That kind of detachment is essential to preserve one's sanity. Medical examiners act much the same way.
re: “That kind of detachment is essential to preserve one’s sanity. Medical examiners act much the same way.”
Again, I would agree with you if we were talking about someone trying to accomplish some essential task to save lives, to solve a crime, or to give precise information in order to stop some terrible disease, criminal, or enemy.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that no where in the article do I get the sense from the archeologist or the writer of the article that they “get” the moral horror of what they have found or are describing.
It’s an intentional, I believe, action on their part to avoid making a value judgement of another culture - which is typical of the moral relativism of multiculturalism.
I’ve read and heard this before in academia as I sat in college classes taught by openly moral relativist professors. Also, unfortunately, I had to sit through classes on multiculturalism which, among other beliefs, makes it a point to NEVER judge the morality of any other culture past or present - UNLESS you’re talking about the Judeo-Christian cultural traditions of western Europe and the United States - THEN it’s not only Ok to judge, but to condemn the “arrogance” of western culture to dare call other cultures wrong or immoral - which, ironically, is what the multiculturalist and moral relativist does.
My point is, I think that is why this archeologist uses the tone and terminology that she does. She’s been taught to not judge the morality of this pre-Christian, Aztec culture because it’s “wrong” and “arrogant” to do so.
She’s not a doctor trying to accurately diagnose a disease, she’s describing the religious ritual practices of the Aztecs, and, at this point I could grant her and the author of the article a certain professional detachment in describing these practices with medical terms, but no where is the barbarism of these riturals ever implied or conceded. No where is the human value of the victims ever acknowledged - no, it’s not even brought up - they are just a part of the fascinating ways the Aztecs treated “the human body in their rituals”.