On Wed, 11 Aug 2004, BklynMagus wrote:
> Again with ethnocentrism. I ask once more: what does my race or ethnicity
> have to do with my opinions on sexual rights? Or to put it another way: why
> does my exercise of logic lead to you to charge me with ethnocentrism? Am
> Have you found better and more effective tools than logic and rational
> discussion with which to forge a just and fair society?
You live in a society that values logical discourse and rationality; you assume that these are superior tools for the creation of a good society. If a society does not use the tools of logic and rationality, you consider it inferior. This is ethnocentrism (you're assuming the superiority of your moral guidelines).
Yes, in this cultural context, I agree that logic and rationality are good tools. Are they necessary and universal tools that need to be applied in any human society to create a good society? Who knows? Why even make grandiose claims about it?
Sorry if you consider this sniping, but I'm just trying to emphasize how the moral standards you consider to be bedrock (logic and reason) are in fact social contingencies. When you use your deeply held moral standards to judge other groups who do not share your standards, you're being ethnocentric.
Miles