28 Global Ethics for Leadership
abused to justify oppressive power. It can also be used responsibly as an
empowering power, serving the needs of the needy and thus responding
to the origin of power.”
2.3 1970-2020: Factors Influencing Global Ethics
The development of global ethics is linked to the manifold factors of
society and history. (a) Geo-political trends and superpowers, (b) eco-
nomic trends, (c) lifestyles influenced by economic development, cul-
ture and technologies, (d) new technologies (information, medical, bio,
energy, media etc.), (e) shocks, crises, wars, disasters, (f) cultural devel-
opments, (g) religious and theological trends (liberalism, fundamental-
ism, mysticism, etc.), (h) political developments (internationalization,
nationalism, populism, instrumentalisation of religions, etc.), (i) the de-
velopment of multilateral institutions (weakness and strength of UN
system, regional organisations), (j) academic discourse and research and
(k) civil society developments.
The following table gives a short overview of the development in the
period 1970 to 2020, the current decade. It shows how the search for
global ethics is linked to economic and political globalisation and the
emphasis of contextual values is linked to protectionism, nationalism
and ethnicism.
Ethics and socio-economic factors influence each other mutually.
Ethics is reactive to developments in society by legitimising or criticis-
ing, e.g. new technologies, economic and political developments. Ethics
at the same time is proactive in influencing and transforming society,
e.g. in promoting new economic models, new religious spirituality, de-
legitimizing political praxis etc.