Question

Choose 5 questions to write about out of the following. No less than a one-page response.

1. Why do you imagine the term cultural relativism was chosen to mean what it does?
2. Do you believe cultures are irreconcilably different? Or is it that deep down people are people and we’re really all the same? How does this distinction relate to the difference between cultural relativism and traditional theories of ethics?
3. In your own words, what is the eternal return?
4. Why might the eternal return be considered a reasonable response to cultural relativism?
5. Write down some factors leading to a significant decision you’ve made. It could be about choosing a field of study or a career path. Now, can you walk through each of the factors within the eternal return? Are there any decisions you made that you’d take back and change?
6. If you knew the eternal return was true, could you still make the reasonable decision to choose an altruistic profession? Why or why not?
7. If you’re doing business overseas as a cultural ethicist, why would it make sense to consult the local chamber of commerce? Who else might you consult for moral guidance? Why?
8. You go abroad to win a contract and discover that a cash gift is necessary, so you hand it over and win the business. On returning to the United States, you put the $200 gift on your expense report. The boss is infuriated, calls your act an “unethical, wrongheaded bribe” and says she won’t reimburse you the $200. What arguments could you use to convince her that you did the right thing and should be reimbursed?
9. Souza’s bloody TV program is popular in Brazil, especially the parts where he shows videos of horridly dead bodies. How could a culturalist argue that the episodes should not be shown on American TV?
10. Cultural ethics is neither true nor false. Explain.
11. Would you call Souza’s colorful professional life a profile of the virtue of courage? Why or why not?
12. How might the virtue of civility come forward in the case of international bribery, in the case that you’ve gone abroad in pursuit of a contract and the prospective client demands some cash under the table?
13. What are some societal institutions you’ve come in contact with that could be understood as teaching virtue? What virtue(s) do they instill, and how?
14. A five-step process was discussed to chart the advance of discourse ethics. Summarize each of these steps in your own words.
15. Describe a business situation where discourse ethics might work well. Why might it succeed?
16. Describe a business situation where discourse ethics might not work well. Why might it fail?
17. What are the three major steps ethics of care takes away from most traditional theories? Can you put each one in your own words?
18. An ethics of care is frequently compared to the morality guiding a family. Can you think of another comparison that encapsulates how this ethics works?
19. Imagine that you had two parents and a sister working for Oil-Dri in the United States. The overseas client you’ve been sent to do business with is a half brother from your father’s first marriage. He demands a bribe. How could the ethics of care be used to justify accepting or refusing?

 

6 months ago

Answer