padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
I think I would say in general in re empires and "moral uprightness"
that obviously we're judging by our own 21st C views rather than some universal historical standard of morality
so in that sense it is a bit farcical to judge these things against each other
but at the same time, our own moral views and the record of history are the only tools we have to make those judgements
it's probably not helpful for understanding the Ottomans or Imperial Britain or the U.S. or etc to ask which is "more" moral
but it is helpful to ask that question in thinking about how your own society can more equitable, or why these terrible things keep recurring
it's important to understand that America isn't ahistorical, either in terms of exceptionalism or awfulness
that obviously we're judging by our own 21st C views rather than some universal historical standard of morality
so in that sense it is a bit farcical to judge these things against each other
but at the same time, our own moral views and the record of history are the only tools we have to make those judgements
it's probably not helpful for understanding the Ottomans or Imperial Britain or the U.S. or etc to ask which is "more" moral
but it is helpful to ask that question in thinking about how your own society can more equitable, or why these terrible things keep recurring
it's important to understand that America isn't ahistorical, either in terms of exceptionalism or awfulness
