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Do some cultures create better humans?
By better, I mean kinder, more compassionate, more thoughtful, humble, wiser, etc.

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However, even the Japanese say that in Japan they feel like they have to put on a mask all the time. They are not open about issues, outsiders don't ask and are openly polite, but as soon as suspicion arises people talk behind each other's backs and it's like that person is marked. They imagine things about what could be going on and thus rumors go crazy - not very "polite" to talk behind someone's back.

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You bring up an interesting point with the cannabilism. However, you may also note that those societies (generally not all) had less "sexual immorality" and cannabilism was sort of a once in a while thing. Each place has its own unique faults

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Speedy, again, whose to say that their sexual proclivities are immoral or not? This is a subjective view proscribed by your sensibilities, not theirs.

The comments that you are making, if you are not aware of it with respect to other cultures and their morals... and in the conext of the Japanese statements, are too general to count and are ethnocentric.

What you are doing is using your experience as a baramoter to judge others and what is, or is not, construed as acceptable behavior.

This is my point of relativisim. You have to be within a particular culture in order to define its moral limitations and attributes. If you are exclusive to it, then what you say is only measured against your accepted norms and thus holds little water with regards to the inhabitants of these societies...since you can leave and are not impacted by the forces in that culture to act a certain way for acceptance within that society.

You know the saying, Judge not lest ye be judged.

No harm or foul, but you gotta be a player on the team to yell at the coach.

-B

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This is a throwdown to all you cultural relativists out there. I don't want this to get mired down in an argument about what is a good human, either. We should be able to arrive at a reasonable consensus on what good values are.

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Some folks in the past have considered seven virtues. Four of the virtues being referred to as Cardinal. Cardinal comes from "Cardo" of hinge or pivitol. A second catagory was referred to as theological.

The cardinal
Prudence
Temperance
Justice
Fortitude

Theolgical Virtures (considered to be imbued by a creator)

Faith
Hope
Charity

Following those we have what are the capital virtues that
correspond to what are considered sin. "Sin" in the original laguages discribes an arrow missing the center of a target.

The Capital virtues

Humilty/ Pride
Liberality/ Avarice
Brotherly Love/ envy
Meekness/ Wrath
Chastity/ Lust
Temperance/ gluttony
Diligence/ Sloth

A Cannibal can be virtuous. His tempation to be gluttonous is probably no greater than ours.

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What is the one capital virtue that no one can claim for themselves?

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Brotherly love? Although, aren't they all dependant on having an other, to reference them? Bubba Lee has a lot of humility compared to Sparky Luke....., etc.

Apologies if I am missing the point. I don't have a philosophical bone in my body, and probably shouldn't even be here.

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You bring up an interesting point with the cannabilism. However, you may also note that those societies (generally not all) had less "sexual immorality" and cannabilism was sort of a once in a while thing. Each place has its own unique faults

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Speedy, again, whose to say that their sexual proclivities are immoral or not? This is a subjective view proscribed by your sensibilities, not theirs.

The comments that you are making, if you are not aware of it with respect to other cultures and their morals... and in the conext of the Japanese statements, are too general to count and are ethnocentric.

What you are doing is using your experience as a baramoter to judge others and what is, or is not, construed as acceptable behavior.

This is my point of relativisim. You have to be within a particular culture in order to define its moral limitations and attributes. If you are exclusive to it, then what you say is only measured against your accepted norms and thus holds little water with regards to the inhabitants of these societies...since you can leave and are not impacted by the forces in that culture to act a certain way for acceptance within that society.

You know the saying, Judge not lest ye be judged.

No harm or foul, but you gotta be a player on the team to yell at the coach.

-B

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IE most would agree that murder is wrong but how many duels were perfectly okay and not considered murder throughout history?

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Well actually everything I stated about the Japanese part of my post is basically a quote/paraphrase of what my Japanese friends say. At my school I work with the Japanese club and many of them are students from Japan and they say that when I ask them to compare other places with Japan. They actually complain about that aspect of their culture,

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I am planning to go to Japan within the next few years

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A dicey topic, with some less than responsible responses. My initial trigger finger was to delete...but I need time to think about editing. Will return.

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I am planning to go to Japan within the next few years

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Well, good, because you might be better served by witholding that kind of judgment until you have some significant first-hand experience to base it upon.

What might be more interesting to discuss here (and less likely to result in unfortunate stereotyping) is how everyone feels and acts differently when living outside their native cultural context.

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I didn't judge these cultures and I wasn't stereotyping, I was reporting what my Japanese friends told me. They are having big musical movements on this for the past few years in Japan too, if you are into the J-music scene.

As far as how people feel and act outside their native context, they were here for college, and moved back to Japan. They report they feel a new perspective in life (similar to how some Americans feel when studying abroad for a term). They said they will keep some terms of traditional politeness, but at their core will not have a mask any more. If that's how they feel, more power to them

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As far as boldness and humility, yes, you're right. I will expand on what I meant later

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As far as boldness and humility, yes, you're right. I will expand on what I meant later

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Please don't.

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SG: so far you have posted some personal opinions as controversial analogies. Unless you can cite reams of academic/ethnographic material to substantiate your opinion, I would prefer that this thread move in a different direction.

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What's controversial about quoting Japanese students talking about their own comparison of Japan and America?

If you really want to drop controversy, how can this thread even amke sense? It's about comparing societies asking if one culture promotes "better" people than another - what part of that isn't controversial in and of itself?

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