[Air-l] universal ethics?

[Radhika Gajjala]

I knew you'd take that on;-)


r

>Hi all,
>
>  Radhika wrote in response to Peter T.
>
>  PT >> If there are universal ethics we can prove these on the Internet.
>  >
>  >
>  RG> whose ethics will be universalised do you suppose? and what kinds of
>  > intolerances might that validate/legitimize?
>  >
>Exactly the right questions - thank you, Radhika!
>And I would gently reply: I think we can propose 
>an ethics that begins in part with the universal 
>value implicit in the suggestion here that 
>"universal" claims have all too often in the 
>past served as excuses for colonialism, 
>imperialism, and other forms of oppression and 
>violence - namely, that tolerance for Others 
>(those whose identities, views, and practices 
>may differ radically from our own) and 
>affiliated presumptions of human equality should 
>be endorsed exactly as the bases for criticizing 
>claims to universality that instead led to 
>colonialism, etc.
>I would add: this tolerance is not unlimited. 
>Rather, I think it's quite possible to endorse 
>tolerance as a universal value - but not thereby 
>be committed to tolerating, say, fascist regimes 
>and violent repression of women and minorities. 
>On the contrary, by proposing that rights to 
>integrity, autonomy, cultural identity, and so 
>forth are, at the very least, strong candidates 
>for universal rights (and their attendant 
>obligations) - such universal rights and values 
>provide precisely the grounds for criticizing 
>earlier "universal" claims affiliated with 
>colonialism, etc., as well as for criticizing 
>contemporary expressions of violence and 
>intolerance of "the Other".
>My (admittedly characteristic mid-Western [North 
>American]) optimism on this point is fueled in 
>part precisely by the success of the AoIR 
>ethical guidelines.  Admittedly, while our 
>ethics working committee included members from 
>Malaysia and Thailand, the background for the 
>guidelines were largely derived from "Western" 
>countries such as the U.S., the E.U., 
>Scandinavia, and the U.K.  Nonetheless, the 
>guidelines are reported to us as being used in 
>apparently effective ways in an increasing range 
>of cultural venues.
>  Moreover, my more recent work (with the help, I 
>must hasten to add, of many, many colleagues in 
>these domains) on Information Ethics and 
>Internet Research Ethics in countries such as 
>China, Japan, Thailand, and Korea also offer 
>grounds for optimism.  For example, two recent 
>examples of Internet research in Japan 
>demonstrate more or less perfect consonance with 
>the AoIR guidelines recommendations regarding 
>informed consent, protection of confidentiality, 
>anonymity,  and personal data, etc.
>Indeed, emerging conceptions of privacy and data 
>privacy protection law in these countries - 
>while clearly retaining distinctive cultural 
>“shape” in their conception and application - 
>are nonetheless recognizable cousins of 
>"Western" conceptions and laws.  This suggests 
>that even across the considerable cultural 
>differences, say, between the U.S. and Germany, 
>on the one hand, and China, Japan, Thailand, 
>Korea, and Hong Kong, on the other - there may 
>be agreement on basic (universal?) values such 
>as privacy, while at the same time recognizing 
>the validity of clearly different 
>implementations and understandings of what data 
>privacy protection means in practice in each 
>country, as shaped by very different cultural 
>backgrounds, histories, and traditions.
>
>  This is not to say that all cultural 
>differences and resulting conflicts can be 
>deftly side-stepped through such pluralism (I 
>have examples of these as well).  But I do think 
>that universal values may be discerned - in 
>part, through an on-going dialogue that works to 
>critically assess any such putative values, 
>precisely with a critical eye towards how any 
>such values might in fact work in oppressive 
>rather than liberating ways.  Indeed, I think we 
>make more progress towards some sort of shared, 
>humane value system_s_ and ethics through such 
>dialogues, rather than giving up the effort, 
>however much previous failures and disasters 
>might tempt us to do so.
>I _don’t_ take Radhika’s point to encourage such 
>temptation – but wanted to offer these comments.
>Hope this helps in some way.  All the best in the meantime,
>
>Charles Ess
>Distinguished Research Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies
>Drury University
>900 N. Benton Ave.
>Springfield, Missouri 65802 USA
>         voice: (1) 417-873-7230
>            fax: (1) 417-873-7435
>homepage: www.drury.edu/ess/ess.html
>
>"The world can provide for everyone's needs - 
>but not for everyone's greed."  - Gandhi
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-- 
Radhika Gajjala
Associate Professor
School of Communication Studies
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403

http://personal.bgsu.edu/~radhik