I like John's
definition. I notice that he left out culture, enculturation, the
validity of ethical values within a culture, and the whole set of
ideas related to cultural relativism.
I have a lot of trouble with cultural relativism because I think it
ignores hierarchy within cultures. Women have suffered from the
hierarchy built into gender roles for thousands of years. To sanctify
the dominant values of a culture seems to me to be very much against
their interests. I think that's what Herskovits and Benedict did.
Ayesha and I agree on a lot of political issues, but this is a point
where we part ways.
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