Re-evaluating Ethics for the 21st Century: Rushworth Kidder's Suggestions

Debbie Cox
<cox9149@blue.unco.edu>

Rushworth M. Kidder has done a remarkable thing; he has assembled from all over the globe the answers of people to this question: "If you could help create a global code of ethics, what would be on it?" This act is so remarkable because he has taken the time to gather the opinions of twenty-four individuals from sixteen nations to create a global forum. What strikes me the most about his study is that the interviewees were not heads of state. They were average people viewed by their communities as ethical leaders. Kidder compiled their thoughts into a list of moral standards for the twenty-first century in his essay " Universal Human Values: Finding an Ethical Common Ground." I agree with his list of standards: love, truthfulness, fairness, freedom, unity, tolerance, responsibility and above all respect for life.

The first three of these needs, "love, truthfulness and fairness," are basic human values many of us are brought up with. So important are these lessons in childhood that the drive to carry them out is a natural instinct for most adults. Love is not used here as an irrational emotion as it is so often portrayed but as a mutual kind of respect. One of the interviewees, Astrid Lindgren, a children's author in Stockholm, states, " This is the main word for what we need--love on all stages and with all people." Truthfulness and fairness are the law of the elementary school classroom. These are presented as necessary components for trust. I agree wholly that trust is seldom considered when dealing with people these days and that the apparent lack of trust is a major problem for society. The universal understanding of the Golden Rule appears in almost every culture and can be used as a common model for the idea of fairness, which seems to be Kidder's point, rather than social systems of justice.

Freedom is difficult to define, but nearly every person will tell you he or she has an innate sense of when they are being suppressed. Most of the interviewees stressed that the need for liberty requires a sense of individual importance and the premise that their actions can create change. I attempted to define my sense of freedom while I read this essay. It is a hard definition to put into words, but I think two important components are freedom of expression and a sense of responsibility. According to Kidder, unity fulfills its purpose when it serves the needs of the group while the importance of the individual is taken into account. Unity is sometimes difficult to achieve due to the abundant variety of opinion in the world.

I believe that tolerance is a responsibility that comes with the territory of freedom, but it is so important that it deserves separate mention. It is important to have tolerance for differences as well as constraints for one's actions. I was taught that freedom exists only when your actions do not infringe on the freedom of others. This applies to opinions too. For example, protesters have the freedom to express their opinions about abortion however, when their actions inflict harm on those who do not agree with them, they are crossing the line. With freedom comes responsibility, and therefore all individuals must practice a certain level of discipline.

The last of Kidder's standards, respect for life, is the most important. The most unconscionable act is to infringe on a person's right to live. I am not particularity religious, but I do take stock in the command that appears in every religion: "Thou shalt not kill." Without respect for life, atrocities such as the Holocaust and bombing of the World Trade Center are able to take place. A huge problem arises when anyone does not consider life important, but there is exceptional fear when leaders hold this view.

By the end of the twentieth century, there was a desperate need for a new foundation of ethics. In order to be civilized one must also be ethical. Kidder's work is a small step in the right direction toward saving the human race from itself. As borders dissolve and economies merge, we are becoming more of a global community. It behooves us to tread on ethical common ground.

Academic Exchange Extra invites reader responses to any writings in this issue--especially articles advancing the scholarly debate of issues raised.

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