Hope for a Global Ethic What are the prospects for a world traumatized by terrorism, war, and gross human rights violations?
By Brian D. Lepard
What are the prospects for a world traumatized by terrorism, war, and gross human rights violations? The events of September 11, 2001 forever punctured any illusions that Americans are safe from the fanaticism and terrorism so depressingly familiar to residents of the Middle East and other troubled areas of the globe. Numerous wars, including in Iraq, but particularly in the underdeveloped areas of the world, such as Africa, claim countless lives annually and leave many others horribly injured and disabled. At the same time, and often as a direct result of wars and civil conflicts, millions of individuals around the world endure violations of their fundamental human rights. In the economic realm, the materialistic culture pervading the West has, with the fall of Communism, been able to gain a widespread foothold. The disparity between the rich and poor throughout the world continues to grow. Against this numbing backdrop, international human rights law specialist Brian Lepard suggests that only a global ethic—a relatively specific set of shared ethical principles—will ultimately be sufficient to support the incipient positive, unifying and harmonizing forces operating in the world today. Surprisingly, the most promising source for a workable global ethic is based on the scriptures of the various world religions—the same belief systems that are so often viewed as the cause of major disagreements and discord. Download Author Interview
Terms : Governance & Social Issues | Current Catalog
|
eNewsletter |
Copyright © 2012 The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States. All Rights Reserved
