Charter of Global Ethic in Minimal English

Our Fragile World, Challenges and …, 2001

Summary The result of a collective process of consultation around the world, The Earth Charter (2000) offers a moral guide for a sustainable way of life with shared values for the human family. It signals the need for comprehensive, inclusive, and global ethics. It is also ...

2020

Throughout my career, this question has driven me: What can the religions contribute to the furthering of a Global Ethic, despite their very different systems of dogmas and symbols? This timely book grapples with my question and offers exciting answers. It also models engagement between the religions, highlighting the differences and nuances between them while also underscoring their desire for peace, understanding, and a certain degree of cooperation.

Scriptura, 2012

In recent development studies a positive, yet critical reappraisal of the potential contribution of religion has emerged. Commentators like Galtung, as well as Edwards and Sen, seem to be moving development discourse beyond its habitual economic and technological biases. Development theorists have also called upon religious actors to recast their usual welfare activities. The Declaration Toward a Global Ethic implicitly commits the world's religions to a mode of engagement that complies with expectations in development studies. When read within an explicitly "development" perspective, the Declaration holds strategic significance for selfcritical religious actors and for reflexive development theorists.

2015

In recent development studies a positive, yet critical reappraisal of the potential contribution of religion has emerged. Commentators like Galtung, as well as Edwards and Sen, seem to be moving development discourse beyond its habitual economic and technological biases. Development theorists have also called upon religious actors to recast their usual welfare activities. The Declaration Toward a Global Ethic implicitly commits the world’s religions to a mode of engagement that complies with expectations in development studies. When read within an explicitly “development” perspective, the Declaration holds strategic significance for selfcritical religious actors and for reflexive development theorists. Key Concepts: Development studies, global ethic, Parlement of World Religions

Ethics & International Affairs, 1998

Twenty-four former presidents and prime ministers, representing five continents and calling themselves the InterAction Council, have produced a landmark proposal for global ethics. Reflecting this year's 50th anniversary of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, their document is called the Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities (a text of it is appended to this article). A key point of interest is that these ex-leaders of governments sought advice from a range of religious leaders and philosophers.

Part One: The Subversion of Ethical Theory by Positivism. Human beings are today in the throes of a paradigm-shift from the early-modern paradigm and toward a fundamentally different orientation that I call 'the holistic paradigm'. The former is based on a series of false conclusions drawn from early-modern science (the so-called Newtonian paradigm). One of these false assumptions involves this radical distinction between fact and value that was introduced into much of Western thinking as a result of this scientism. This essay examines the role of holism behind the emerging global ethics in terms of ten global ethical principles. Each of these ten principles is discussed as intrinsic to a complete set of holistic and integrated global ethical principles. Finally, the essay considers the relation of these ten principles to our global social contract. Much traditional ethical theory going back to such thinkers as Plato, Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas to Spinoza in the 17 th century was substantially holistic. These thinkers were concerned with the virtuous development of the whole person, a process that never made a radical separation between the 'facts' of the cosmos in which we are immersed and the values recognized by a developing attentive human mind. However, with the explosive rise of early-modern science in the 17 th and 18 th centuries, a number of thinkers developed a radical distinction between fact and value, thereby fragmenting and distorting the realities of our human situation. The pervasive positivism of much political and ethical thought throughout the past century has derived in part from this historic, apparently unbridgeable, distinction between fact and value, between what is the case and what should be the case. This distinction was made by such 18 th century thinkers as Kant and David Hume and is integral to the early-modern paradigm. These thinkers found no credible place for the human mind within their epistemology of objective observation and empirical testing. A trained observer ignored his or her values, feelings, and personal beliefs and just observed the facts. Subjective thoughts, feelings, and desires had nothing to do with the objective facts. Within the objective set of facts, no value was observed, attributions of value were considered merely subjective assessments imposed upon the impersonal reality of the situation [1] Thomas Hobbes in the late 17 th century, David Hume in the 18 th century, and others since that time declared that the only thing 'real' and 'true' about the world was that it was a collection of 'facts' that could be empirically identified and verified. Like the atomism introduced by Newton as part of his well-known 'machine model' of the universe (i.e. everything is reducible to its parts and can be understood in terms of the external relationships among these parts) Hume, and positivism following him, understood 'reality' as a collection of empirically identifiable facts, and all our theories about the universe were built up through theoretical models of the external relationships among these parts [2]. This simplistic understanding of ethics culminated in the positivism that remains foundational to much thinking. I have explored this early-modern paradigm in several of my books and will not repeat the inquiry in this essay [3]. The radical distinction between fact and value remains part of what I call the 'fragmentation' introduced by this early-modern perspective. This positivist ideology spilled over into the economics and politics of the western-dominated world that has led to such terrible consequences as

DIALOGO JOURNAL, 2023

In a globalizing world, the interaction between universal human values and religious beliefs becomes an important topic of discussion. While there can be overlap between universal human values and religious teachings, there are also instances where they may diverge or even conflict. In today’s world, where people from diverse cultures and religious backgrounds interact more frequently, the challenge lies in finding common ground and fostering mutual respect and understanding. The reinterpretation of religious teachings within human rights frameworks may provide a common language and set of principles that can be used to bridge the gap between religious beliefs and universal values. It is crucial to approach these discussions with sensitivity, open-mindedness, and a willingness to engage in respectful dialogue between Religion and Philosophy

Zygon, 1999

The human community faces today the most serious challenges ever to have confronted the planet in the areas of health, environment, and security. Science and technology are essential for responding to these challenges. More is needed, however, because science is not equipped to deal adequately with the values dimensions and the political issues that accompany the challenges. For an adequate response, there must be cooperative effort by scientists and statespersons, informed for moral leadership by the religious wisdom that is available. The religious communities can provide this spiritual dimension, thereby fulfilling their traditional role, but it will require their coming to terms with the character of the scientific and technological base of contemporary culture. The paper lays the conceptual groundwork for understanding these issues.

This abstract explores the analysis of moral wisdom, drawing comparisons between Islamic and Western principles. Moral wisdom, as a guiding force, shapes individual behavior and societal norms in both traditions. Islamic teachings, rooted in the Quran, emphasize values like honesty, compassion, and justice. Similarly, Western principles, entrenched in philosophical and ethical traditions, uphold virtues such as fairness and human rights. This study aims to unveil both the commonalities and distinctions in the comprehension and application of moral wisdom within these frameworks, shedding light on shared values that form the ethical bedrock of both Islamic and Western cultures. Through this delicate analysis of moral wisdom within these contexts, the study endeavors to enhance understanding of universal principles that underlie ethical conduct, fostering intercultural dialogue and mutual respect in our diverse global society. The integration of these perspectives promises to enhance our collective understanding of moral wisdom, providing valuable insights into the shared threads that run through various cultural and philosophical traditions.