples are heldi! commo! . 2oreover, many of the dissimilarities are merely variations in moralreasonin% and application of the common principles. The ethical disparity bet$ee!cultures is ar less tha! $e are led to believe .ii3econd, it doesnLt follow lo%ically that ust because there are some differences betweencultures, transcendent moral principles do not e ist. =hat follows from the fact thatculture V says action A is wron% and culture @ says action A is ri%htN 5ot very muchT )tdoes not follow that there is no ob ective moral truth re%ardin% action A. )t may very well

be that culture V is correct and culture @ is wron% about action A, or vice versa.Relativity i! moral belie does !ot e!tail relativity i! moral truth" Jeliedoes!(t cha!%e truth .iii Not believi!% i! %ravity does !ot cha!%e theob0ective act , that i you step o the te!th loor balco!y# you $ill all to the%rou!d"


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Nurember% $ar trials ollo$i!% the .eco!d World War $ere !othi!% moretha! a ka!%aroo court @ a arce" Na>i $ar crimi!als de e!ded themselves byclaimi!% that they $ere 0ust ollo$i!% orders $ithi! the rame$ork o theirculture a!d le%al system . -ut "obert 9ac8son, chief counsel for the .3. at the trialsresponded by sayin% that: there is a Mlaw beyond the lawM of any individual nation,permanent values which transcend any particular society.?urthermore, i ethics $ere relative to culture# a!y declaratio! o u!iversalhuma! ri%hts $ould be !o!se!se . @ou canLt have it both ways. ' ethics are 0ustrelative to culture# there are !o u!iversal huma! ri%hts Oa!d i there areu!iversal huma! ri%hts , as the nited 5ations believes # the! ethics are !otrelative to culture .-ut, as we have already seen, our reactio!s a!d 0ud%me!ts sho$ that $e dothi!k that there are moral pri!ciples that tra!sce!d cultures a!d 0usti y ourco!dem!atio! o such occurre!ces as apartheid# eth!ic clea!si!% a!d theNa>i atrocities .

he furor over the canin% of the American teena%er, 2ichael ?ay, by 3in%aporeanauthorities in the early nineties is a %ood e ample of the fact that people do thi!kmorals are tra!scultural . )f ethics were ust culturally relative 5orth Americans

would have no basis for claimin% the canin% was ust or un ust. @et both those whosupport or condemn the 3in%aporean law, reveal that they thin8 the moral principles atsta8e are transcultural in nature.

Another problem with cultural relativism is that one see8in% to reform society from within would find oneself in a real dilemma. ' $hatever a culture does is ri%ht orthat culture# it $ould be immoral to try to i!itiate cha!%e# !o matter ho$a$ ul the practices are# $hether slavery# child labour a!d abuse# or de!ial o

$ome!(s ri%hts . No!e o this is co!siste!t $ith our moral se!sibilities or

practices re%ardi!% maki!% moral 0ud%me!ts"?urthermore, cultural relativism leads to bi>arre co!clusio!s" )ma%ine an islandof 1 people. hey ta8e a vote on whether murder is ri%ht or wron% and the results are aF /F split. he ne t day some of the Mmurder is ri%htM side 8ill one of the Mmurder is

wron%M side. 5ow the count is F to !H in favor of the Mmurder is ri%htM side, and murder becomes morally acceptable.5ow letLs say the Mmurder is wron%M side slay two of the other %roup. he vote is now !Hto ! in favor of the Mmurder is wron%M proponents. 3o now murder is wron% eventhou%h it was ri%ht when they did it, and so onT A view that leads to such absurdconclusions cannot possibly be true.vi


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Patriarchy&.e+ism&;35

Cultural Relativism e!ables se+ist actio!s to occurNama>ie# 6774(2aryam 5ama ie, human ri%hts activist, commentator, and broadcaster, she is aspo8esperson for )ran 3olidarity, &"acism, 'ultural "elativism and =omenEs "i%hts,*

