[lit-ideas] Re: When a civilized society fights a barbarous one
- From: "Judith Evans" <judithevans1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2006 20:43:11 +0100
> Eric: You wrote that West's comment, "The morally superior
> (read: paralyzed) don't really take sides; don't really
> believe one culture is qualitatively better or worse than
> the other. They don't even believe one culture is just plain
> different from the other" was balderdash.
Yes.
> I tried to show that claims to superiority reside in overall
> governing ideals, and may be constantly refuted in
> day-to-day praxis. Otherwise the society with the lowest
> ideals would be superior because it always lived up to those
> low ideals.
Yes (not that I've thought much about this!)
> West's "morally superior(read: paralyzed)" ignore the
> distance between ideals and praxis, and bestow opprobrium on
> all, regardless of their overall governing ideals.
I see. Well, I personally certainly would place more blame on
someone who did something wrong knowing it was wrong than
on someone who did it not knowing it was wrong. When someone
does something wrong and it transgresses their society's values,
is it more wrong than when someone does something wrong in
accordance with their society's values?
No. Both acts are equally wrong.
But do we blame the second type of person equally with the first?
Perhaps not.
Consider the following people
1. A US mother who submits her daughter to genital mutilation
because she thinks it's a good idea
2. A US doctor who carries out that mutilation
3. An African woman living in a traditional African society
who submits her daughter to genital mutilation
because that's part of what being a woman means in her culture
4. A traditional "circumciser" i.e. female genital mutilator of
that culture, who mutilates the daughter.
Are all these acts equally bad? Well, they're equally wrong. But
are all these people equally to blame? I'd say, no. What's the
similarity?
The act. What's the difference? The culture and the motive. IOW
persons 3. and 4. are -- to put it in a way I somewhat dislike --
not so much to blame, their culture is.
To your example.
> West's "morally superior(read: paralyzed)" ignore the
> distance between ideals and praxis, and bestow opprobrium on
> all, regardless of their overall governing ideals. Zarqawi
> deliberately chopping off heads and US bombs accidentally
> killing civilians are treated as the same thing--from an
> absolute perspective that ignores praxis.
>
> This is like condemning a man who had an affair with equal
> force as one would condemn a serial rapist.
This, Eric, will not do. Culture is irrelevant, governing
ideals are irrelevant, the acts are not comparable. I think
West sees that, actually -- though it may be the only thing
she sees
Judy Evans, Cardiff
----- Original Message -----
From: "Eric Yost" <eyost1132@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, June 26, 2006 7:58 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: When a civilized society fights a
barbarous one
> Eric: But Judy it is the essence!
>
> Judy: No Eric, it is not.
>
>
> Eric: You wrote that West's comment, "The morally superior
> (read: paralyzed) don't really take sides; don't really
> believe one culture is qualitatively better or worse than
> the other. They don't even believe one culture is just plain
> different from the other" was balderdash.
>
> I tried to show that claims to superiority reside in overall
> governing ideals, and may be constantly refuted in
> day-to-day praxis. Otherwise the society with the lowest
> ideals would be superior because it always lived up to those
> low ideals.
>
> West's "morally superior(read: paralyzed)" ignore the
> distance between ideals and praxis, and bestow opprobrium on
> all, regardless of their overall governing ideals. Zarqawi
> deliberately chopping off heads and US bombs accidentally
> killing civilians are treated as the same thing--from an
> absolute perspective that ignores praxis.
>
> This is like condemning a man who had an affair with equal
> force as one would condemn a serial rapist.
>
>
>
>
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