As the New Year advances and as the Chinese celebrate their new year, many people are concerned about the disorder and tensions in the world. Since the beginnings of humanity, in times of disorder and transition the cry for saviours has been loud. It can be heard around the world today: "Who can save the world and bring order? "

1)      Politicians? Many try their best, some are captivated by nepotism and personal power games, others are criticized as being elitist or they do not have sufficient multilateral power for global solutions.

2)      Scientists and technocrats? Their influence and innovative power is significant, but they often lack the political wisdom and negotiating skills to build coalitions and majorities. Also rational scientific arguments often do not respond adequately to the fears and hopes of people.

3)      Religious preachers and prophets? They are specialists in fear and hope. They can abuse their power (as politicians and technocrats can also abuse their power). The prosperity gospel, which exists in all religions, is an example: the wealthy preacher tells the poor person, "Entrust me with your money and you will become rich as I am blessed by God". Such false prophets exist in the Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist religions as well as in others.

4)      The secular form of a religion of prosperity is prosperity populism as the populist leaders, themselves often billionaires, promise wealth to people who are neglected people if they give them their vote.

5)      For those who have looked to politicians, scientists, technocrats, religious leaders and populists to save the world and who have been disappointed by them, they finally choose escapism and become escapists: if they cannot save the world, I can only save myself by going back to the privacy of family and personal relations, to inner meditation or escape into drugs or virtual fantasy worlds.

These five options do not offer appropriate answers because they are built on short-term promises, abuse of power by leaders and false prophets, hate, fear, lack of responsibility or individualism. What is then an ethical and spiritual answer to the question "Who can save the world and how?" In my experience the life-giving power of five dimensions can provide answers, especially when they are combined together:

1)      Community: there is not one leader or group of people who can save the world. We all - wherever we are - can and have to contribute on a smaller or larger scale and we can encourage and correct each other on the way.

2)      Responsible leadership: the world needs outstanding leaders who think ahead and lead in a responsible way for the common good and not only for personal goals. Academic formation and the Globethics.net Ethics in Higher Education programme can contribute to fostering responsible leadership. However, let us not do it in the ivory towers of academic elites, but with academic thought-and-action-leaders in solidarity with all non-academic leaders with integrity.

3)      Information and critical thinking: the world in its complexity cannot be saved with simple answers and demagogy but only with the effort of detailed, precise information, science and technology and critical analytical thinking including investigative journalism.

4)      Faith: information, science and technology are key, but alone they cannot save the world and give meaning to life. Solid faith in its broad spiritual dimensions provides meaning, sense, hope, orientation and can help to avoid running after idols and false prophets. Let us be inclusive in ‘saving the world' together, with all religious and non-religious people working together on the basis of common compassion and solidarity.

5)      Thankfulness and joy: a more powerful and longer lasting energy than fear, hate and escapism is thankfulness and joy for the beauty of the world even in insecure times. Let us be thankful and modest in prosperity and courageous in crises.

Globethics.net is a global community of people, with its leadership programme, with the online library and publications to impart information and encourage critical thinking and exchange, and as a place to share our faith, doubts, fears, hopes and joy. I wish you a blessed 2017!

Christoph Stückelberger
President of Globethics.net

Ética y solidaridad: Perspectivas históricas y normativas (2017)

Edison Paul Tabra Ochoa
ISBN 978-2-88931-175-0

Este trabajo asume el reto de aprehender una idea tan poliédrica como la de la solidaridad. Para ello, además de llevar a cabo un estudio completo de las distintas visiones que se han ofrecido del término, se opta por la acertada estrategia de desglosar su contenido. La propuesta consigue integrar en un solo concepto el enfoque objetivo (como deber o principio), de contenido contractual, con la visión subjetiva (como virtud y actitud), factor de desarrollo humano. Este es, según el autor, el único camino para garantizar el fin esencial de la solidaridad: el bien común y la reducción de las desigualdades de la sociedad por la falta de medios de cumplimiento o por la tendencia al conformismo.

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Прикладная глобальная этика: Экономика. Инновации. Развитие. Мир (2017)

Кристоф Штукельбергер (Christoph Stückelberger)
ISBN 978-2-88931-174-3

Фонд Globethics.net — это глобальная сеть, уделяющая особое внимание вопросам этики, ценностям и взаимопониманию и содействующая распространению ценностно ориентированного подхода во всех сферах жизни общества. Фонд публикует собственные исследования в таких сферах, как образовательная этика, этика государственной службы, экономическая этика и межрелигиозная этика, и поддерживает международные исследовательские проекты. Globethics.net стремится к расширению сотрудничества с партнерами на всех континентах.

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Ethics in Higher Education: Values-driven Leaders for the Future (2017)

Divya Singh / Christoph Stückelberger (Eds.)
ISBN 978-2-88931-164-4

The values and virtues practised in universities heavily influence the leaders of the future, but outside the limelight of excelling education institutions there is a concerning violation of good practises and rise in unethical behaviour. This book offers diverse insights from 19 different authors, writing from eight countries in five continents, providing explanations and recommendations for the ethical crisis present around the world which can be mitigated by suitable education in ethics, particularly in higher education institutions.

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Chinese Civil Society (2016)

Liu Baocheng
ISBN 978-2-88931-168-2

The very notion of Chinese civil society could be a subject of controversy: media control, social inequality, judicial independence are hitherto a subject of critical scrutiny. Although conventional media (newspaper, radio and TV) has been under grip by the Chinese communist party, e-participation (micro-blogs, Chinese netizens) has made its way into every corner of China, unlike in other socialist countries such as North Korea and Cuba. Despite the ambivalence of government attitudes at different stages, the positive role of civil organizations has been repeatedly affirmed by various documents and political leaders in China. The paradigm of Chinese NGOs is experiencing an efflorescence. It is too early to foretell in which trajectory they shall evolve. However, one thing is certain: they are growing and reconfiguring, but they do not have to, nor might they ever, meet the standard definition in the liberal western textbook.

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