McElroy 1

Natalie McElroy
Alexander Izrailevsky
Philosophy 1010
21 April 2015

Protagoras and Culture Differences

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In recent events we have seen disturbing images of Muslims beheading infidels simply
because they do not adhere to their specific interpretation of what a person should or should not
believe. Americans are blasphemed by the concept of ending another human life based on such
trivial differences in beliefs. Such is relativism, the belief that each culture is subject to their
own moral values. For instance, ISIL (Islamic State) believes that the beheading of citizens and
enemy soldiers is a service towards Ala. Westerners see any such punishment without due
process of law as incomprehensible, regardless of religious beliefs. Protagoras was the
champion of relativism, the first and most significant individual to put a description behind the
fact that people who come from different places and experience different values will have a
separate moral compass. This moral compass will be RELATIVE to their specific human
experience.
The vivid images the extremists occupying the Middle East have painted seems a little
farfetched than what we would see in the suburbs surrounding Salt Lake City. However, there is
much to be said that corresponds with the different cultures and people we border ourselves with
but pay little to no attention to. Utah is known for its conservatism and for good reason; we are
the Holy Grail for members of the LDS religion. In fact, According to The Huffington Post
(2012), Utah has over seventy percent constitutes claiming to be members of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Ladder-day Saints. There is a certain standard that this religion upholds, they
have high expectations of their members and values. Its not because they think theyre better
than one particular person or religious doctrine but because it is their tradition. For example, the
Mormon religion expects marriage to be between a man (male) and a woman (female), it is their
religious agreement. This agreement corresponds with Protagoras conventionalism which is the
truth that we have agreed upon. Parallel to this expectation is how said man and woman are to

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interact in the marriage, even though the expectations are not visible in any literature that the
church stands behind. Woman are supposed to raise the children, cook, clean, and care for
their men because they have the gift of nurture and compassion, men do not have this gift.
In Utah we have an extremely large homosexual population per capita, many would not
assume so but a study conducted in 2012 stated Salt Lake City, UT has the most homosexuals
beating out San Francisco and New York City. Many that fit within the gay description were
raised in Mormon families and many of them hold to the same morals that their families
bestowed upon the, save for one. This is a prime example of Protagoras relativism. Though
these individuals may adhere to every moral principle that the church preaches, they cannot truly
be a member while they follow their heart. This appalling lack of sensitivity has been a black
mark on a normally stunning record of sensitivity that the church has upheld. Relativism holds
true yet again for each member, while many members are very accepting of the LGBT in their
community, others are disgusted. In this sense, Mormons will hold true to Protagoras principle
of tolerance for most people, but when it comes to members sexual preferences their
expectations and standards are yet to be swayed.
These expectations have shaped the reputation of Utah, the reputation of a family
friendly, conservative state. Even though this is not a bad reputation to have, it has become so
wildly consumed that we often dont take into account who the other thirty percent are and what
they believe or dont believe in and if it is really all that different. Utah has been making strides
to diversify their population; there is still a long road ahead, but, the goal can be accomplished
by acknowledging and not turning away from those that are different. It is my opinion that the
key to acceptance and cultural diversity is the concept of tolerance. There is a small but diverse
population already existing in Utah, the key to true cultural diversity is the acceptance of these

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individuals beliefs. If we do this, these diverse groups will grow, with their own unique place in
our community. My interpretation is that the majority needs to respect and hear what the
minorities have to say, this way there can be a balance between both parties involved and it
allows us to tolerate the belief that others may hold without feeling violated.
While the top percent of residents are Mormon (58%), coming in second is the
unaffiliated party (16%) which means that they do not declare a religion or practice anything of
its sort. The third most popular religion in Utah is Catholic (10%) which is very different from
the Mormon faith. According to the article Mormons and Christians, the author states how
most view Mormons, They regard themselves as neither Catholic nor Protestant, viewing both
of those faiths as corruptions of true Christianity, which has been restored by Mormonism
(Religion Facts). The other religions consisting of Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, is less
than one percent of Utahs population. When it comes to the average religious person,
conformism has a legitimate place in their philosophy, conformism to Protagoras meant that the
truth of the majority has to be respected by the minorities. The truth being the opinions, their
morals, ethics, actions, etc. In other words, the minorities need to respect what the majority
agrees upon.
Taking that at face value, we conform to different aspects of our lives all the time.
Whether it being the standards of society, government laws and regulations, or how our friends
and family think we should act. The typical religion expects a substantial amount of conformism
as well, along with a substantial amount of faith that says if you conform and live our truth,
your life will be better. Even if the various religions surrounding us have different traditions or
values, they all have similar morals. It brings us back to Protagoras relativism, meaning as many

