JUDGING OTHERS: History, Ethics, and the Purposes of Comparison

Author: Stalnaker, Aaron

Source: Journal of Religious Ethics, Volume 36, Number 3, September 2008 , pp. 425-444(20)

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Abstract:

The most interesting and perilous issue at present in comparative religious ethics is comparative ethical judgment—when and how to judge others, if at all. There are understandable historical and conceptual reasons for the current tendency to prefer descriptive over normative work in comparative religious ethics. However, judging those we study is inescapable—it can be suppressed or marginalized but not eliminated. Therefore, the real question is how to judge others (and ourselves) well, not whether to judge. Instead of bringing supposedly universal moral scoring systems to bear on reified “traditions” and “cultures,” it would be better to focus on the precise details of particular practices, motifs, and theories in various settings, and compare them with an eye to substantive issues of current ethical concern.

Keywords: comparative ethics; religious ethics; description; interpretation; evaluation; judgment; objectivity

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9795.2008.00355.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Religious StudiesIndiana UniversitySycamore Hall 2301033 E. 3rd StreetBloomington, IN 47405812.855.8089, Email: astalnak@indiana.edu

Publication date: 2008-09-01