Castillo de Chapultepec, Mexico DF - Mexico

Picture taken by Jonathan Acuña (2019)

What is the Point of Global Ethics?

Jotting down some ideas

Prof. Sean Cordell, philosopher at the Open University, refers to ethics in

terms of making “the world better,” about finding ways to “save the world” (The
Open University, 2020a). Based on these two assumptions by Cordell, we do not
want to find ourselves immersed in dreary years seeing how humanity is destroying
the world, its own civilization, or simply mistreating other humans just because.
When one is in trouble, we do not want to be with Elle-women and men who are
hollow and only smile as if they were empathetic toward others. The ethical being
is prompted to get into action.

What is then Global Ethics end game? Based on Prof. Jon Pike, also a
philosopher at the Open University, the end game here is to discover “what’s
wrong with the world and what should we do about it” (The Open University,
2020a). This sounds easier said than done, especially when there are Elle-people
around us; however, we need to start at least with ourselves trying to make sense
of the people’s worldview to make our own decisions based on our ethical
foundations, as simple as deciding to get a plastic bag at the local supermarket
instead of taking our own reusable bags. With simple acts we can start making
important changes to make the world a better place.
 If we imagine Global Ethics as a casket, we are then to find -in it- three
central distinctions not to feel smothered by the smoke coming from the world’s
indifference to global issues. If you should like to see the content of our ethical
casket, based on Prof. Pike, three elements are to be found: [1] “empirical stuff,”
[2] “theory and construction of models about how the world works,” and [3]
“normative stuff” (The Open University, 2020a). These distinctions are necessary
to understand the point of Global Ethics and its end game.

What should we do then about issues concerning Global Ethics? Ethicists

should so like to see everyone taking a stance regarding global problems all
humans should be interested in. As a result of not knowing what governmental
institutions and figures ought to do about issues, we at least can think through the
arguments in favor or against something to come up with our very own opinions.
As Prof. Pike has put it (The Open University, 2020b), “we kind of owe it to
ourselves on the level of moral and intellectual integrity.” And it is at this point
that we can also think what stakeholders do and should do about a given issue.

Global Ethics is something that does not belong to the netherworld. We are
not mere pawns in a divine ethical drama; we can make moral decisions that can
positively impact global issues that concern all humans. We cannot simply say that
the gods to relieve themselves of toil created men to take advantage of one
another; the righteous man would always be beset by prolonged series of global
ethical decisions that cannot simply be postponed to make the world a better place
for all. Global ethics is “the sphere of justice in the world and what you as an
individual might do about it” says Prof. Sean Cordell (The Open University, 2020b).
Global ethics is not a whimsical rule of God or any supernatural power we may
believe in; it is, as simply stated by Prof. Cordell, “political and it’s personal.”
References
The Open University. (2020a). Who does global ethics - in theory? Retrieved October 27, 2020, from
FuturLearn.Com: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/global-ethics/3/steps/905598

The Open University. (2020b). Who does global ethics - in practice? Retrieved October 28, 2020, from
FutureLearn.Com: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/global-ethics/3/steps/905599