Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Globalization is Amoral

In our discussion of globalization, we encountered three presumably opposed forms of globalization: jihadist globalization, justice globalization, and market globalization. The first choice is the acceptance of something more valuable than human freedom, a choice I can quickly reject. The second seems the choice of those with but a shred of morality or concern for human rights. It is the thoughtful implementation of processes steadily bringing the world together, integrating people around the world into a global community of sorts through increased social, cultural, political, and economic contact. While I would be ashamed to admit I lacked concern for my fellow man, I am hesitant to adopt a new found scrutiny of the global effects of my actions. This is not from a lack of concern for people with whom I do not have immediate contact. It is out of respect for these very people. I truly have no way of clearly interpreting their interests and shudder at the thought of others inhibiting my freedom to make decisions for my self out of a notion of supremacy (an ultimately patronizing notion).

If I truly care about others, which I like to think I do, I should fight for their freedom. In this respect, globalization can do great things. Governments are increasingly less able to employ authoritarian rule, as globalization has allowed people, information, and services to more easily cross (or span) borders. A rather Utopian writing of the end of this story might culminate in the elimination of what are largely arbitrary state borders in favor of a human community. Depending on your own take things, you probably view this as an eerie future primed for authoritarianism or a fertile laboratory for human rights. Realistically, I don't anticipate either scenario, but instead an erosion of sovereignty by an increasing concern for human rights. This would seem the acceptance of justice globalization, but it is rather the belief that while I am incapable of plotting egalitarian progress global, I can foster it through a free global market. For a true free market necessitates the freedom of those participating within it.

Globalization is often morally implicated in the erosion of valuable cultural elements, which I find a false judgment. Globalization simply allows the valuation of cultural. From this it follows that some aspects of culture are lost, as society has rendered them more costly than beneficial. Should a town greatly value the exclusion of franchises in favor of local businesses that offer similar products, they can show this by supporting these likely more expensive venues. This will bring the failure of franchises, which will ultimately realize there is no demand for their products within the town. Thus a town that truly values cultural integrity will maintain it. A town with other values will find a new, increasingly global culture.

4 comments:

  1. Harmony amongst all people is impossible without good, meaningful and shared values.
    The Value of Values
    www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/thevalueofvalues.html

    An individual’s values are established in childhood and serve as filters when determining right from wrong throughout the person’s life. In today’s society, the process of establishing values within children is given little concern. People place greater emphasis on day to day activities and personal ambitions, than they do on the establishment of values within their children. By default, parents are teaching their children that values such as integrity, respect for life, courage of conviction, a purposeful life and generosity, are secondary to making a living.

    In truth, there is nothing preventing us from being true to good and meaningful values, nor is anything preventing us from teaching our values to our children. It is a matter of priorities; a matter of choice.

    In the “The Value of Values” you will learn why a transition to a more values-conscious society is important. You will learn exactly what is needed from each individual and the activities that will sustain the drive. “The Value of Values” is a must read for every parent that is concerned about our society and the challenges our children will be facing.

    We have three possible choices:
    1) Do nothing different than that which we have been doing. Complacently accept things as they are and will be.
    2) Hope that someone else will make the needed changes within our society, despite the fact it has yet to be done, and no one displays the integrity needed to influence an entire society.
    3) Accept our personal responsibility to our children. Accept that real change is not passed down from leaders, but rather, it is driven up from the people. Accept the fact that we each have within us the ability and incentive to make things different for our children and grand children.

    The choice we make today will determine the society of tomorrow.

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  2. I agree with the idea that our priorities are a matter of choice. It is ignorant to assume that our own ambitions for our life, can come true without effecting aspects of another's life. Sometimes we are given a choice between going by our moral beliefs of helping others and enhancing our own opportunities. Globalization, just like every other entity has its pluses, and minuses. It seems that the over all goal, however, is to place everyone on a similar playing field. It is striving to allow many people equal opportunities and allowing for our human rights to be portrayed.

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  3. I agree that the over all goal of globalization is to place people on the same playing field, but I believe that should be said with some restraint. My favorite aspect of globalization is the fact that we are in communication with different ethinicities and cultures all over the world. It seems the world can find means to communicate with itself everyday with the advancements in science and technology. I think globalization is great in this fact, but toleration is important. I hope that we aren't all one in the same types of people one day, because there would be nothing to learn from one another. It is great that everyone has their own set of moral beliefs, but they should be conscious of what others value and be mindful that there is not one correct way to find a right answer.

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  4. I wouldn't necessarily say that the overall goal of globalization is to level the playing field. The incentive for globalization is opportunity. The potential profit from international business and trade. Cultural give and take between different countries, etc. In fact, I think we can consider imperialism as a form of globalism in a fashion, but as we all know imperialism did the exact opposite of leveling the playing field between two countries.

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