The Provenance and Development of a Global Ethic

Global Virtue Ethics Review, Oct, 2000 by James Gazell

Second, in the plethora of writings on this subject, the concept of a global ethic is generally expressed mostly in the singular rather than in the plural. One may assume that the phrases global ethic and global ethics are interchangeable, but they differ. Theologian Leonard Swidler captured the difference when he observed:

   I say ethic in the singular rather than ethics in the plural, because what
   is needed is not a full blown global ethics in great detail--indeed, such
   would not even be possible--but a global consensus on the fundamental
   attitude toward good and evil and the basic and middle principles to put it
   into action (Swidler, 1997: p. 6).

Swidler is far from the only one whom perceives the concept in this manner. One may cite several prominent illustrations. For instance, Rushworth Kidder, President of the Institute for Global Ethics, used the word ethics, although plural in form, as a unitary concept. In 1993, he delivered an address entitled "There's Only Ethics," in which he viewed the subject from this perspective. He stated that ethics could not validly be separated into public and private (or personal) spheres. Nor, in his opinion, could it be accurately divided into categories such as business ethics, education ethics, journalistic ethics, medical ethics, professional ethics, or work ethics. He said that the general public has abandoned such dichotomies, no longer accepts double standards in behavior, and regards people who act in such a manner as hypocritical (Kidder, 1998: p. 6).

Another who reflects Kidder's viewpoint is Michael Josephson, founder of an eponymous Institute of Ethics, who also implicitly views the achievement of personal ethics as a road to the eventual establishment of a global ethic (Josephson, 1999: pp. 1, 5-6). Reflecting Kidder's and Josephson's outlooks, still another ethicist, Aviva Geva, commented: "Ethics is universal and the same for all. There is simply ethics, not national ethics" (Geva, 1999: p. 7). Thus Geva urged American corporations operating abroad to follow the same ethical rules that they obey at home. They should respect the rights of employees, refrain from bribery, follow local culture, and resist opportunities to impose American norms on local peoples (Geva, 1999: p. 7).

Furthermore, the World Commission for Culture and Development, founded by UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization) takes the singular approach by identifying a global ethic with a core of five principal ideas: human rights and responsibilities, democracy, protection of minorities, peaceful and fair negotiated solutions to conflicts, and equity within and between generations (World Commission, 1999: pp. 2-7). For instance, the Commission observed:

      Universalism is the fundamental principle of a global ethics. The ethos
   of universal human rights proclaims that all human beings are born equal
   and that they enjoy these rights irrespective of class, gender, race,
   community or generation. This implies that the basic necessities for a
   decent life must be the foremost concern of humanity. Universalism requires
   that in our anxiety to protect future generations we must not overlook the
   pressing life claims of the poor today (World Commission, 1999: p. 7).