To prepare for reading chapter 2, think about the following three things (which may seem out of left field now, but which will come in handy as you read the chapter):
1. Most people think that we are sometimes entitled to say that a culture other than our own is immoral. For example, most people think that some statements such as the following, or maybe others, are true:
“It was wrong of the Nazis to persecute and murder Jews and other minorities.”
“It was wrong of white South Africans to have the institution of apartheid.”
“It is wrong of Saudi Arabia to deny to women many of the legal rights it grants to men.”
2. Most people think that we are sometimes justified in criticizing our own society’s rules and customs as morally incorrect. For example, most people think that some statements such as the following, or maybe others, are true:
“My culture says it’s o.k. to give only a little bit of money to charity, but I think morality actually requires a lot more.”
“My culture says it’s o.k. to confine and kill animals for food, but I think this is actually immoral.”
“My culture says that prostitution is immoral, but actually it is o.k.”
3. Most people think that we are sometimes entitled to say that a certain historical progression is not morally neutral, but is an instance of moral progress. For example, most people think that some statements such as the following, or maybe others, are true:
“The changes in Germany, from the 1930s and 40s to today, are progress.”
“The changes in South Africa, from the 1980s to day, are progress.”
“It would be progress for Saudi Arabia to grant the same rights to women as to men.”