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The Ethics of Diversity: Race, Ethnicity, and Culture in Moral Theory. Introduction. Increasing interest in diversity in the past two decades Fundamental question: what place, if any, do race, ethnicity, and culture have in moral theory?. Overview. The Identity Argument Minority Rights - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Lawrence M. Hinman, Ph.D.Director, The Values InstituteUniversity of San Diego
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 1
The Ethics of Diversity:Race, Ethnicity, and Culture
in Moral Theory
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 2
Introduction
Increasing interest in diversity in the past two decades
Fundamental question: what place, if any, do race, ethnicity, and culture have in moral theory?
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 3
Overview
The Identity Argument Minority Rights The Virtues Necessary for Living Wel
l in a Diverse Society
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 4
The Identity Argument
The basic claim of the identity argument is that race, ethnicity, and culture are central to moral identity
The argument has two parts:– Negative: The Critique of Impartiality– Positive: The Situatedness of the Moral
Agent
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 5
Impartiality and Particularity
The premise of modern moral theory has been that the moral agent ought to be impartial– Utilitarianism: The Impartial Calculator– Deontology: Acting according to the
duty of any rational agent• See especially Alasdair MacIntyre, “How the
Moral Agent Became a Ghost.”
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 6
Godwin’s Choice Which to choose to
rescue in a burning building?– The Bishop of
Cambray (Fenelon)– His chambermaid
Version #2:– The Bishop of
Cambray– Your mother
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 7
Godwin’s Choice, 2“Suppose the valet had been my brother, my father, or my benefactor. This would not alter the truth of the proposition. The life of Fenelon would still be more valuable than that of the valet; and justice, pure, unadulterated justice, would still have preferred that which was most valuable. Justice would have taught me to save the life of Fenelon [the Bishop of Cambray] at the expense of the other. What magic is there in the pronoun "my," that should justify us in overturning the decisions of impartial truth? My brother or my father may be a fool or a profligate, malicious, lying or dishonest. If they be, of what consequence is it that they are mine?”
--Godwin, Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, Chapter 2
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Two Questions
Godwin’s dilemma poses two distinct questions to us:– Behavior: What should I do?– Motivation: Why should I do it?
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 9
Moral Motivation and Impartiality
Sometimes what is morally required in a situation is acting out of a particular moral motivation– e.g., visiting a sick friend.– Michael Stocker has argued that modern moral
theory has a kind of “schizophrenia,” a split between motivation and justification
• Video interview with Michael Stocker on this topic.
– Bernard Williams has pointed out the problem of “one motivation too many”
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 10
Impartiality and Behavior
Considerations of rights establish the boundaries within which considerations of partiality may play a role: – In acting on the basis of particularity,
people may not violate rights.– Thus, in Godwin’s example, we should not
violate someone’s right to be saved.
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 11
Impartiality, Particularity, and Power
Critics of impartiality often claim that claims of impartiality often mask power relationships of dominance:– Impartiality is really just the partiality of the
powerful.
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 12
Identity and Transparency For the dominant group in a society,
their particular identity is transparent, I.e., not perceived by them as a specific identity– Supermarket example
For non-dominant groups, their identity is always experienced as particular, as specific to them as members of a group.
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 13
The Identity Argument
Premise 1 What is morally right depends (at least in part) on one’s identity as a moral agent;
Premise 2 One’s race (or ethnicity, or culture) is central to one’s identity as a moral agent;
Conclusion Thus, what is morally right depends (at least in part) on that person’s race, ethnicity, or culture.
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 14
Premise 1
What is morally right depends (at least in part) on one’s identity as a moral agent.
Kantians would argue that moral identity is purely rational, and that it does not involve any elements of particularity.
Supporters of this premise point to special obligations characteristic of particular cultures and ethnicities, e.g., placing a high value on family commitments.
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 15
Premise 2
One’s race (or ethnicity, or culture) is central to one’s identity as a moral agent.
In order to evaluate this premise, we first must ask: What exactly do we mean by race, ethnicity, and culture?
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 16
Race, Ethnicity, and Culture
Race– Initially appears to be biological– Eventually is seen as socially constructed
Ethnicity– An individual’s identification with a particular
cultural group to which they are usually biologically related
Culture– Set of beliefs, values and practices that define
a group’s identity
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 17
Internalist and Externalist Accounts of Ethnic Identity
Externalist accounts:– Ethnic identity is formed by certain external
events, e.g., slavery, persecution, discrimination;– This even fits within utilitarianism
Internalist accounts:– Ethnic identity is formed by certain shared
experiences, often of oppression, which bind a people together
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 18
Responses to the Identity Argument
Separatist—seeks to preserve identity by maintaining a separate existence.
Supremacist—seeks power and superiority over all other groups.
Assimilationist and Integrationist--seeks a common identity, the “melting pot.”
Pluralist—preserves particularity in a shared framework, the “crazy quilt.”
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 19
Separatism
May be:– Partial– Complete
Examples – Amish and
Mennonites– Orthodox Jews– Acoma Pueblo
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Supremacist
Seeks power and superiority over all other groups.
See Jim Crow laws in the United States, which tried to retain white supremacy.
http://www.ferris.edu/news/jimcrow/index.htm.
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 21
Assimilationism
Predominant American metaphor: the melting pot.
Classic philosophical source: Richard Wasserstrom, “On Racism and Sexism.” Wasserstrom argues that race and gender should be no more significant than eye color.
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 22
Pluralism
Rejects ideal of impartiality Seeks to preserve and strengthen
group identity. Sources:
– Iris Marion Young, Justice and the Politics of Difference.
– Michael Walzer, Spheres of Justice.
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 23
Pluralism and Multiculturalism Principle of Understanding
– We seek to understand other cultures before we pass judgment on them.
Principle of Tolerance– We recognize that there are important areas in which
intelligent people of good will will in fact differ. Principle of Standing Up to Evil
– We recognize that at some points we must stand up against evil, even when it is outside of our own borders.
Principle of Fallibility– We recognize that, even with the best of intentions, our
judgments may be flawed and mistake.
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 24
Minority Rights
Kymlicka, Liberalism, Community, and Culture (1989) and Multicultural Citizenship (1995)
Thesis: liberalism entails minority rights
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 25
Kymlicka’s Argument
Following Rawls, Kymlicka argues that the ability to develop and pursue a life plan is a very important good
One’s own culture is necessary for achieving that good
Many minority cultures need special protection if they are to continue to exist
Thus minority cultures must be given special protection so that all members of society have an equal opportunity to pursue a life plan.
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 26
Groups
Indigenous Peoples Formerly Enslaved Peoples Immigrant Minorities
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The Rights of Indigenous Peoples Compensatory
Justice– Backward-looking– Redress past harms
Rights of Indigenous Peoples– Language– Religion– Land– Self-determination
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The Rights of Formerly Enslaved Peoples
Do we owe a special debt to those who have been forcibly brought to our shores and enslaved?
To their descendants? How is such a debt
measured? Repaid?
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 29
Hate Crimes
One way of providing special protection to groups that have been the object of persecution is to provide special legal sanctions against persecutory acts--in other words, against hate crimes.
04/21/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 30
The Rights of Immigrant Minorities
What special rights, if any, do immigrant minorities have if they have freely come to the United States in search of a better life?– Language– Support
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The Virtues Necessary for Living Well in a Diverse Society
Lawrence Blum indicates there are three virtues necessary for living wel in a diverse society– Opposition to racism– Multiculturalism– Sense of community, connection, or
common humanity