Intercultural Information Ethics: A Pragmatic Consideration

Abstract

Discussions in intercultural information ethics often focus on the problem of the universality of values, an understandable focus since cultures, when face to face with one another as a result of globalization, are bound to conflict over differing values. As information technology greatly facilitates the movement of thoughts and ideas, these clashes happen at an exponentially increasing rate. Such discussions usually occur between those who believe in a set of universal values and those who oppose the idea. Such discussions and debates thus often find themselves in a stalemate; they show every characteristic of an arcane philosophical dispute that does not seem to go anywhere. The following chapter argues for the rejection of the sterile and politicized debates that define the above stalemate. Instead of looking towards which set of values are universal and how are they are going to be justified, or how a set of values can be defended against others values claiming to be universal, the following paper instead proposes that talk of universality and cultural distinctiveness be discarded altogether in favor of asking which set of values serve the existing goals and fit with the desires of the people for a particular period of time and place more than other values. In short, the following paper argues for an abandonment of the question of which values are true and asks instead which values are useful.