Anthropological ethics

by | Mar 8, 2023 | anthropology

 

Using your understanding of anthropological ethics, how would you treat the following situation? Dr. Jones, Curator for the Museum of Western Stuff, has been asked to review a collection of pottery being considered for acquisition. The potential donor, who understands that his entire collection will not be exhibited at any one time, has made it a condition that the entire collection be accepted and retained in the Museum collections as a unit. Dr. Jones has examined the collection and has made two significant observations: (1) the collection is of tremendous research importance and would complement and benefit the Museum’s existing collections, and (2) there are certain pieces in the collection that are identical to pottery that has been repatriated to American Indian groups in the state under conditions of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Should Dr. Jones accept the collections under the conditions of the donor, knowing that portions of the collection “might” be subjected to repatriation? Your reflection should include your thoughts and feelings as well as the specific ethical standards that support your beliefs. If there is information that gives you pause or makes you reconsider, include that too as well as why you chose your position regardless of that information.

 

 

 

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

Sample Solution

In this situation, I believe that Dr. Jones should not accept the collection under the conditions of the donor due to ethical considerations associated with repatriation. While it is understandable that the donor wants his entire collection to be accepted and retained as a unit, there are valid concerns surrounding cultural artifact repatriation which must be addressed first. According to standards established by anthropological ethics such as Principle 1 of The American Anthropological

Sample Solution

In this situation, I believe that Dr. Jones should not accept the collection under the conditions of the donor due to ethical considerations associated with repatriation. While it is understandable that the donor wants his entire collection to be accepted and retained as a unit, there are valid concerns surrounding cultural artifact repatriation which must be addressed first. According to standards established by anthropological ethics such as Principle 1 of The American Anthropological

Association’s Code of Ethics (AAA), “Anthropologists recognize and respect the distinctive ways people think about their lives, and strive to avoid imposing their own values on others.” This means that when considering artifacts from indigenous populations, anthropologists must ensure they are being returned in a respectful manner and with careful consideration for how they were originally acquired. Furthermore, Principle 7 states that “When conducting research or providing services for specific communities or organizations involving Native American remains or gravesite materials…anthropologists adhere to applicable laws” including NAGPRA.

Given these requirements set forth by AAA guidelines and NAGPRA regulations, I feel strongly that accepting a collection like this would go against ethical principles since some pieces may have been acquired unlawfully or without proper consent; in addition it could also potentially lead to further disrespecting of native cultures if items were handled carelessly after being accepted into Museum collections.

Although accepting this particular collection might seem tempting due its research potential, ultimately I believe its important for Dr. Jones uphold standards set forth by AAA guidelines in order safeguard against any issues related to cultural appropriation or unethical practices regarding repatriation.

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