Au%ust 1!, 4 1, http://www.maryamnama ie.com/articles/racism6cultural6rel.html , Accessed: 7/11/1!, "#$Get us be clear about $hat cultural relativism is" 't is a pro ou!dly racistphe!ome!o!# $hich values a!d respects all cultural a!d reli%ious practices#irrespective o their co!se)ue!ces or $ome! . )t asserts that the ri%hts of people,

women and %irls are relative to where they are born, MtheirM cultures and reli%ions.There is !o ri%ht or $ro!% accordi!% to cultural relativists . As a result,cultural relativism supports a!d mai!tai!s se+ual apartheid a!d viole!cea%ai!st $ome! i! 'slam@stricke! societies like 'ra! because it is =theirculture a!d reli%io! Ma!d it creates %hettoi>ed# re%ressive =mi!ority=commu!ities i! the West $here $ome! a!d %irls co!ti!ue to ace apartheida!d 'slamic la$s a!d customs"Cultural relativism does!(t merely i%!ore violatio!s Oit actually le%itimi>es them . 2oreover, it !ever opposes a!y cultural or reli%ious practices . Culturalrelativism !ot o!ly makes it u!!ecessary to oppose violatio!s a!d lack o

$ome!(s ri%hts , but also ma8es it racist and a%ainst freedom of choice to do soT ) wantto %ive e amples of cultural relativism applied to the status of women livin% in )ran and)ranian women asylum see8ers livin% in the =est to show how it le%itimi es womenLslac8 of ri%hts and silences opposition.

here are innumerable e amples of its promotion in the heart of the secular =est wheredifferent laws and customs apply to women who have fled )slam stric8en societies. As a

result o this racism# the veili!% o %irls becomes acceptable i! the heart ourope a!d me! $ho kill $ome! i! the !ame o ho!our are %ive! reducedse!te!ces" he erman %overnment forcibly veils women asylum see8ers it wants todeport to allow the )ranian embassy to prepare their travel documents. Whe! a

$oma! like Roya 5osayebi re uses to be veiled# she is beate! a!d orcibly veiled" Whe! she complai!s to a 3erma! court# the court rules that thepolice acted i! accorda!ce $ith the la$"#olland is another %ood e ample. '! 4


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dress code is mandatory, there are hardly any women voluntarily coverin% their face witha veil or wearin% the traditional burJahW unli8e )slamic countries such as 3audi Arabia.M;n the fact that women have only temporary child custody they said: M his system stemsfrom 3haria law and is applicable in most )slamic countries.MThis is o!e e+ample o ho$ outra%eous acts o brutality a!d repressio! bythe 'ra!ia! %over!me!t are de!ied a!d e+cused . his is how a system of se ualapartheid and lac8 of ri%hts become mere disabilities. his is how they credit womenLsown resistance to the abuser. )n )ran, women not only donLt cover their faces but theycontinuously trans%ress mandatory veilin%. he fact that women are Limproperly veiledLevery day on the streets has nothin% to do with the re%ime or XhatamiO it ust shows that

women are protestin% and opposin% compulsory veilin% despite its ris8s. Hu!dreds othousa!ds o $ome! have bee! lo%%ed# impriso!ed# had their bodiesslashed $ith ra>ors# a!d had acid thro$! i! their aces so that they could

$alk do$! the streets $ith their veils pushed back" 2oreover, $he! they !eedto# cultural relativists al$ays compare the situatio! o $ome! $ith the

$orst possible e+ample . =hy not compare the situation of women in )ran with the best possible e ampleN =hen all else fails, they state that a discriminatory law isapplicable in most so called )slamic countries and thatLs that, which basically means

women are well off enou%h, this is their )slamic culture, at least they donLt cover theirfaces li8e in 3audi Arabia, so donLt oppose, leave it be, stay silent... =estern %overnments, the media and cultural relativists say that )ranian society is)slamic, implyin% that people choose to live the way they are forced to. 9ust as in 'anada,however, there are people with various beliefs in )ran as well. he difference is that in)ran )slam is in power, enforcin% its culture on every one. 4F years a%o when the 3hahLsdictatorial re%ime was in power, no one called )ran a 2uslim country. )f )ranian society

were truly )slamic, 1F , people would not have been e ecuted for opposin% the)slamic "epublic of )ran, the )slamic re%ime would not need such e tensive tools forrepression, and the re%ime would not need to control peopleLs private lives from theirse ual activities, to what they wear. )f the entire society is 2uslim, why did 2aryam

