PHIL 104 (STOLZE)

1
PHIL 104 (STOLZE)

• Notes on Heather Widdows, Global Ethics An
  Introduction, chapter 4

2
Political Theory for Global Ethics

• Political Realism
• Nationalism
• The Society-of-States Approach
• Cosmopolitanism
• John Rawls Theory of Justice as Fairness

3
Political Realism

• Morality is a set of rules that rational people
  agree to for their mutual benefit.
• Others must also comply for it to be in an
  individuals self-interest to comply.
• Some authority or government is necessary to
  ensure compliance.
• In the international arena there is no such
  authority.
• Therefore, it is not rational for states to
  comply with moral rules because they have no
  guarantee that others do.
• Therefore, there is no morality (moral rules) in
  the international arena.

4
Nationalism

• There are certain special obligations to
  compatriots/co-nationals that do not necessarily
  extend to non-compatriots.
• These special obligations do not preclude there
  also being some global obligations.
• These special obligations, like other special
  obligations, are not strange but are morally
  justified.

5
The Society-of-States Approach

• The society-of-states approach argues that the
  international order is one made up of states and
  that states are the units of ethical
  consideration. Accordingly, states have moral
  duties to other states, not to individuals within
  those states. Moral duties that states are
  required to respect are those of
  non-interference, sovereignty and independence.
  Thus the society-of-states approach regards the
  international sphere as a moral sphere with its
  own rules of good conduct. What counts as
  morally good or right in the international sphere
  is different from what is good or right in the
  domestic sphere. Therefore, although both the
  international and the domestic realm are governed
  by moral rules, they are governed by different
  moral rules. In the domestic realm the unit of
  concern is the individual, and moral issues
  concern what is right or wrong for individuals
  in the global realm the unit of concern is the
  state and what is right or wrong for states,
  these are completely separate moral realms that
  respect quite different moral values (p. 89).
• Objection Individuals already travel between
  states, take stands as consumers or workers
  across borders, and many existing communities
  (business, academic, scientific, religious,
  cultural) are transnational.

6
Cosmopolitanism

• For a view to be cosmopolitan
• the individual must be the key unit of ethical
  concern
• all individuals/every individual must be
  equivalent units o ethical concern
• it must apply globally
• the primary focus is the political.

7
Versions of Cosmopolitanism

• Weak Some moral obligations go beyond borders
  and apply to all persons.
• Strong All moral obligations go beyond borders
  and apply to all persons.
• Moral All individuals have equal moral status.
• Institutional Global institutions, structures,
  and associations (not just individuals) are
  required to fulfill the obligations of global
  justice.

8
Rawlss Theory of Justice

• The original position
• Two principles of justice
• Features of these principles
• Rawlss principles of international morality
• Moellendorfs institutional cosmopolitanism
• Brocks non-egalitarian cosmopolitanism
• Pogges version of institutional cosmopolitanism

9
Rawls on the Original Position

• Not an actual historical state of affairs but a
  thought experiment.
• Participants are equal and make decisions about
  principles of justice behind a veil of
  ignorance.
• Such decisions are binding on all participants.

10
Rawlss Two Principles of Justice

• The first principle of justice
• Each person is to have an equal right to the
  most extensive scheme of equal basic liberties
  compatible with a similar scheme of liberties for
  others.
• The second principle of justice
• Social and economic inequalities are to be
  arranged so that they are both a) to be of the
  greatest benefit to the least-advantaged members
  of society (the difference principle) and b)
  offices and positions must be open to everyone
  under conditions of fair equality of
  opportunity.

11
Features of Rawlss Principles of Justice

• The first principle Equality of basic
  liberties of citizens
• Political liberty (the right to vote and be
  eligible for public office)
• Freedom of speech and assembly.
• Liberty of conscience and freedom of thought.
• Freedom of the person and the right to hold
  property.
• Freedom from arbitrary arrest.
• The second principle Fair distribution
• Fair distribution of income and wealth
• Fair organization of authority, responsibility,
  and chains of command and distribution of
  positions therein.

12
Rawlss Principles of International Morality

• Peoples are free and independent, and their
  freedom and independence are to be respected by
  other peoples.
• Peoples are to observe treaties and undertakings.
• Peoples are equal and are parties to the
  agreements that bind them.
• Peoples are to observe the duty of
  non-intervention (except to address grave
  violations of human rights).
• Peoples have a right of self-defense, but no
  right to instigate war for reasons other than
  self-defense.
• Peoples are to honor human rights.
• Peoples are to observe certain specified
  restrictions in the conduct of war.
• Peoples have a duty to assist other peoples
  living under unfavourable conditions that prevent
  their having a just or decent political and
  social regime.

13
Moellendorfs Claims

• About justice
• Duties of justice are different from general
  moral duties.
• Duties of justice are primarily institutional
  rather than between individuals.
• Because duties of justice are institutional, they
  are often fulfilled indirectly.
• Duties of justice occur within associations.
• About global justice
• For there to be global duties of justice, there
  must be an appropriate global association.
• The global economic order is such an association.
• Accordingly, there are global duties of justice.