I’m tired this morning, but let’s see if I can make this both readable and brief…
I’m reading the book Cosmopolitanism a second time. I’m happily surprised by it because it is filled with common sense about getting along with the strangers we meet every day.
A fundamental argument Appiah, the author, makes is that values are not created by individuals. Values are created by communities and only find meaning in communal life. Values are, in his terms, a conversation.
The funny thing is that most cultures share the same values. But conversations are difficult. So people who agree upon a value still wind up in a disagreement because people:
- Don’t share the same set of values (overlapping sets, but not identical)
- Use the same value concepts in different ways, causing confusion
- Give different weights to the importance of shared values
During conversations about value-related topics, people get bogged down in the mechanics of the conversation (hampered by the three items Appiah lists) and bogged down by talk of individual moral opinions, rather than note the differences and constructively move onwards in support of the agreed-upon shared value.
Practically speaking, ‘the conversation’ is good stuff as long as Appiah’s three ‘gotchas’ are kept in mind. Doing so keeps the focus is upon what is shared and then upon how shared concepts can be used constructively.
And, keeping the three ‘gotchas’ in mind means that discussing the finer points of individual opinion allows the individual to better understand their own opinions by hearing the opinions of others while understanding the limitations of such discussion.
And, of course, the better you understand your beliefs (and the strengths/weakness of your assumptions) the more often you can act in accordance with those beliefs. That’s integrity.
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