Ayoobi enter a voluntary se ual relationship for which she was buried in a ditch and

stoned to deathN =hy are thousands of women rounded up in the streets for MimproperM veilin% if itLs their culture and reli%ionN )n fact, these prove that this is not peopleLsculture but the re%imeLs culture, the rulin% classLs culture imposed on women and people.Cultural relativism mai!tai!s the 'slamic re%ime i! 'ra!# 0usti ies its

violatio!s# de e!ds the abuser a!d eve! %oes so ar as to credit the abuseror a!y %ai!s made throu%h people(s o$! resista!ce" 't also aims to sile!ce

a!y oppositio! by maki!% it seem racist to do so" 't urther implies that i $ome! = choose = to live $ithout ri%hts then to defend their ri%hts means that youare a%ainst their freedom of choiceT'learly, civil ri%hts# reedom a!d e)uality are u!iversal co!cepts that have

bee! ou%ht or by pro%ressive social moveme!ts a!d the $orki!% class i!

various cou!tries . They belo!% to every o!e irrespective o $here they $ere bor! a!d $here that stru%%le took place . =e still see the positive effects of a-olshevi8 revolution, a aris 'ommune, even the )ranian revolution, before it was

brutally suppressed and e propriated by the )slamic re%ime, in various parts of the worldtoday. That people a!d $ome! $orld$ide# i!cludi!% i! 'ra!# co!ti!ue tostru%%le or e)uality a!d reedom a!d to overcome their lack o ri%hts a!drepressive re%imes is a co! irmatio! o this u!iversality"


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;35 is u!ethicalRachel# 4iya $as 4L# he sudde!ly died . ;au>iya the! came u!der the authority ohis athe r, who arran%ed a marria%e for her a!d prepared to have her e+cised .?au iya was terrified, and her mother and oldest sister helped her to escape. #er mother,left without resources, eventually had to formally apolo%i e and submit to the authorityof the patriarch she had offended.2eanwhile, in America, ;au>iya $as impriso!ed or t$o years $hile theauthorities decided $hat to do $ith her" .he $as i!ally %ra!ted asylum , butnot before she became the ce!ter o a co!troversy about ho$ orei%!ersshould re%ard the cultural practices o other peoples . A series of articles in the5ew @or8 imes encoura%ed the idea that e cision is a barbaric practice that should becondemned. ;ther observers were reluctant to be so ud%mentalBlive and let live, theysaidO after all, our practices probably seem ust as stran%e to them.3uppose we are inclined to say that e cision is bad. =ould we merely be applyin% thestandards of our own cultureN )f 'ultural "elativism is correct, that is all we can do, forthere is no cultural neutral moral standard to which we may appeal. )s that trueN)s here a 'ulture 5eutral 3tandard of "i%ht and =ron%N here is, of course, a lot thatcan be said a%ainst the practice of e cision. +cisio! is pai! ul a!d it results i! the

perma!e!t loss o se+ual pleasure" 'ts short@term e ects i!cludehemorrha%e# teta!us# a!d septicemia" .ometimes the $oma! dies" Go!%term e ects i!clude chro!ic i! ectio!# scars that hi!der $alki!%# a!dco!ti!ui!% pai!"

=hy, then, has it become a widespread social practiceN )t is not easy to say. +cisio!has !o obvious social be!e its . nli8e 0s8imo infanticide, it is !ot !ecessary orthe %roup(s survival" 5or is it a matter of reli%ion. 0 cision is practiced by %roups

with various reli%ions, includin% )slam and 'hristianity, neither of which commend it.
http://faculty.uca.edu/rnovy/rachels--cultural%20relativism.htmhttp://faculty.uca.edu/rnovy/rachels--cultural%20relativism.htm


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5ethod Tur!

Cultural relativism is u!ethical@tur!s the case.ta! ord -!iversity# No date(3tandard niversity, &"elativism,* no date

web.stanford.edu/Yallenw/webpapers/ Relativism .doc, Accessed: 7/1 /1!, "#$)n practice, cultural relativism is sometimes used as a prete+t or ollo$i!%

$hatever ethical belie s o!e i!ds co!ve!ie!t" ?or instance, a Wester!@basedmulti!atio!al corporatio! operati!% i! other parts o the $orld comes roma culture that believes that it is all ri%ht to seek the hi%hest pro it you ca!

