Ethics Wars on the Plains: A Contrast between Native American and European American Ethical Systems

In this paper I propose to contrast two very different ethical systems, the Native American or American Indian ethical system, especially of the tribes associated with the plains such as the Crow, the Ojibwe, and the Cheyenne and the ethical system of white, European-descendant American settlers of the Western Plains. I understand these two ethical systems to be incommensurate. Neither one can be evaluated in terms of the other. They are different and irreconcilable, but also each may provide an important and very valuable perspective to the other. My goals in making this contrast are several. First, I want to argue for ethical incommensurability, for the idea that there are different ways of viewing our responsibilities toward each other and toward the world, and that no one way is the right way for everyone. Second, accusations of irrationality occur when one person, or group, does not understand the reasons why another person, or group, do what they do. Once one understands why the other does what she does, then it is no longer irrational. One may still disagree about the choice of action, but at least the action itself is understood. So, one of my goals is to foster understanding between different people by trying to articulate the reasons for why different people make different choices. Third, my own investigations into ethical theory have led me to conclude that the best approach to thinking about ethics is a “toolbox” approach. 1 Although specific ethical theories tend to