This paper is an attempt to answer the question of whether cultural differences give rise to claims to political recognition. It can be said that there are two arguments regarding the moral significance of culture, namely, that culture is a source of moral values for people, and that, as a type of community, it gives rise to some moral demands. In so far as the significance of culture has political implications, the two arguments ground two principles of “moral sensitivity” towards, and “equal” treatments of, cultures, in the context of culturally plural societies. These two principles can be traced as grounds for various multicultural measures, such as legalising some norms of minority cultures, supporting them in the struggle for cultural survival, authorising them to regulate some aspects of their members’ conduct and allowing variation in implementing law, within the limits of basic human rights.

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