When Does Ethics Become Global?

Jardin Exotique, Monaco

Picture taken by Jonathan Acuña (2019)

When Does Ethics Become Global?

Delving into understanding ethics

         Global ethics can be defined as “an area of critical ethical enquiry into the nature and justification of values and norms that are global in kind and into the various issues that arise …” (Dower, 2009). This area of critical ethical enquiry extends “beyond personal relationships or local settings and across national and political borders and boundaries” (The Open University, 2020 (a)). Thus, global ethics was born in the world of globalization where companies, governments, agencies, etc. interact among themselves affecting -positively or negatively- entire nations, whole communities, ethnic groups, or simply the entire world. Ethics becomes global when its impact scale affects a great number of people.

         Based on Prof. Heather Widdows, University of Birmingham, “Global Ethics is the ethics of a globalised world” (The Open University, 2020 (b)). It can be stated that this type of moral philosophy inquiry aims at making all international stakeholders aware of fair and ethical practices, so all societies can create a more just world for everyone. It has become global because it is not circumscribed to a single national jurisdiction but many at the same time harming many individuals in various countries, communities, and so on. As it has also been stated by Prof. Widdows (The Open University, 2020 (b)), “we are facing global challenges that cannot be addressed within one nation-state, within one jurisdiction, within one belief system, within one discipline;” these challenges have to be taken care by all interested parties involved in them in search for a just world.

         Then, what are global ethical issues like? Any kind of trouble whose impact is at a global scale is subject of analysis by moral philosophy. Among this kind of ethical problems, the following can be mentioned:

Gender Inequality	An example of this type of unethical practice has to do with how much women are paid for their work when compared to men in the very same positions. Shouldn’t all individuals get paid evenly and justly?
Life-Risking Migration	Consider what happens in the Mediterranean Sea with African migrants intending to reach European shores in Greece or Italy on barges because of their poverty-stricken nations and living conditions.
Body Parts’ Sale	What about individuals around the globe who live below the poverty line and decide to “sell” a kidney for a millionaire in Israel? Should this type of organs trade be allowed by governments? Can this be labeled as “exploitation?”
Plastic	And what can be said about the extensive use of plastic in the last 40 years? This is not just polluting the urban landscape but also destroying marine ecosystems that people in coastline cities live on. Should this simply be banned around the world?
Pandemics	Another example is the way a country deals with an endemic viral disease of theirs and the way it can affect millions of other individuals in neighboring countries and beyond its geographical location. How should a nation be penalized for an ethical conduct in the treatment of diseases?

The list and explanation of other global issues can go on and on. Yet any single ethical thought can have a great and lasting effect on people who are being affected because of an “immoral” conduct of a company, government, and the like.

         To sum up, global ethics is “a mixture of justice, basic rights, and fair distribution,” as it is stated by Prof. Widdows (The Open University, 2020 (b)). Due to our globalized world, there may be a series of loathly practices that must be stopped such as sweatshops in Latin American and Asian countries where multi-million dollar companies pay very low wages to employees who also find themselves working in tiny spaces with no ventilation and for very long hours. The pinnacle of success of our civilizations cannot be measured in terms of technological advances and pricy goods that are produced every year, but on how these advancements and products are made available for all social strata in a country. This sharing of resources and good will should be the forte of all societies on the planet.

References

Dower, N. (2009). Global Ethics. (R. C. Elliot, Ed.) Institutional Issues Involving Ethics and Justice, Vol. 1, 232-251.

The Open University. (2020 (a)). Global Ethics. Retrieved October 22, 2020, from FurureLearn.Com: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/global-ethics/3/steps/905594

The Open University. (2020 (b)). Global Ethics, All in it Together. Retrieved October 23, 2020, from FutureLearn.Com: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/global-ethics/3/steps/905595

Week 1b - When Does Ethics Become Global by Jonathan Acuña on Scribd