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All 8 Flashcards — Human universals
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Question
What is a human universal?
Answer
A feature found in every known human culture — like language, family, morality or ritual.
Question
What is cultural relativism?
Answer
The view that beliefs and values are only 'true' relative to a culture, so nothing is fixed across all people.
Question
Examples of human universals?
Answer
Language, some form of family, music, telling right from wrong, fear of death, laughter, birth/death rituals.
Question
Why do universals suggest a shared nature?
Answer
A feature appearing in every culture despite huge differences is probably built into us.
Question
The 'outline vs content' move?
Answer
The outlines are universal (every culture has language, family, morality); the content (which language, which rules) is local.
Question
Objection to universals?
Answer
Each 'universal' looks very different up close — maybe they only seem alike from far away.
Question
The danger of full relativism?
Answer
If all values are only relative, you can't condemn any cruelty as genuinely wrong.
Question
Universals vs variation — the balance?
Answer
The shared outlines point to a real human nature; the varying content shows it's a thin frame, not a fixed rulebook.
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Topic 1.5 hub
Human nature
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