“If such virtue and experience are worth cultivating, then the cultures have to be worth fostering, not as contingent instruments, but for themselves.” -Charles Taylor

My essential question is: What does society deem moral; what do we value? How does that differ across cultures? A key to answering this question has been my reading of The Ethics of Identity by
Kwame Anthony Appiah. He dives deep into what aspects of ourselves we should deem important. He weighs the pros and cons of topics like individuality and diversity.

Then, comes Charles Taylor and The Malaise of Modernity. In this, he discusses the merits of modern life. He specifically explores its pitfalls. He takes common praises of modern life, and argues devil’s advocate. Individualism becomes isolation, loss of community and shared values. Values of contemporary capitalism, like work ethic and efficiency, become distractions from valuing life itself.

This brings me to the quote above. This is the measure of a value, especially that of a cultural one. We must preserve that which is virtuous. Whatever that may be, it is important to keep track of it. And yet, I’ve come no closer to answering this question. All I’ve done is raise more questions, discover new possibilities, cloud what little I thought I knew. Listening to Michael Sandel speak on the different ideologies of moral thought has given me a lot to think about, but I am coming to the conclusion that there may not be a universal, objective morality. It depends on the culture: the ultimate point of The Ethics of Identity. What we must uphold is not clear. Even what seems good, like progress in society, may end up being more harmful than beneficial. So what is good? What can I say is a shared value? I’ve yet to find a definitive answer.