Integration and Whole Futures

Global Challenges excerpt from the 2010 State of the Future report

This section includes the actions that have been suggested to address the following challenge:

Global Ethics

How can ethical considerations become more routinely incorporated into global decisions? [Challenge 15]


Global Ethics

How can ethical considerations become more routinely incorporated into global decisions?

SUGGESTED ACTIONS TO ADDRESS THIS CHALLENGE WITH A RANGE OF VIEWS

These actions were distilled from suggestion made by the Millennium Project experts' panel. Following each action are comments and suggestions from Millennium Project participants through interviews, web page, and other collaborations. Generally, each paragraph comes from another source/participant; hence, there might be some inconsistencies in the views expressed.

The 1998-1999 Global Lookout Panel identified and rated ethical issues involved in decision making.  The results are in the 1999 State of the Future.  Many of these ethical issues are discussed throughout the other 14 challenges. For example, waste is addressed in Challenges 1 on sustainable development, 2 on water supply, and 13 on energy; economic inequities are addressed in Challenge 7 on how to reduce the rich-poor gap; and so forth. The remaining issues and actions not as directly discussed in the previous challenges are listed below.

15.1 Counter corruption in government; corruption of political leaders, policy makers, corporate leaders.

Declare information warfare on money laundering and build on the new Palermo Treaty a global prosecution network.  Monitor where government leaders launder income from corruption and whom they hire to manage the money laundering. See Challenge 12 on organized crime for system of catching those who launder money. Support Transparency International and other such efforts.

The anti-corruption laws, judicial and law enforcement systems dealing with these problems also need to be strengthened.  A method or system to guarantee the freedom of the judiciary also needs to be established.  Adequate pay and retirement plans need to be offered to public and police officials.

Parliamentary codes of ethics need to be introduced in order to promote transparency of government.  This will lead to increased exposure of unethical decisions and actions, but to reinforce the importance of making ethical decisions, violators must receive very high financial penalties.

15.2 Reduce greed and self-centeredness.

Encourage role modeling by parents, teachers, stars, and politicians.... Search for and endorse common values.... Use the media, advertising, and entertainment to educate the public regarding morals and ethics…. Promote stories that describe altruism, love, cooperation and self-discipline.

“Star power” has brought much needed attention to many public issues that otherwise may not have had received as much public attention. 

The increase of technology has also increased the influence of the media in our everyday lives.  Morals are marketed to the public much the way that any other commodity is.  When taking this into consideration, it is key that those who are doing the marketing are taking responsibility for their company’s actions and the repercussions that they will have on the society at large. 

In doing so, a search for a shared core of common values to endorse would be helpful in establishing a foundation for society to build on.  Furthermore, a promotion of stories that describe altruism, love, cooperation and self-discipline should also be encouraged.

15.3 Control undue pressures from lobbying groups.

Tighten lobbying laws.... Encourage courageous media scrutiny of lobbying activities.... Initiate limits on spending in political campaigns and contributions.... Limit terms political service and have new elections.... Use public Internet polling.

15.4 Encourage honor and honesty.

Teach love, integrity and dignity to humankind.... Endorse frank discussions from the classrooms to the boardrooms on the role and nature of honor…. Inculcate the idea that leadership must demonstrate complete integrity.... Require media norms in terms of violence and what is depicted as acceptable behavior.... The issue is imbedded in the spirit of a society; promote an attitude - through education, public programs, and media - that shows society need not passively accept immoral and unethical behavior.... Enforce equal penalties under the law.

15.5 Encourage the will to act.

Non-action is the most severe corruption. Honor in leadership is to assume responsibility.

Require, to the extent possible, public accountability and transparency.... Introduce morals and ethics in education.

15.6 Create common agreements about ethics and morals.

It changes with advancing knowledge and socio-economic conditions.... Research into the common and shared values of all cultures.... Strengthen religious and other moral/ethical values through interdenominational discussions.... Place an emphasis on moral and ethical issues in religious education.... Develop critical approaches in education and mass media.

Researching, studying and diffusing a universal scientific culture would also promote such a global agreement. With the current advances in science and technology, the global community must make careful and ethical decisions concerning the use of technology to prevent its abuse.  In response to a Millennium Project survey, one respondent rated the establishing of a universal set of scientific ethics as, “First and maybe the most important of all.  We must promote the ethics of scientists who master the advanced technology of the clone, computer program and so on.”  It is of great importance to the global community that scientific and technological advances not be abused.  To prevent the abuse of such knowledge, and to promote an ethical dimension of the scientific field it has been proposed that there a “Scientific Oath” much like the “Hippocratic Oath” doctors take be developed for scientists.  Others have proposed the establishment of an international committee consisting not only of scientists, but also political and religious officials.

Creating a wider circulation of already ratified UN conventions on human rights and labor would also assist in the creation of a global agreement on ethics and morals.

15.7 Reduce the barriers to the freedom of inquiry

Develop means for participatory democracy such as Internet town meetings. Encourage greater freedom of the judiciary.... Strengthening the courts to challenge political shields. Create legal control over the authority of political parties.... Collect and disseminate good and bad examples from around the world.... Implement freedom of information laws.

15.8 Encourage respect for authority

Elect and appoint politicians and decision makers who command and deserve respect.... Place educational emphasis on reasonable norms starting in the lowest grades.... Educate judges on moral/ethical values.... Support people who are authors of something good, and then give them visibility: create heroes.

15.9 Support the identification and success of the influence of role models

We need to give far more emphasis on parenting and continuing education in leadership, morals, ethics and decision-making skills.

Similar to 15.8, we should identify, publicize, and honor men and women heroes, and emphasize in media what is good in human nature, interesting about the human experience, and people who have done something extraordinary.

15.10 Encourage and support the development of transnational social movements

We need to support the growth and influence of transnational social movements that seek to effect national level social change in order to support global ethics and values for future generations.  Transnational social grass roots mobilization is at the moment of the most effective methods of generating national constituency support for global policies within national governments.

15.11 Encourage a holistic systems-approach to replace linear thinking regarding global ethics.

It seems that a whole systems approach is lacking as individual challenges are being identified and potential solutions for each is being sought. But without a whole systems examination and intervention is undertaken even the best solutions might be overrun with new challenges reduced by increasingly dysfunctional systems. This will require a massive educational effort since the vast majority of people, including the well-intentioned and educated, still think linearly which at best will provide band-aid symptom relief and at worst contribute to even greater dysfunction.

ADDITIONAL ACTIONS

Millennium Project participants suggested these actions later on through interviews, Internet correspondence, and/or continuous updating of the Global Challenges.

Encourage socially responsible investing.  Money invested in the USA according to “socially-responsible” criteria climbed from $59 billion in 1984 to $2.16 trillion in 1999, which is $1 out of every $8 under professional management in the USA, according to Worldwatch Institute’s  “Vital Signs 2001.”

Support UNESCO’s Universal Ethics Project to make an inventory of ethical values and principles from intergovernmental documents, commissions, declarations, protocols, treaties, and conventions, as well as NGOs and individuals.

Global ethics should not be a list of moral precepts, but a set of ideas, values, and attitudes that would be adequate to deal with the actual problems we face. In the 1980s those wishing to create environmental programs referred to as “Debt for Nature Swaps bought Third World Debt.” Why not Debt for Education on Ethics Swaps?

Rewards or incentives for adhering to company standards would reinforce ethics programs, says a study by KPMG in NY.

Top of the Page