$ithi! the la$ cultural relativism there ore says they may do tha t 1eve! iit mea!s disrupti!% the traditio!s o that culture2" Jut cultural relativism also says that they !eed !ot blame or i!ter ere $ith practices $ithi! thatculture $hich mi%ht be co!sidered $ro!% i! their o$! cultur e: practicessuch as police@state terror directed a%ai!st $orkers $ho protest the brutallylo$ $a%e scales a!d miserable $orki!% co!ditio!s throu%h $hich the

corporatio!s reap their pro its" .o i!terpreted# cultural relativism allo$sthese corporatio!s to do $hatever they like"he above results su%%est that cultural relativism does!(t do 0ustice to the

actual vie$s o those $ho really $a!t to promote cross@cultural tolera!ceor oppose Wester! imperialism . 't looks like those vie$s really co!sist i!holdi!% to certai! (absolute, ob ective, trans cultural$ ethical pri!ciples aboutho$ the members o di ere!t cultures should act to$ard each other# such asthat people should be ope!@mi!ded a!d tolera!t to all huma! bei!%s# al$aystreati!% them $ith di%!ity a!d respect . erhaps the anti imperialists areembarrassed to avow such principles because they obviously come from the modern,

=estern 0nli%htenment tradition, and avowin% them will immediately e pose you to thedreaded char%e of ethnocentrism. -y contrast, cultural relativismLs principled stance ofabsolute cross cultural neutrality seems to buy us immunity from this char%e. -ut ofcourse cultural relativism is a moder! Wester! idea every bit as much as

!li%hte!me!t moral pri!ciples are the o!ly di ere!ce is that , as we haveseen, cultural relativism is actually hostile to cross@cultural tolera!ce a!dmutual respect# $hereas certai! other Wester! !li%hte!me!t pri!ciplesdo avor them"

Cultural relativism is the scape %oat@$orst method.ta! ord -!iversity# No date(3tandard niversity, &"elativism,* no date

web.stanford.edu/Yallenw/webpapers/ Relativism .doc, Accessed: 7/1 /1!, "#$ >ery li8ely we end up in this parado ical position because we start from the correctperception that everyoneLs standpoint is limited by their cultural perspective, and then(directly contradictin% this insi%ht$ we try immediately to occupy a sublimely neutralstandpoint which is above all such limitations. =e would be wiser to ali%n ourselves withsome standpoint situated within a definite culture which, despite its inevitablelimitations, at least ma8es an effort to be critical of itself and tolerant of other culturalstandpoints. =e are reluctant to ta8e this wise course because we 8now that it is hard toidentify such a standpointO we reali e that the biases from which we start will doubtless


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lead us into mista8es, probably culpable onesO and we are aware that by this route we cannever hope alto%ether to escape the accusation of ethnocentrism, but will ust have tolearn to live with it (as part of our human condition$. We i!d cultural relativism ar more appeali!% because its empty %esturese!able us to a!!ou!ce our %ood i!te!tio!s a!d repudiate our cultural

biases i! the abstract # $ith a mere $ave o the ha!d" 't e!ables us toabsolve ourselves all o our cultural limitatio!s i! %e!eral $ithout everhavi!% to overcome a!y o them i! particular (as we have seen, it even providesan endorsement for them, when that is needed$. -ut perhaps $hat $e have really $a!ted all alo!% is a lice!se to behave like brutal# arro%a!t imperialists $hile at the same time thi!ki!% o ourselves as tolera!t# huma!ecosmopolita!s $ho have tra!sce!ded all their cultural pre0udices" hisma8es it unsurprisin% that cultural relativism has had widespread appeal amon% themore sophisticated members of =estern imperialist culture.


