Natural Moralities : A Defense of Pluralistic Relativism

Download or read book Natural Moralities : A Defense of Pluralistic Relativism written by Department of Philosophy Duke University David B. Wong Professor and Chair and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2006-09-07 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David B. Wong proposes that there can be a plurality of true moralities, moralities that exist across different traditions and cultures, all of which address facets of the same problem: how we are to live well together. Wong examines a wide array of positions and texts within the Western canon as well as in Chinese philosophy, and draws on philosophy, psychology, evolutionary theory, history, and literature, to make a case for the importance of pluralism in moral life, and to establish the virtues of acceptance and accommodation. Wong's point is that there is no single value or principle or ordering of values and principles that offers a uniquely true path for human living, but variations according to different contexts that carry within them a common core of human values. We should thus be modest about our own morality, learn from other approaches, and accommodate different practices in our pluralistic society.