In this BBC Radio 4 Thinking Allowed Programme Henrietta L. Moore discusses the relationship of culture and morality in the debate on a universal notion of human rights with Laurie Taylor, Steven Lukes and Conor Gearty.
Different cultures have different beliefs, so what gives us the right to judge the behaviour of other people in a world where moralities often conflict? Is there a universal human standard of right and wrong, or does culture explain and excuse behaviour that other peoples might find abhorrent? How should the anthropologist understand cannibalism? Can a cultural context excuse female genital mutilation?
Laurie Taylor is joined by Professor Steven Lukes, author of a book on moral relativism, Henrietta Moore, Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge and Professor Conor Gearty, Professor of Human Rights Law at the London School of Economics, to discuss relationship of culture and morality in the debate on a universal notion of human rights.
