Morality is a culturally conditioned response
Morality is a Culturally Conditioned Response
‘Morality is a Culturally Conditioned Response’ is an article printed in the magazine ‘Philosophy Now’ and is written by Jesse Prinz who is a distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the City University of New York. This is an argumentative article where the writer, Jesse Prinz, has argued in favor of moral relativism and supported the theory that moral judgments are based on emotions hence they vary from person to person. The writer has written was able to give sufficient examples like Cannibalism, infanticide etc to prove how morality has changed overtime and how emotions, more than anything, are responsible for a person’s moral values which make his arguments strong. However, he has passed some rather absolute statements and was unable to defend relativism effectively against the allegations that were imposed by the objectivists. Despite the flaws, the writer has presented his and the counter arguments fairly well which make this article a good effort to support relativism. Since this is a very general topic it can appeal to any person regardless of their demographics. Prinz has also written several books on human nature and morality like ‘The Emotional Construction of Morals’, and ‘Beyond Human Nature’ which makes him a credible source of this information.
The author’s main point was that morality is different for everybody and according to Prinz once a person understands this, they quit being morally judgmental and refrain from the imposition of their values on others. He initially gave examples of how morality is different for everyone and then he explained the root of morality; an individual’s emotional inclination. The writer not only presented arguments to support his own opinion but put forward the view point of the opposing party, the moral objectivists, and responded to their allegations logically and analytically.
Prinz has used a persuasive tone in his article. He has used logos and has given
‘Morality is a Culturally Conditioned Response’ is an article printed in the magazine ‘Philosophy Now’ and is written by Jesse Prinz who is a distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the City University of New York. This is an argumentative article where the writer, Jesse Prinz, has argued in favor of moral relativism and supported the theory that moral judgments are based on emotions hence they vary from person to person. The writer has written was able to give sufficient examples like Cannibalism, infanticide etc to prove how morality has changed overtime and how emotions, more than anything, are responsible for a person’s moral values which make his arguments strong. However, he has passed some rather absolute statements and was unable to defend relativism effectively against the allegations that were imposed by the objectivists. Despite the flaws, the writer has presented his and the counter arguments fairly well which make this article a good effort to support relativism. Since this is a very general topic it can appeal to any person regardless of their demographics. Prinz has also written several books on human nature and morality like ‘The Emotional Construction of Morals’, and ‘Beyond Human Nature’ which makes him a credible source of this information.
The author’s main point was that morality is different for everybody and according to Prinz once a person understands this, they quit being morally judgmental and refrain from the imposition of their values on others. He initially gave examples of how morality is different for everyone and then he explained the root of morality; an individual’s emotional inclination. The writer not only presented arguments to support his own opinion but put forward the view point of the opposing party, the moral objectivists, and responded to their allegations logically and analytically.
Prinz has used a persuasive tone in his article. He has used logos and has given
Cited: Prinz, Jesse. “Morality is a Culturally Conditioned Response.” Philosophy Now.” Issue 87 Nov/Dec 2011.