ANT100Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Moral Relativism, Noam Chomsky, Split Infinitive
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Anthropologists use linguistics/language for other aspects of anthropology. Absolute values and cultural or moral relativism (opposite of holding everything to be absolute; everything is relative) Case study: mother love and infant death in alto do cruzerio, brazil. Cultural relativism: assumptions and behaviours mean different things in different cultures. May have different moral judgements that should not be condemned. Recognize that historical, social, economic conditions affect our behaviour. Moral relativism: there are no absolute values - what is good or evil depends on the culture. Opposite = believing there are universal/absolute moral values. Cultural relativism allows for moral universals and moral particulars. Noam chomsky: there is an innate, universal language acquisition device - human beings cannot help but learn language. I. e. even if you cannot speak you can learn language - sign language. Language = innate and universal ability (some moral values are innate and universal?)
