Posted: March 18th, 2017

Present each of their argument briefly in your own words and evaluate the debate about the relativity of morals to cultures. How, in your view, should we respond to the seeming opposition between Benedict’s and Midgley’s claims?

Ruth Benedict introduces the notion of the relativity of morals to cultures by presenting several cases of ‘primitive’ peoples whose cultural practices diverge dramatically from those modern Western societies. Mary Midgley considers the example of tsujigiri, and, drawing certain consequences from our reaction to this ancient Japenese practice, argues that what she terms ‘moral isolationism’ is a dangerously mistaken theory. Present each of their argument briefly in your own words and evaluate the debate about the relativity of morals to cultures. How, in your view, should we respond to the seeming opposition between Benedict’s and Midgley’s claims?