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people, as many morals, and they are all equal. All religions are supporting what they believe in,
so it really doesnt matter what religion you belong to, as long as you are being true to yourself.
Shifting gears into how the younger generation (18-35 years old) are living their lives.
Young adults at this time are helping to preserve the earth by being eco-friendly, waiting to have
children or get married, and traveling more which means less time for religion based activities. It
is easy to compare the statistics to how this age range of people are acting to just 20 years ago
when being a young mother was common. However, it is still common to see young mothers in
Utah because of the family oriented lifestyle but as time goes on less and less people are wanting
or even willing to make the commitment to have a family at a young age and taking more
precautions to prevent it. Religions of the traditional type (Mormon, Catholic, and Christianity)
are having a harder time captivating the younger more liberal generation. It could be a biased
opinion but the traditional Sunday service isnt what the younger folk are interested in these
days, they are turning to more hip alternatives that have similar interests and people as them.
The alternative type of church consists of rock music, casual clothes, alcohol, and
nondenominational views. Our evolving society is moving away from traditional lifestyle and
towards more innovated methods. It almost seems that claiming to be religious has left the
regular conversation entirely and has to do with more what each individual views. It can be
different for everyone and still be accepted. I cant help but think how Protagoras wouldve
thought of our society and whether or not he would be willing to accept it. As long as people are
being helpful, practical, and useful does it really matter what or who they believe in?
Protagoras strongly believes in knowledge and becoming an educated individual. I do not
believe that the young people who are bucking against the norms of our society are uneducated
unintelligent people, in fact most of them are ones who have been rejected by said religious

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affiliations. The fear of hell and a prize for heaven should not drive our decisions in helping
others, having morals, and being a good person. We should be and choose those things because it
is simply the right thing to do.
This, however, is typically not the case. It is my personal belief that each individual has
morals and standards that are impressed upon us by our society. What this means is, whether or
not you belong to the LDS faith, if you grew up in a Mormon culture then many of their views
will be impressed upon you. Especially in childhood, humans take a great deal of effort in
finding out what it is to be a good person, what it is to be strong, smart, courageous, moral etc.
The observation that each person deems to be true varies greatly, as do the reactions towards
these findings. Two people learning similar codes of conduct growing up may choose completely
different paths. For instance, one person may adhere to these principles and live life attempting
to hold the values of their parents, while the other may rebel against these principles and make
strides to become the opposite of what they believe their culture wants them to be. It is my
opinion that, in Utah, because of the strong religious culture we get a significant amount of
people on the far side of the pendulum and far too few individuals in the middle. As Aristotle
said It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
(Philosiblog)
Furthermore, it is remarkable how similar these two individuals may be in personal
conduct. While one conforms and the other rebels they may still treat others with respect
without cause, each may give their time freely to a greater cause. Yet the one who conforms to
the masses is praised and the other is shunned by their differences. This is the tragedy of our
culture. Our dominant religion has an endless list of positives, they freely give to the poor, build
shelters for those who cannot provide for themselves, help their neighbors with nearly any task.

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Yet, it would be a daunting task to find them accepting of a former member who could no longer
pretend to be heterosexual. Such is situationalism, at least in this time and place the majority of
the masses will pass judgement, even if they may choose to be accepting in the future, their
morality in this situation tells them that, to judge these individuals, is right.
It amazes me that thousands of years before our time all of these same isms existed in
an ancient civilization. Even more spectacular is that there was a man who was able to itemize
and identify each of these characteristics of morality that are still true today. Before this class, I
was under the impression that almost everything we knew about society was formed recently. It
was a great surprise to me that much of what we believe we know about ourselves now has
already been identified and analyzed by the great philosophers of the past. It truly makes me
wonder if we have not spent our time on this earth delving too deeply into the sciences of how
things work and left idle the exploration of what is.

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Works Cited
Barooah, Jahnabi. "Most And Least Mormon States In America (PHOTOS)." The Huffington
Post. N.p., 21 May 2012. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
"Comparison Chart of Mormonism (LDS Church) and Mainstream Christianity | Religion Facts."
Religion, World Religions, Comparative Religion - Just the Facts on the World's
Religions. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.
"Demographics of Utah." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, 4 Apr.
2015. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
"It is the Mark of an Educated Mind to Be Able to Entertain a Thought Without Accepting It."
Philosiblog. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.
Johnson, Alex. "Gayest US Town? Surprise: It's Salt Lake City - U.S. News." NBC News. N.p.,
12 Jan. 2012. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.