Ethics: universal or global? The trends in studies of ethics in the context of globalization

Abstract

The article discusses how theory and practice in global ethics affect each other. First, the author explores how the study of ethics has changed in the era of globalization and ponders what the role of the field of study of global ethics is in this context. Second, she wants to show how the logical fallacies in widening study field of ethics produce false polarizations between facts and value judgements in social ethics made in various cultural contexts. She further elaborates how these false polarizations prevent constructive cross-cultural and transnational discussions on ethical guidelines and principles that are needed to produce joint action (plans) to deal with serious ethical issues globally and nationally. Finally, the paper argues that in order to find a way to solve our shared complex ethical problems in global context, we need to get back to basics by focusing on the method of ethics, that is, self-critical and logical analysis of sound argumentation and justification of our values and moral principles.

Keywords:

• global ethics
• global justice
• philosophical method
• universalism
• relativism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Sirkku K. Hellsten currently teaches philosophy and ethics at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where she is also the Coordinator for Research and Publication. Previously, she has engaged in various academic research projects in social justice, human rights, gender justice, bioethics and development ethics at the University of Birmingham, UK; University of South Florida, USA; Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand; and Bonn University, Germany. She also holds the permanent position of Adjunct Professor of Social and Moral Philosophy at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Prof. Hellsten is also one of the founding editors of Journal of Global Ethics and its current co-editor with Prof. Eric Palmer.

Notes

1. The demarcation issue between social sciences and particularly the analysis of applied philosophical ethics is sometimes a point of dispute also, but I will not engage in that debate in this context.

2. In this instance, I will not list in detail all the Ethics Centres (or Global Ethics Centres) that have been established across the globe. Their placement in the Universities varies from being part of the philosophy department to being semi-autonomous teaching and research institutions in the different schools and colleges of the University – or to being fully autonomous research institutions. Their staff and students come from different academic and professional backgrounds, and have different views and expectation on the study of ethics.