On Jan. 11 (letters, “Criminals in Eye of the Beholder?”), Arthur Saginian promoted a distinctly non-western attitude toward men and women who had clearly violated existing civil statutes against certain unacceptable behaviors. Laws utilizing universal values as the central determinant of goodness have basis in common law going back many centuries. These universal values are the backbone of western civilization and the basis of our U.S. Constitution. Normally civil transgressions would be indubitably the opposite of the good, but in a distinctly Chinese move, Arthur proposed an embrace of moral relativism, a social philosophy that China has been selling to the world as a practical answer to a silly and impractical western idealism utilizing universal values. You see, enemies are best conquered when they come along easily, even of their own accord and rational conclusion. As Sun Tzu stated it, “The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.” Besides this, Arthur is at root promoting lawlessness. To what clear or reasonable end, I ask? I encourage all reading this to learn more about this debate between Western cultural norms based in “moral universalism,” principles that arose from the Enlightenment, and the rising sentiment for “moral relativism” being promoted worldwide by China and other non-western, non-capitalist dictatorships and communes, and that Arthur — perhaps unwittingly — promoted on Jan. 11. This is one possible starting point: media.defense.gov/2021/Jun/03/2002733799/-1/-1/0/HASSON.PDF. And here is one young person’s viewpoint from a TEDx in Singapore: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHNMRg7QOYE. Christopher Lucero Saugus The post Christopher Lucero | A Non-Western Attitude appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.