The Pros And Cons Of Barbarism

“Barbarism is a subjective term used to oppose whatever is different from one’s own culture.” No matter how much people try not to judge others, doing so is almost impossible. The real struggle arises when a person comes across something different from their cultural beliefs. On page 355 Volume C, Montaigne states, “each man calls barbarism whatever is not his own practice; for indeed it seems we have no other test of truth and reason than the example and pattern of the opinions and customs of the country we live in.” Growing up a person tends to be raised in understanding only one cultural practice and the practice they are taught is the one that applies to their culture. With that in mind, you are then capable of understanding why people

By doing so judgement and name calling such as barbarism can be prevented. It can be said that the reason a person might call somebody else’s cultural practices barbaric is solely based on the fact that they can not understand that cultures reasoning. Rachels points out later in his article that, “Cultural Relativism is a theory about the nature of morality.” He presents valid arguments that prove it is just a matter of opinion on whether or not something is barbaric. The best argument presented is this, “The Greeks believed it was wrong to eat the dead, whereas the Callatians believed it was right to eat the dead. Therefore, eating the dead is neither objectively fight nor objectively wrong. It is merely a matter of opinion, which varies from culture to culture.” Each practice is equally important to each culture therefor making the statement that what either of these cultures do is barbaric can only be an opinion. A person may decide that since Callatians eat their dead father’s bodies once dead this culture and the people in it is barbaric. Yes, that may be their opinion but that opinion does not and never will define the culture and the people in it. To be able to define a culture or the people in it you have to truly get to know the people inside the practices that are being judged. Furthermore, it can be said that Christians are barbaric. Although you may not believe that to be true that is some cultures opinions and for you as person to be defined as barbaric due to your cultural and religious practices does not seem intellectual at all. Judging the way a person was raised and proceeding to call them barbaric can just as easily be viewed as ignorance. Likewise, on page 367, in the last paragraph Montaigne says, “In view of this, a sound intellect will refuse to judge men simply by their outward actions, we must probe