The ethical challenges of human security in the age of globalisation

The ethical challenges of human security in the age of globalisation

The moral innovation of human security is also its terrible Achilles' heel. In a world of globalisation, where the values of the global view are imposed upon most people with the force of necessity, the concerns of individuals resist global action. At the very moment when individual concerns ar...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International social science journal Vol. 59; no. s1; pp. 49 - 63
Main Author: Burgess, J. Peter
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-09-2008
Edition:English edition
Subjects:
Ethics
Globalization
International relations
Security
Social conditions & trends
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The moral innovation of human security is also its terrible Achilles' heel. In a world of globalisation, where the values of the global view are imposed upon most people with the force of necessity, the concerns of individuals resist global action. At the very moment when individual concerns are put on the agenda, the possibility for achieving anything local is nearly erased by individual weakness in a world of massive collective interests. What can the particular interests of individuality make claim to in such a strong environment of universality? The aim of this chapter is to discuss the ethical dimensions of the concept of human security in a principled discussion of ethics and international relations. It starts with the evolution of the concept of human security, its use in international policy and its philosophical history. It ends with a discussion of the paradoxes of different philosophical positions with respect to the concept.
Bibliography:istex:7795B271012B52D473B8E2B8C427C86C9DB63B99
ark:/67375/WNG-F4N52DZ4-6
ArticleID:ISSJ632
Security Dialogue
He was a trained in mechanical engineering, comparative literature and philosophy in the USA, Germany, France and Norway. He has published 11 books and over 45 articles in the fields of philosophy, political science, gender, history and cultural studies.
Email
J. Peter Burgess is Research Professor at the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO). He is the leader of PRIO's Security Programme, and Editor of
peter@prio.no
ISSN:0020-8701
1468-2451
DOI:10.1111/j.1468-2451.2008.00632.x