Intermediate Examination Paper from the year 2007 in the subject Politics - General and Theories of International Politics, grade: 1.5, The Australian National University, language: English, abstract: Contemplating ethics, culture and furthermore their interplay in world politics might be aperpetual impasse devoid of a teleological clarity. Disregarding the two concepts on the otherhand, as irrelevant to the study of International Relations (IR), as it is best carried out byRealpolitik and studied with scientific sterility ala Kenneth Waltz, would be myopic on anumber of levels. Before framing the meaning of ethics and culture, and discussing theirpossible interplay in world politics, the following question is proposed to perhaps establish aconceptual link between the two: Can we find a fruitful starting point by perceiving moralityas a connector of ethics and culture to world politics?Of all the areas of philosophy, ethics is the one that seems most significant to people, and it isno overstatement to say that everyone is engaged in ethical deliberation at every turn in life. Ethics, as a major philosophical branch, is derived from the ancient Greek term ethikos, or themeaning of living. Its primary focus is to discern between right and wrong ergo it aims tounderstand the nature of morality . Or put differently, the social quality of ethics forceseach of us to feel that our identity is also defined by our relations to others . In a worldwhich is transformed by a growing interconnectedness and intensification of relations,among states and societies summarized in the buzzword of globalization, the social qualityof ethics calls for refinement. The veil of ignorance has been vigorously lifted from our eyesby the effects of global transformation, and it becomes an imperative to avoid limiting ethicsto kin relationship or confined to territorial bounded Westphalian sovereignty. In short ethicsis about humanizing the experience of the other , which is in its logical extension anindividual moral choice to be righteous in a global as well as national and even local context. Thus sound moral values raise tough choices; and tough choices are never straightforwardespecially in the prevailing anarchical system of world politics. Just like ethics culture is not a singular thing , but rather a loose collection of [assumed]characteristics of a community.
