Widdows Heather
Centre for the Studies of Global Ethics, Dept of Philosophy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT.
Bioethics. 2007 Jul;21(6):305-15. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8519.2007.00558.x.
This paper considers the possibility and desirability of global ethics in light of the claim that 'global ethics' in any form is not global, but simply the imposition of one form of local ethics--Western ethics--and, as such, a form of moral neo-colonialism. The claim that any form of global ethics is moral neo-colonialism is outlined using the work of a group of 'developing world bioethicists' who are sceptical of the possibility of global ethics. The work of virtue ethicists is then introduced and compared to the position of the developing world bioethicists in order to show that the divide between 'Western' and 'non-Western' ethics is exaggerated. The final section of the paper turns to the practical arena and considers the question of global ethics in light of practical issues in bioethics. The paper concludes that practical necessity is driving the creation of global ethics and thus the pertinent question is no longer 'Whether global ethics?', but 'Why global ethics?'.
本文探讨了全球伦理的可能性与可取性，鉴于有一种观点认为，任何形式的“全球伦理”都并非全球性的，而仅仅是一种地方伦理形式——西方伦理的强加，因此是一种道德新殖民主义形式。文中利用一群对全球伦理可能性持怀疑态度的“发展中世界生物伦理学家”的著作，概述了任何形式的全球伦理都是道德新殖民主义这一观点。接着引入了美德伦理学家的著作，并将其与发展中世界生物伦理学家的立场进行比较，以表明“西方”与“非西方”伦理之间的分歧被夸大了。本文的最后一部分转向实践领域，从生物伦理的实际问题出发思考全球伦理问题。文章得出结论，实践必要性正在推动全球伦理的形成，因此相关问题不再是“是否存在全球伦理？”，而是“为何需要全球伦理？”
