We constantly complain about the moral disintegration of our age. And we have pretty good reasons to do so. The ethical transgression is a bulwark of the news and here’s what pops up when we tune in to the channel:
- Businessman booked under financial fraud
- Distrust in leadership; citizens growing politically polar
- Scientists doctoring data
- Hackers stole billions, the biggest crypto-currency theft
- Prevalent auditing frauds
- Unrestrained cheating in schools
- Poverty rates going up
- Planet’s downfall due to global warming
- Breaches of media security
- Journalists lying about sources
With an increasing trend towards consumerism, in the lure of obtaining material wealth, have we gradually lost our social ethics? What do we need most today – technological revolution or ethical revolution?
Major Ethical Issues Around The World
- Globalization of poverty: Around half of the world’s population today suffers from basic deficiencies of potable water, food, and education.
- Permanence of ecological crisis: Lack of environmental ethics distressed the planet leading to the highest concentration of greenhouse gases than ever.
- Discrimination: Lack of human rights has caused inequality among people which is still prevalent.
- Prejudice in access to medical care: Millions of poor people are still dying from treatable diseases due to insufficient access to healthcare.
- Increase in terrorism: Violent incidents of terrorism are constantly causing human casualties and fatal accidents for raging war.
- Human Trafficking: A multi-billion dollar criminal industry that forced women and children into prostitution, slavery, and labor.
- Absence of political freedom: Growing lack of ethics in politics such as money laundering is causing serious economic consequences.
- Legalization of abortion: Terminating the unborn by validating to kill it denotes disrespect and devaluation to life by seizing its right to live.
- Bioethics attack: Modifying genomes in order to produce perfect human species is an offense to human dignity.
- Robot soldiers: The invention of autonomous machines and weapons which can follow orders to kill remains a concern.
- Bio-weapons: Nuclear war and global pandemics can permanently derail human civilization leading to its extinction.
How Can We Overcome These Challenges?
- Current stockpiles of biological weapons should be destroyed by the government. International audit system and tracking system must be established for potential bio-weapons.
- The government should make it harder for perpetrators to traffic victims by encouraging more private investment into strengthening the border. Security must become rigorous. Severe training should be given to police forces to identify traffickers and victims.
- Action plan for women empowerment and security must be prepared. Violation of women’s rights should be subject to prosecution. Countries must adopt new policies to support victims of violence.
- Implementation of cost-effective strategies for global education to encourage people to make ethical decisions that are good for them and also the world.
- Spiritual education should be promoted to use technological powers only to benefit humanity.
- Creation of better incentives to promote parental guidance to implant a sense of values is required.
- Global access to quality assured and affordable medicines must be ensured. Drug supply chain management must be strengthened.
- Climate change adaptation and mitigation policies must be incorporated into overall sustainable development strategy.
- Long-term strategic plans should be implemented to use the potential of free markets and regulations based on global ethics to encourage global partnership between rich and poor.
- Ethical market economies need improved economic freedom, fair trade and an honest judicial system to provide political stability, reduced corruption, insured poverty rights, participation in local development decisions, business incentives to conform with social and environmental goals etc.
- Government should illegalize genome editing if it goes beyond fighting genetic diseases.
Let’s Not Forsake Our Part We must never give up to make this world a better place to live. Science and technology can definitely improve the quality of lives but its morality that can only improve the quality of humans. Peace cannot be kept by force, it can only be acquired through understanding. If we learn to come to the table with a spirit of respect and acceptance for one another, every ethical challenge that we are facing today would slowly fade away!
