Utilitirianism vs. Universalism

Cultural Relativism vs. Universalism

The Universalism vs. Cultural Relativism debate has existed in legal scholarship for decades, and is increasingly entering public discourse on international law and human rights. Universalism refers to the notion that human rights are universal and should apply to every human being. Cultural Relativists object, and argue that human rights are culturally dependent, and that no moral principles can be made to apply to all cultures. They argue that the principles embedded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) are the product of Western political history. Indeed, the origins of the Universal Declaration are rooted in political landmarks in Western history, such as the Magna Carta of the United Kingdom (1215), the French Revolution (1789) and the American Bill of Rights (1791). Cultural Relativists argue that Universalism, in its attempt to extend a Western ideal to the rest of the world, is a form of cultural imperialism. As the establishments of post-conflict ad-hoc tribunals for Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia in the 1990's and the International Criminal Court in 2002 illustrate, universalism is steadily being put into force. Cultural Relativists are critical of the validity, relevance and effect of these tribunals and of the ICC especially. Instead, Cultural Relativists are generally supportive of 'traditional' or local approaches to justice, as they believe these will contribute more to post-conflict reconciliation. This page will follow how this theoretical debate plays out in practice, through a series of case studies.

As nouns the difference between universalism and utilitarianism  is thatuniversalism is the state of being universal; universality while utilitarianism is (philosophy) a system of ethics based on the premise that something's value may be measured by its usefulness.
universalism English (wikipedia) (Wikiquote) Noun ·  The state of being universal; universality. ·  The theological belief that all souls can attain salvation. ·  (rfc-sense) Related terms * universe * universal * universally * universality * universalist * Universalist English words suffixed with -ism	utilitarianism English (wikipedia) Noun (en-noun) ·  (philosophy) A system of ethics based on the premise that something's value may be measured by its usefulness. ·  (philosophy) the theory that action should be directed toward achieving the "greatest happiness for the greatest number of people"; hedonistic universalism. Coordinate terms * deontology

The Seven Dimensions of Culture

Understanding and Managing Cultural Differences

What distinguishes one culture from another?

Many of us work routinely with people from

other cultures and backgrounds.

Often this goes well, and the cultural differences are interesting and enriching. However, sometimes things go wrong, for reasons that we may not understand.

This is where it's important to understand the differences between cultures, so that we can work with people more effectively, and prevent misunderstandings.

Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner's Seven Dimensions of Culture help us do this. We'll look at the seven dimensions in this article, and we'll explore how you can apply the model in your own situation.

About the Model

The Seven Dimensions of Culture were identified by management consultants Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner, and the model was published in their 1997 book, "Riding the Waves of Culture."

Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner developed the model after spending 10 years researching the preferences and values of people in dozens of cultures around the world. As part of this, they sent questionnaires to more than 46,000 managers in 40 countries.

They found that people from different cultures aren't just randomly different from one another; they differ in very specific, even predictable, ways. This is because each culture has its own way of thinking, its own values and beliefs, and different preferences placed on a variety of different factors.

Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner concluded that what distinguishes people from one culture compared with another is where these preferences fall in one of the following seven dimensions:

1.                  Universalism versus particularism.

2.                  Individualism versus communitarianism.

3.                  Specific versus diffuse.

4.                  Neutral versus emotional.

5.                  Achievement versus ascription.

6.                  Sequential time versus synchronous time.

7.                  Internal direction versus outer direction.

We'll look at each dimension in detail below.

You can use the model to understand people from different cultural backgrounds better, so that you can prevent misunderstandings and enjoy a better working relationship with them. This is especially useful if you do business with people from around the world, or if you manage a diverse group of people.