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From: tca@houxa.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: cultural value systems
Message-ID: <257@houxa.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 28-Sep-83 13:16:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: houxa.257
Posted: Wed Sep 28 13:16:36 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 29-Sep-83 08:51:27 EDT
Organization: Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 21



..arizona!budd need only look in our own recent past
to see cultural value systems that consider human
life expendable and lacking in dignity and "human rights".
For example, slavery in the nineteenth century (a mere 
century ago, a short time in cultural evolution terms)...

Today we consider the concept abhorrent -- in the same
way many people abhor the Russians actions in KAL007 --
when viewed from our present value system.  And yet it
was recently considered the norm.

All the "moralizing" going on here is nothing more than a projection
of one's own value system or cultural bias -- nothing "moral"
or "immoral" about it.  And who's to say that his system
is one whit more valid than another's?  A value system obtains
its validity only through agreement (e.g. from "society"), not
from any absolute precept.

..houxa!tca