New approaches to an important topic

Only at first glance does it appear to be an exotic and utopian idea to postulate global ethical standards. Values, ideals and goals that are binding for all people – how is that possible? But in an era that is confronted at every level with the major challenges of globalization, digital transformation and worldwide migration movements, it is essential that globally effective norms are established to help avoid conflicts. And it is testament to the foresight of the recently deceased Hans Küng that he published his first thoughts on this topic back in 1990. At that time, the associated tasks were at best a background noise in society. Küng’s ideas stimulated an ongoing discussion and ultimately led to the founding of the Global Ethic Institute in Tübingen, which provides economic and social leaders with practical ways of implementing these global ethical theories.

Anyone looking for an overview of the status of the Global Ethic project and initial approaches for its practical implementation will find this in the book “Global Ethic for the 21st Century”, edited by Ulrich Hemel, Director of the Global Ethic Institute since 2018. Divided into five sections, the book shows the wealth of approaches to the topic: from peace research to finance, from building trust in business to artificial intelligence, from learning programs to questions of sustainability and climate change. The independent essays by various authors approach the topic in a variety of ways – including, for example, the highly topical question of why cryptocurrencies can be seen as a civil society innovation. Or how global ethics could be a basis for successful corporate management.

The wide range of topics covered makes the collection particularly worth reading. There is just as much space for ways to achieve dialogue in public discourse as there is for the challenges of digitalization and global norms in a multipolar world.

What particularly appeals to a deadline-ridden manager like me is that each text works independently of the others. So it’s no problem to put the book down for a few weeks and then come back to it – perhaps with a keyword from the table of contents that you didn’t even have on your screen at first. You can also take the opportunity to find out more about the Institute’s Ambassador Program.

The essays provide a good introduction to a topic. Anyone wishing to delve deeper into a topic will find a bibliography for each text. However, they are also a good basis for a discussion on how peaceful coexistence can be achieved despite all the different experiences, convictions and values.

Global ethic for the 21st century
Ulrich Hemel (ed.)
Herder Verlag, 25 euros (hardback edition)

Cover picture: © Verlag Herder GmbH