Valid opinion about the human race without experiencing other cultures?
Most people grow up immersed in a culture and a specific way of thinking.
Without ever having contact with different ways of seeing the world, can anyone have an objective point of view about the human race as a whole?
Or maybe, no matter how much you know about various cultures, our species is too complex for a single person to fully understand it. Still, can you get close to the truth based only on the education you've received and the people you see around you?
Yes
Side Score: 3
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No
Side Score: 2
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Despite our cultural differences, we are essentially the same. Everyone cares deeply for something, be it homeland, family, or even a way of life. We all fear, we all love, we are all capable of good and evil. Experiencing other cultures is great. It leads you to this conclusion. The more people you meet, the more you realize how connected we all are. Side: yes
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We can never have a true objective view about anything because no matter what, we will be tainted by our own experiences, our past, and our own individuality. Even if we travel and acquire enough education, we can't escape the fact that we have a perspective that is limited to our own selves. Because of this we should just refrain from emmitting value judgements about cultures or the value of their practices. As beings with a limited perspective we are not qualified to objectively assess others. Side: our perspective is too limited
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The question doesn't ask if we can make a valid judgement about other cultures or practices but about the human race as a whole. We're not assessing others, we are assessing what is essentially ourselves. The human experience is not dependent on culture or geography. Side: yes
I believe that a human being's perspective is too limited to his/her own past experiences for him/her to be able to make any generalization about the world. I agree that there are certain things which must be common to us all; I guess we all have the same kinds of feelings, what differs is the object of these feelings. We all love, hate, fear, desire, need... The difference is what. Having that said, personaly, I think that the difference between a person who has experienced other cultures and one who hasn't is that the latter will tend to generalize the objects, not the feelings. Those who grew in a strongly patriotic country will believe that every human being loves their homeland; those from a strongly capitalist country will believe everyone desires money and power; those from strongly religious countries will believe everyone needs God, etc. Those who are locked into a culture tend to make very specific generalizations and may fail to recognize that people direct their feelings towards different things. Once you've seen different points of view, you realize how narrow your own perspective is. This realization is naturally harder for someone who hasn't had the chance to see the world, but I guess it's possible for those who manage to be really open-minded. Side: No
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