Culturally neutral

When it comes to culture, metaculture is like Switzerland. Neutral, but pretty white. As the project evolves, new languages and perspectives can be added by diverse contributors.

The ethics of metaculture are those that hold true regardless of which race, gender, religion, nationality or culture you happen to be in.

"The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis." -Dante Alighieri

Too many people have confused cultural neutrality with ethical neutrality, and refuse to take a stand against injustice that is ingrained in the traditions of another culture. Every culture gets some things right and some things wrong. Cultures evolve with changing times and values. Encouraging all cultures to support universal human rights is not bigotry.

It should be possible to examine beliefs, traditions, and rituals using our scientific knowledge of human flourishing in a way that respects cultural autonomy and diversity.

Developing a Culturally Neutral Evidence-Based Ethics

While Moral Relativism and Cultural Relativism can impact situational ethics, the general principles at work are those due to evolutionary psychology. The reward system that is built into our brains is designed to respond to primal things like love, sex, pain and food. These are experiences that are common to all people everywhere. How they manifest in day to day life depends heavily on the context of our cultural background, but the general principles at work are common to all.

The ethics of metaculture seeks to describe these general principles, achieving moral universalism rather than the moral absolutism of religion or the moral relativism commonly associated with postmodernism. This will allow for the formation of a universal in-group that prioritizes the happiness of all people and reduces tribalism.

The application of these ethics can be found in Evidence-Based Best Practices.

Focusing on Common Goals

Even if you completely disagree with the theology and philosophy of metaculture, the baseline goals it sets for society can be agreed upon regardless of your religious and cultural background. These recommendations will only make modern capitalism better align with the spirit of these belief systems than it currently does.

• Focus economic and government incentives on using happiness over money as a meterstick for success
• Increase the quality of life for all people, prioritizing those who have the least
• Use evidence-based best practices when implementing public policy to achieve these goals

These basic changes to how we measure success and consider potential solutions to problems will change the generating equation for the way society self-organizes. Everything else will flow from there if we can agree on these goals and metrics. The details of what works to improve quality of life will be different in every country or culture, but we can still have the common goal.

There are no religious conflicts with these goals, except perhaps the ascetic traditions. Even then, the direct pursuit of happiness over money is certainly more in harmony with asceticism than our current materialistic capitalist culture, especially if science one day proves that giving up all possessions is the path to happiness. This means that regardless of what background you come from, or whether you agree with any of the positions on the supernatural being advocated here, you can still agree on the practical goals. This is a key part of what makes metaculture culturally neutral.

Videos Addressing Cultural Relativism

Cultural Relativism: Is Morality Relative to Culture

The Offspring - Pretty Fly for a White Guy

Neutral Milk Hotel - In an Aeroplane Over the Sea