Abstract
Now more than ever, the world's population is interconnected and interdependent. The effects of economic and cultural globalisation, the flows of migration and the rise of global institutions – both international and supranational – have given rise to new ethical questions and problems. In her new book, Kimberly Hutchings aims to provide an accessible introduction to the theoretical field that addresses these ethical problems. Global Ethics, she writes, investigates and evaluates the standards that should govern the behaviour of members of the global world (p. 9). To do this, Global Ethics asks four sets of questions: why? (the moral basis of ethical claims); what? (the substance of the ethical claims); who? (questions of agency and responsibility); and how? (regarding implications).
The book begins by providing a useful survey of the different answers to the why? question, that is, the different ethical positions invoked by global theorists. Hutchings suggests a typology of seven approaches, divided into rationalist theories (utilitarianism, contractualism, discourse ethics and deontology) and their critics (virtue ethics, feminism and postmodernism). The different positions are contrasted and compared, both within and between categories, and this provides a valuable basis for the discussion of various concrete issues in the chapters that follow. Using this framework, Hutchings presents the major debates in the field, from global distributive justice and aid to ethics of war and peace making. In the concluding chapter, she takes a step backwards to discuss the implications of disagreement over moral values for the different ethical theories.
Hutchings dedicates her book to ‘all of my students, past and present, and to the great pleasures and rewards of teaching’. This dedication to her students sets the tone, as the book is explicit in its aim to provide an accessible introduction to non-specialists interested in this field. Each chapter is followed by recommendations for further reading, and a glossary of the main terminology provides a handy guide for those still perplexed. The most interesting feature, however, consists of the ‘reflective exercises’ scattered within the chapters, which provide an engaging opportunity for the reader to consider critically the new concepts and debates, as well as a valuable basis for class discussions. Thanks to its clever structure and lucid style, the book succeeds in being both approachable and thought provoking, and is therefore an indispensable resource for those who wish to learn (and teach) global ethics.