The Fourth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities was held in early July in Tunisia. In keeping with the theme of the conference, a paper was presented on Uncovering the Planetary Ethic.
Increasing numbers in western nations from non-western religious backgrounds, and globalisation in general, are forcing cultures into closer proximity. Some seem able to co-exist more or less happily, whilst others raise major issues due to different world-views. We need to find underlying principles that could serve as foundation for shared consensus on ethical virtues, and the Principle of Goodness is a possible candidate.
This paper takes test cases from the Affirmations of Humanism, and investigates its conformance with common expectations of ethical virtues, showing how it can be both corrected and enhanced by being informed by the Principle of Goodness.
The paper may be downloaded from the papers section.