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>"Why don't Japanese loot? Because it's not in their culture. How is that culture defined? An absence of looting." immediately followed by: >A better explanat
by Helianthus16 16y ago
>"Why don't Japanese loot? Because it's not in their culture. How is that culture defined? An absence of looting."
immediately followed by:
>A better explanation may be structural factors: a robust system of laws that reinforce honesty, a strong police presence, and, ironically, active crime organizations.
how is that in any way different from the circular definition the writer just criticized?
which I think indicates the real problem with the 'culture' argument; it's not that it's circular, it's that it is vague, which is why the rest of the (detailed) article is actually quite informative.
- jerf 16y agoOne is circular, one proposes a social mechanism whereby looting will lead to negative consequences for the looter. I'm having a hard time seeing what you think is not different about those two things.
- Helianthus16 16y agoThose social mechanisms are a part of culture. I find it hard to conceive a definition of culture that does not include the systems of negative consequences that a society enforces.