Vortrag von Frau Prof. Marietta Stepanyants "Can Asian Values Transfer into Global Values? Some Ethical Remarks about the Process of Moral Globalization" [11.03.2010]

Gastvortrag von Frau Prof. Marietta Stepanyants
Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow
UNESCO Chair in philosophy
1st Vice-president of WFPS (World Federation of Philosophical Societies)

Abstract: Globality as a new dimension of human existence cannot be achieved if it is not based on universally shared values. Yet, do universal values really exist? If universal values exist what is the relation between them and the essentials of different cultures? Is an opposition between them inevitable? What is the way to reduce tension and conflicts between the both?

  1. If there are universal human values, due to certain uniformity of human nature, they are still nominal. The values are getting their "fillings" from a particular culture. Thus those who consider justice to belong to the set of universal human values habitually ignore differences in the interpretations of justice, and thus succumb to illusions about the essential sameness of manners of its realization (democracy).
  2. Along with nominally all-human universals, each and every culture has a set of its own universals which form its "spine" (or "back-bone"). In a culture, which is an intricately structured set of extra-biological programmes of human behaviour, there are, among other things, the universals of Weltanschauung. They accumulate historically formed social experience, and it is in the framework of their system that the person of a particular culture evaluates, makes sense of and experiences the world, organises in a totality all the phenomena of the reality that is encompassed by his or her activity.
  3. The outlines of a future global world structure stay obscure in view of the various alternative scenarios for the progress of events. Until recently it was considered by many that globalization will lead in the long run to the worldwide triumph of the values and institutions of liberal democracy. The belief that the future world is most probable to emerge according to the "Asian scenario" ranks first in the analysts' forecasts. China and India hold a particular place in that predict as potential super-powers.
  4. The two countries possess real chances to become the dominant states at the international stage due to population size, the remarkable achievements in the increase of gross domestic product and military assets. Yet, economic and military supremacy is not sufficient for governance in a globalizing world. To obtain the status of a power which would be proficient to mould the future of humanity, one needs to possess and to disclose a certain set of VALUES.

Weiterführende Links:

  • Die Veranstaltung findet statt am 29. März 2010 um 14.00 Uhr im Kolloquiumsraum des ITAS, Gebäude 451, 2. OG, Raum 412.
  • Kontakt: Gotthard Bechmann