Contemplating ethics, culture and furthermore their interplay in world politics might be a
perpetual impasse devoid of a teleological clarity. Disregarding the two concepts on the other
hand, as irrelevant to the study of International Relations (IR), as it is best carried out by
Realpolitik and studied with scientific sterility ala Kenneth Waltz, would be myopic on a
number of levels. Before framing the meaning of ethics and culture, and discussing their
possible interplay in world politics, the following question is proposed to perhaps establish a
conceptual link between the two: Can we find a fruitful starting point by perceiving morality
as a connector of ethics and culture to world politics?
Of all the areas of philosophy, ethics is the one that seems most significant to people, and it is
no overstatement to say that everyone is engaged in ethical deliberation at every turn in life.
Ethics, as a major philosophical branch, is derived from the ancient Greek term ethikos, or the
meaning of living. Its primary focus is to discern between right and wrong ergo it aims to
understand the ‘nature of morality’. Or put differently, the ‘social quality’ of ethics ‘forces
each of us to feel that our identity is also defined by our relations to others’. In a world
which is transformed by a growing ‘interconnectedness and intensification of relations,
among states and societies’ summarized in the buzzword of globalization, the social quality
of ethics calls for refinement. The veil of ignorance has been vigorously lifted from our eyes
by the effects of global transformation, and it becomes an imperative to avoid limiting ethics
to kin relationship or confined to territorial bounded Westphalian sovereignty. In short ethics
is about ‘humanizing the experience of the other’, which is in its logical extension an
individual moral choice to be righteous in a global as well as national and even local context.
Thus sound moral values raise tough choices; and tough choices are never straightforward
especially in the prevailing anarchical system of world politics. Just like ethics culture is not a ‘singular thing’, but rather a ‘loose collection of [assumed]
characteristics’ of a community.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Ethics and Culture in World Politics
- Ethics
- Refinement of Ethics
- Culture
- Cultural Diversity
- Ethics and Culture as Building Blocks of World Politics
- Morality
- The Interplay of Ethics and Culture
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This work aims to explore the concepts of ethics and culture in the context of international relations, investigating their interplay and significance in understanding world politics. It aims to challenge the traditional approach of focusing solely on Realpolitik and scientific sterility, instead advocating for a more nuanced understanding that incorporates ethical considerations.
- The role of ethics in shaping individual moral choices in a globalized world.
- The nature of culture as a system of meaning and significance, shaping individual and collective identities.
- The interplay of ethics and culture in shaping the moral landscape of international relations.
- The importance of morality as a connecting link between ethics and culture in world politics.
- The challenges and opportunities of cultural diversity in a globalized world.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The text begins by defining the terms ethics and culture, examining their historical and philosophical roots. It discusses how ethics, derived from the Greek term "ethikos," aims to discern right from wrong and understand the "nature of morality," while culture is understood as a dynamic system of meaning and significance that shapes individual and collective behavior. The text then highlights the importance of cultural diversity in a globalized world, emphasizing the need for recognition and protection of different cultures. Finally, it explores the interplay of ethics and culture in world politics, using an analogy of building a home to illustrate how individual moral choices (ethics) and cultural values (culture) are shaped by a shared moral framework (morality).
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Key words and topics explored in this text include ethics, culture, morality, world politics, international relations, cultural diversity, globalization, moral choices, and the interplay of ethics and culture.
- Quote paper
- Jan Lüdert (Author), 2007, Ethics and culture in world politics, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/90019