Us Before Me: Ethics and Social Capital for Global Well-Being

285 Pages·2012·1.699 MB·English

by  Patricia Illingworth (auth.)

Us Before Me
AlsobyPatriciaIllingworth
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TRUSTINGMEDICINE
Us Before Me
Ethics and Social Capital for Global
Well-Being
Patricia Illingworth
NortheasternUniversity,USA
©PatriciaIllingworth2012
Foreword©ThomasPogge2012
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Contents
Foreword ix
Acknowledgments xviii
Introduction 1
Planofthisbook 5
1 MakingaDifference 12
Bandwagonsandcascades 21
Philosophersasethicsentrepreneurs 25
Nudgingtowardsocialcapital 29
2 TheHeartoftheMatter 32
Socialcapital 34
Trust 39
Value 42
Creatingsocialcapital 46
Singingintherain 50
Globalsocialcapital 53
3 TheEthicsofUs 66
Makingitmoral 69
Solidarityrights 75
Realizingtheprincipleofsocialcapital 76
4 TheMoralSweetSpot 84
Libertyandcustom 88
Happiness 92
Emotionalcontagion:Afriendindeed 95
vii
viii Contents
Culture 103
Betterwithus 111
5 WithaLittleHelpfromtheLaw 119
Lawassocialmeaning 121
Helpingstrangers 126
Destroyingsocialcapital 139
Awindowofopportunity 146
6 GivingBack 151
Sweetcharity 152
Deductingourgifts 157
Charitywithoutborders 162
7 GlobalPeople 180
Globalbelonging 185
Globalculture 196
Globalliving 199
Globalcitizens 203
Notes 213
References 232
Index 249
Foreword
Importantproblemstoday–resourcedepletion,global
warming, war, terrorism and poverty – are global
in the sense that human beings must solve them
together, collaborating across our conventional divi-
sions of state, language, religion, ethnicity and way
of life. People can cooperate merely instrumentally,
through trades, negotiations, bargaining and compro-
mise. But cooperation is more stable and more worth-
while when it involves mutual understanding, trust
and friendship. No one can maintain such genuine
cooperativerelationswithbillionsofothers,tobesure.
But we can collaborate through the intermediation of
others. And we can work to build generalized trust: a
socialenvironmentinwhichpeoplecanbetrustedand
collaborateeasily.
The challenge is to build trust that transcends
the conventional divisions. If trusting social environ-
ments are self-contained bubbles, they cannot facili-
tate global cooperation. If we form friendships only
withpeoplewithinourcountry,thensuchfriendships
cannot strengthen cooperative bonds across national
borders. Conversely, if many people have just a few
close relations across the conventional divisions, they
can connect human beings all over the world to one
another at just a few removes. The friends of my
ix