Explaining moral variety
Publication Type
Journal Article
Publication Date
12-1994
Abstract
Reflection on the variety of forms of social life has long been a source of moral skepticism. The thought that there are many radically different social systems, each of which colors the way its members think about moral and political questions, has been thought by many moral philosophers to undermine confidence in our belief that our way of looking at-or even posing-these questions is the correct one. The fact of cultural variety is held to reduce, if not eliminate altogether, the possibility of moral criticism of the practices of other societies. This thought is not a recent one; it is implicit, for example, in an observation made in David Hume's “A Dialogue,” when he writes:There are no manners so innocent or reasonable, but may be rendered odious or ridiculous, if measured by a standard, unknown to the persons; especially, if you employ a little art or eloquence, in aggravating some circumstances, and extenuating others, as best suits the purpose of your discourse.
Discipline
Political Science | Social Policy
Research Areas
Political Science
Publication
Social Philosophy and Policy
Volume
11
Issue
1
First Page
1
Last Page
21
ISSN
0265-0525
Identifier
10.1017/S026505250000426X
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP): HSS Journals - No Cambridge Open
Citation
KUKATHAS, Chandran.(1994). Explaining moral variety. Social Philosophy and Policy, 11(1), 1-21.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2966
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1017/S026505250000426X