Date of Award

6-2010

Document Type

Union College Only

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Philosophy

Second Department

Anthropology

First Advisor

Felmon Davis

Second Advisor

Linda Cool

Language

English

Keywords

relativism, anthropologist, moral, benedict, paper

Abstract

This paper explores the extent to which the anthropologist’s methodological approach of cultural relativism relates to the philosopher’s theory of moral relativism. Ultimately, we find that there is no logical connection between the two, but some anthropologists tend to hold both. The premier example is Ruth Benedict, who is frequently the subject of philosophical discussion attempting to show the implausibility of the moral relativist’s view. In this paper, I attempt to give the anthropologist, like Benedict, a form of moral relativism which is 1. defensible against common attacks, and 2. intuitively appealing to the anthropologist. Ultimately, I propose David Wong’s pluralistic relativism as a likely contender for meeting these two goals. Furthermore, I explain what the anthropologist who accepts Wong’s theoretical position is committed to in practice, examining both the debate surrounding applied anthropology and the challenges of certain ethical dilemmas.

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