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**A!thro Tur!**


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A!thro Tur!The a relies o! a! a!thropoce!tric hierarchy M to ar%ue that $eca!!ot re0ect a!imal e+ploitatio! because it is part o a!other%roup/s culture 0usti ies de e!di!% slavery as a part o America!cultureT G 44# his >e%an ed bei!%s $ere other huma!s" Jut this is 0ust a!other $ay oasserti!% huma! supremacy a!d e+ceptio!alism" ' i!d that as ob0ectio!ableas asserti!% racial supremacy" We ca! try to educate people $ho have this

vie$# a!d $e should do so" Jut i! the e!d# i the choice is bet$ee!mai!tai!i!% a! abolitio!ist positio! or !ot doi!% so i! order to appeasespeciesism a!d huma! e+ceptio!alism prese!ted as cultural se!sitivity or!o!@racism# ' re use to appease" ' am si!cerely sorry i my vie$s o e!da!yo!e but throu%hout huma! history# there has !ot bee! a! idea that has!ot o e!ded someo!e" 5s" ;o+ also )uotes ;ra!cio!e as re0ecti!% thechar%e o racism leveled at those $ho promote ethical ve%a!ism Racism is

aili!% to i!clude people as ull members o the moral&le%al commu!ity o!the basis o race " Ho$ is taki!% the reaso!ed positio! that e+ploiti!%!o!huma!s ca!!ot be morally 0usti ied racist?F he )ueries" E The o!ly $aythat it ca! be racist is i the co!cept o a perso!/ i! perso! o color/ i!cludesa protected i!terest i! e+ploiti!% !o!huma!s " As ' said earlier# that be%s the

u!dame!tal moral )uestio! i! avor o huma! e+ceptio!alism" A!d o! thepresumptio! that ve%a!ism is elitist# he says ' i!d the !otio! that a dietthat re0ects viole!ce is elitist is bi>arre" There is !othi!% more elitist M a!d 'mea! !othi!% M tha! the !otio! that it is morally acceptable to imposesu eri!% a!d death o! a se!tie!t bei!% because you like the taste" )t is true that thereis a mar8et for e pensive, processed ve%an foods. -ut so whatN hat does not ma8e a ve%an diet inherently elitist any more than a mar8et

for people who can buy desi%ner clothes ma8es wearin% clothes inherently elitist " 't remai!s i!comprehe!sibleto me ho$ ma!y people i!volved i! other social 0ustice $ork ca!!ot see theco!!ectio!s bet$ee! racism# classism# se+ism a!d speciesism" As Nekeisha

Ale+is@Jaker has so elo)ue!tly !oted The same ideolo%y that supportsspeciesism is prese!t i! ideolo%ies that e!coura%e a!d 0usti y se+ism a!dracism As a black $oma! $ho is ve%a!# ' am particularly se!sitive to the

$ays i! $hich orms o e+ploitatio! are i!tert$i!ed .o rather tha! bei!%co!cer!ed $ith a!imal liberatio! or $ome!/s liberatio! or black a!d otherpeople o color/s liberatio!# ' thi!k $e !eed to u!dersta!d ho$ they are all


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tied to%ether a!d to k!o$ that $e ca!/t ree o!e %roup i $e allo$ the sameki!ds o oppressive ideolo%ies to e!slave a!other %roup " Giberatio! has tocome or all"

The idea that $hali!% is ce!tral to the 5akah culture is la$eda!d i!credibly uroce!tricDeckha 7 Assistant rofessor, ?aculty of ictoria, 'anada(2aneesha, 4 7 &Animal 9ustice, 'ultural 9ustice: A osthumanist "esponse to'ultural "i%hts )n Animals* Animal ed e+perie!ce $ith truth do $e !ot assi%! thers a set o!arrative authorities that e!0oy immu!ity rom the collective process o

0ud%me!t? 2oreover, how will we ever reconcile incommensurate stories within mar%inali ed %roups if we cannot Juestione perienceN1F 1

The o!ly reaso! that $hale meat is more Ereadily availableF tothe 5akah is due to a!thropoce!tric practices M the a i%!oresthe act that $hale hu!ti!% or meat is a Wester! practice $hichshould be re0ected alo!% $ith the other aspects o colo!ialismthat they de!ou!ceJailey 7 rofessor and 'hair of hilosophy at 2innesota 3tate niversity 2an8ato('athryn, &=e Are =hat =e 0at: ?eminist >e%etarianism and the "eproduction of"acial )dentity* #ypatia 44.4 CH FH$//0D;ne of the problems with eor%eLs ar%ument in Animal, >e%etable, or =omanN and in a 1HH! article that received muchcriticism, is that many, if not all, of the reaso! s she cites or $hy ve%etaria!ism may be out o


