Both world common values and certain cultural values are essential for a functional society as long as there is no violation of human right.

Dear Flourish,

I agree with you. I do not want to bother other culture even if it seems weird to me. However, it is a different story when it comes to human right violation. I believe that world citizens and organizations work together to eradicate practices that violate human rights.

For example, certain tribes in Africa conduct female circumcision for young girls. Basically, based on their religious belief, they remove clitoris so that girls cannot sexual arousal. I believe that such cultural practice is human right violation.

Thnkas.

Don

Dear Flourish

Of course there are universal rights that go beyond what is usually seen as 'human rights'. Universal rights at work for example as set out in the ILO's core standards for example.

The current fashion for explaining away shocking violations of all rights by 'that is our culture' arguments is definitely unacceptable in these contexts as Don suggests.

Very best

Richard

Dear Utku,

Again, I have enjoyed reading your thoughtful answer. Your answer raises more related questions. Global view and values commonly reflect a dominating cultural view, usually western world view.

Thus a question arises if common human rights exist, which shall apply to all cultures and societies.

Utku, thank you for your in-depth discussion.

Don

Dear Don Soo Chon,

I do not think there is an universal answer to your question. I certainly think that human rights, labour right and generally equality in society and regarding the law have to be guaranteed beyond questions of race, ethnicity, gender, religion and sexual orientation.

Nevertheless, there can be contexts in which "inequality" is necessary to reach equality (think of quota and special programs to increase participation of women and "minorities," or in the case of some traditional cultures it makes perfectly sense that land is passed on to women and not men).

Moreover, we tend often to think about non-Western countries or "traditional" societies when this question comes up. But Rwanda has a higher percetage of female MP's than any European parlament (and Cuba is second after Rwanda).

Beyond some "traditions" promoting inequality, we have also to keep in mind power relations and who helps to maintain these inequalities. Unfortunatelly this is very much the responsibility of the global North because the governments and transnational corporations profit from these inequalities. Are transnational corporations paying the same salary to men and women all over the world? Obviously not, it is in their interest to exploit cheap female workforce in there maquiladoras and factories. In the Arab world many countries had governments promoting much more equality and women rights from the 1950s to the 1970s than today. The governments of the illustrated global North were all against these governments because their politics of independence and national development were not in the interest of the global North. Today we can see llike the global North prefers to side with reactionary and war mongering governments as Turkey or Saudi Arabia than with the democratic and egalitarian society in Kurdistan.

Every sociecty has people fighting for equal rights. I think they should always be suppported, regardless if they are a minority or majority.

Dear Dario,

I am so thankful for giving your input. I generally agree with you. I am also wondering why transnational corporations do not pay an equal wage to men and women who do the exactly same job In a develping country. If these corporations want to promote gender equality, they must pay the same wage. Apparently, like you said, they are more interested in making profits than promoting gender equality.

sincerely

Don

I am a firm believer of cultural relativism. It, however, does not necessarily mean that we should let each culture and society do whatever it likes to do.

I was born in South Korea. Several hundred years ago, Korea was significantly influenced by Confucianism, and women were not allowed to become leaders. However, western culture and values has influenced contemporary Korean society, and no Koreans want to go back the situation in several hundred years ago.

Another example is Sati in India. Originated from Hinduism culture, a widow killed herself to follow her dead husband. It is known that it is not quite voluntary act by the widow. However, Indian government officially illegalized Sati in 1829, although it may still be exercise in some rural areas in India. Indian government illegalized Sati because of the strong opposition toward Sati by Christian missionaries from western countries.

Although I respect each culture, the people in different cultures must have opportunity to weigh pros and cons of their culture and other culture. If they see more pros from other culture, they will slowly give up their culture and then follow other culture. I believe that such process makes human development possible.

Dear Utku,

Like you gave examples, culture and custom are dynamic, and one culture influences other culture. Also culture constantly changes over a long period. That is one of reasons that l like studying social science.

Thank you.

Relative to “rights” a good place to start is at the level of life’s innate rights a pattern found in the constructal law (the latest discovered law in thermodynamics by Professor Adrian Bejan). Relative to culture, from the evolution of technology, the globe is becoming an effective local neighborhood, and it would seem, the evolution of culture is inevitable in units of generational time towards cultural globalism.

http://www.bookdaily.com/book/3341166/scientific-proof-of-our-unalienable-rights-a-road-to-utopia

Adrian Bejan is slated to receive an award at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia on April 19:

https://www.fi.edu/franklin-institute-awards

Dear Michael,

Thank you so much for introducing Adrian Bejan’s constructal law and your fascinating book. As you have cited in your book, I agree that unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are self-evident and they are endowed by their creator. I believe that all human beings have a right to live with dignity and to pursue their happiness, which are innate rights, regardless of the places where they are born and live.

As you put, we live in a time of cultural globalization, and, based on the concept of constructal law, cultural constantly evolves. I am hoping that someday all people enjoy unalienable rights no matter where they live.

I am impressed with the following section in your book:

Thomas Jefferson’s celebrated claim, as written in the Declaration of Independence (US 1776), [3] that humanity’s “unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” are “self-evident” and “they are endowed by their Creator.” Within that same Declaration, Jefferson, being a man of faith, also embraced the cultural realities of his day when he stated: “…and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them….”

Many thanks, Michael.

Sincerely

Don