HR100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Cultural Relativism, Universal Declaration Of Human Rights, Relativism
28 Oct 2020
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Document Summary
Universalism: the belief that all morals and values are fundamentally the same at all times in all places. Cultural relativism: stresses that moral values are determined by religion,culture, history and other social context. Cultural imperialism: shoving ones culture down the throats of other countries. How human rights relates with the universalism and cultural relativism debate: Moral universalist perspective on hr: morality does not vary as a result of religious diversity, cultural differences or historical context. Moral/cultural relativist perspective on hr: all morality is culturally and historically specific. Dangers of universalism: it can be used to rationalize otherwise unjustifiable interference in other states (violating their sovereignty) Points of relativism: can be used by powerful elites to justify oppressing their people and to defend their interests as elites. Western civilization has not been uniformly in favour of hr. Commitments to individualism, freedom, personal authority fairly recently: 16/17th century. Many critics of hr have been a member of western civilization.