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reach or ma!y poor $ome! is precisely a result o the patriarchal systemthat devalues $ome! a!d a!imals i! the irst place" 't is !ot a ra!domlyproduced feature of the world that women and children ma8e up the %reatest poverty class or that the health of women and children is especially precarious. 5or is it an accide!t that =a!imal protei!= i! the

orm o cheap lu!chmeat or ast ood is o te! more readily available tha! ve%etables in the nited 3tates. ?rom the point of view of feminist ethical ve%etarianism, these co!ditio!sresult rom the very racism, se ism, classism, and a!thropoce!trism that is bei!%challe!%ed . As reta aard and


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racism and anthropocentrism by failin% to appreciate the connections between eatin% practices and racial identity,feminist ethical ve%etarianism will be stalled at the class and color lines. #owever, $e should !ot co!cedethat ethical ve%etaria!ism is a! i!tri!sically racist # classist# or colo!ialiste!deavor because doi!% so e ectively allo$s the co!ti!ued maski!% o the

$ays i! $hich racism# classism# a!d imperialism have created ood$aysprivile%i!% the %lobal elite" 't also serves to divide a!d isolate the most

oppressed# limiti!% huma! a!imals $ith respect to their ethical a%e!cy a!daccess to )uality ood a!d leav i!% !o!huma! a!imals $here# or most o us#they have bee! all alo!%Bo! our plates"


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**Case**


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>lt *a!ses

>lt ca!ses to no halingRenker, 12 3 Ann ;* 5en#er received her Ph*D* in "nthro&o2ogy from he

Americ"n Bniversity in W"shington, D*C* in -= ., A resident of thereserv"tion since -= 4, she h"s "2so 0een "n ex&ert )itness for the ri0esince -==3 (Wh"2e 9unting "nd the ;"#"h ri0e' A $eeds 6t"tement%,Intern"tion"2 Wh"2ing Commission, ;"y,htt&' i)c*int &riv"te do)n2o"ds ds f "8+&-3) oc#o o3gc) 43/A6WH+ 3*&df1 ># La s!its ere not the only problem that the +akah Tribe faced during this 8uot" &eriod* Nour ri0"2 mem0ers "22eged th"t the ma&ority of+akahs ere not in fa"or of the res!mption of haling , "nd th"t the;"#"h ri0"2 Counci2 h"d misre&resented the o&inion of its &eo&2e* Nue2ed 0ythese rumors, anti3 haling ad"ocates staged n!mero!sdemonstrations on and o) the reser"ation, and garnered attention

from the media# The protestors also limited the s!ccess of the+akah h!nt by block ing canoes, scaring hales, and threaten ing+akah halers * During the -=== )h"2ing se"son, m"ny te2evision s&ots "nd&u02ished re&orts cont"ined in"ccur"te or &"rti"22y correct inform"tion "0outthe )h"2e hunt "nd other ;"#"h cu2tur"2 &r"ctices, "nd inc2uded 8uotes fromthe "nti/)h"2ing ;"#"hs )ho insisted th"t the ma&ority of Tribal membersdid not ant the Tribe to h!nt hales # These people also acc!sed+akahs of asting hale prod!cts, claiming that tribal members didnot like, nor cons!me, hale prod!cts # .etractors pointed to "n"22eged incident hen meat and bl!bber from a 1@@- hale, hichhad incidentally been ca!ght in a :shing net, ere asted#
http://iwc.int/private/downloads/ds5fzaq2p14w88ocko00o4gcw/64-ASW%204.pdf)//jkhttp://iwc.int/private/downloads/ds5fzaq2p14w88ocko00o4gcw/64-ASW%204.pdf)//jkhttp://iwc.int/private/downloads/ds5fzaq2p14w88ocko00o4gcw/64-ASW%204.pdf)//jkhttp://iwc.int/private/downloads/ds5fzaq2p14w88ocko00o4gcw/64-ASW%204.pdf)//jk


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*h!rchill 'ad

*h!rchillHs sol!tion can ne"er sol"e3 it pre"ents coalitionb!

Makah Whaling Negative

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