[lbo-talk] Re: circumcision

[ravi]

joanna bujes wrote:
> Miles Jackson wrote:
> 
>> Yep, same kinda thing: in our view, a vile, sexist practice
>> endorsed by women in the society.  The point I'm trying to make
>> is that women in these societies enthusiastically
>> enforced the practices; that's just a social fact.  (Perhaps
>> I haven't been clear so far: I'm not making a moral argument
>> here; I'm pointing out how difficult it is to make a moral
>> argument about this stuff.) 
> 
> C'mon Miles, this is tiresome. Conditioning is neither moral nor
> immoral. It just is.
> 
> Women are not born "enthusiastic" about footbinding, or breast
> enlargement, or clitoral mutilation, or high-heels, or anything. All
> this is learned behavior.
> 

quite true, and similar to the learned behaviour/view (as exhibited in
various defensive responses on this list ;-)), in the west, among men,
that a segment of their penis [;-)] needs to be chopped off, for reasons
of "health". only thing is, perhaps in the west, such a behaviour/view
is considered "learned"!!

serious rhetorical question: is 'moral absolutism' (or 'scientism'?) the
opposite (and only alternative) of/to 'moral relativism'?

	--ravi