The Cat & The Hot Stove
There is the saying "a cat that touches a hot stove will never touch a hot stove again, but a cat will also never touch a cold stove again" to illustrate this point.
This means that if someone has one or two bad experiences, they may form a heuristic that leads them to avoid similar situations, even if they could potentially have positive experiences. This can ultimately limit their experiences and lead to making bad choices based on a flawed pattern that they think they have perceived.
My whole point is and I'll have to transform this into a political convo but anyway.. This is why I believe It is imperative to acknowledge that for instance Russia, along with other nations such as China, possesses distinctive cultural underpinnings and historical affiliations that diverge from Western paradigms. Therefore, it is inappropriate to pass judgment on the actions of their leadership solely through the lens of Western-centric perspectives. Due to the fact that, attempting to impose universal truths, originating primarily from the Western intellectual tradition, disregards the unique socio-political contexts and values inherent to these nations.
Such a simplistic dichotomy between "us" and "them," wherein Western ideals are arbitrarily exalted while alternative ideologies are disparaged, reflects a narrow-minded approach that perpetuates redundant stereotypes. You see my point?
MORAL JUDGEMENTS are based on values born of post-enlightenment societies and their consensus-based laws do not make sense. Human rights, natural rights, liberal values etc. are based on social contract theory that underpins rights on collective agreement. These by definition are NOT universal. Why should they apply on those who aren't able to agree???
Now am I disputing that Putin is a war mass death criminal for instance?? That decision should not fall within our universal moral purview. I am simply presenting a heightened level of objectivity and social-political orientation when analyzing conflicts in countries with differing civilizational affiliations.
This applies equally to Islam, the values prevalent in the Middle East, the societal norms in China... I believe that a moral and ethical disparity exists between the governing body of the Kremlin and establishments in the Western world. And I guess same thing applies to Israel and hamas to a degree, but these are dogmatic lunatics...
