It should be a globally accepted concept that everyone deserves to be helped by others around them, regardless of language difficulties, religion, race, education, income, or place of birth. This should be implemented as a universal rule, with everyone having a moral responsibility to aid another person in situations like as accidents, being stranded, disease, starvation, thirst, homelessness, and being lost, among other things. The maxim should apply to every situation in which one human being has the ability to assist another human being with a need or a problem. Therefore, I claim that universalism is the most meaningful philosophy for me as it ensures well-being of all human beings regardless of any social, ethnic, economic, gender, and racial biases.
To begin with, it is critical to understand universalism as a philosophy. Universal ethics is a type of Moral Constitution in which a collection of precise ethical principles that are acceptable to all persons is articulated. All secular groups or faiths can build or retain their own extra ethical norms under this ‘constitution.’ In philosophy, universalism is a stance that asserts universal evidence may be discovered and is therefore believed to be opposed to relativism ethics (Enke et al., 2022). One of the concepts and factors that shape and influence the existence of human societies is ethics. As a result, the unique interpretation of universalism in ethics is that ethical ideologies are ideals for human civilizations. In philosophy, universality is a property linked and acknowledged with an item whose existence is consistent throughout the universe.
The definition of ethics, of what is good and what makes an action moral or bad, varies greatly throughout countries and periods. Nonetheless, certain essential moral principles are openly accepted by most sophisticated societies. In recent years, it has become necessary to look for principles for the universality of ethics in environmental problems (Enke et al., 2022). War and racial prejudice are examples of universal restrictions. In these days, it may be useful to seek concepts for universal morality in ecological considerations. Moral progress is trailing far behind; consequently, there is a need to comprehend that the extinction of the human species is a genuine possibility that philosophy and morality are at least as important as science. The primary goal of the current volume is to demonstrate that current ethical theory on universalizability is multifaceted and living, and hence it is progressing.
Immanuel Kant believed that moral philosophy should be founded on autonomy. In his perspective, there should be one global moral norm that we should impose on ourselves autonomously. He referred to it as the “categorical imperative,” (CI) and it is often understood to demand that one act exclusively on the basis of maxims that one may desire as universal laws (de Brito Filho & Brigida, 2021). Kant defined the CI as an objective, logically necessary, and unconditional principle that we must obey regardless of our natural preferences. According to Kant, all particular moral criteria are justified by this principle, which means that all immoral actions are illogical since they contradict the CI. Other philosophers, like Hobbes, Locke, and Aquinas, have maintained that moral criteria are founded on rationality norms.
The driving concept or justification for one’s conduct is referred to as a maxim. A moral act is one that allows its maxim to become universal rule that applies to all intelligent creatures. All intelligent animals must follow this maxim as a universal law. The CI asks you to picture a future in which the maxim you want to follow becomes a global rule, and everyone must follow it. Assistance as a universal maxim is compatible with Kant’s first comparative, which demands that the maxim be selected as if it were universal (de Brito Filho & Brigida, 2021). This is because experiencing troubles of all kinds is part of the human character. As a result, seeking help is a global phenomenon that should be everyone’s concern.
To demonstrate this, the maxim is put through the universalizability test, which consists of many phases. The first stage is to identify the agent’s maxim, which is typically the action together with its reason. In the case of aid as a universal ideal that should be implemented in every democratic society, assisting is the action, while the gratification and compassion obtained from it is the incentive. The second stage entails presuming that the whole world follows the maxim. Using assistance as a widely implemented maxim would result in a better world with people liking and assisting one another.
Moral universalism appeals to be as it provides universal ethics that applies to people regardless of any social, economic, ethnic, and racial prejudices. Many faiths, like Christianity and Islam, hold morally universalist beliefs, believing that their moral system was established by a deity and hence absolute, universal, flawless, and immutable. The United Nations’ 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) can be viewed as an example of global efforts to bring universalist, equal, and common moral justice to all people (OHCHR, n.d.). According to the UDHR, everyone has the right to life. As such, murder, injury, and wrongful imprisonment are both unethical and criminal (OHCHR, n.d.). As a result, the UDHR demonstrates that there are some universal moral norms that apply to the entire globe.
Human beings are equipped with equal human rights merely by virtue of being human, regardless of where they live or who they are, irrespective of age or any unique qualities. Universality must be interpreted in relation to other fundamental human rights concepts such as interdependence, indivisibility, equality, and dignity. In practice, it is a key instrument for the UN human rights system, other regional human rights bodies, and human rights activists worldwide (OHCHR, n.d.). Cultural rights are an integral component of universal, and universality is required to safeguard cultural rights’ foundations: the blooming of cultural variety, cultural mixing and openness, and everyone’s freedom to participate in a vigorous cultural life without discrimination. This is why universalism is meaningful for me as it tries to preserve humanity. Moral Universalism is, at least in part, the basis for modern human rights and an integral part of any Humanist philosophy. Speaking about universal ethics, I believe that some actions, such as killing and torturing, cannot be considered as acceptable in any situation. It seems that universalism ensures peace and stability within society as people are aware that doing these actions are inherently wrong.
Moral universalism, in theory, promises a society with no moral differences since everyone thinks the same way and in the same way about morality in general. Although it may seem that this is impractical, a pure society founded on moral universalism would defend those principles. There is no space for opinions or bias in a universal train of thought centered on morality that do not differ from one individual to the next. Moral universalism confers universal legitimacy to morality. Furthermore, moral universalism does not necessarily mean that morals exist aside from humans, but it does address morality’s sources outside of opinion. However, universal truths about human nature and reason may serve as justifications for morality’s universality and objectivism.
In my ordinary life and in the future, universalism can be applied to my career. For example, universalism provides equality in the workplace regardless of gender. I want to work in a progressive place where people do not judge others based on their gender or race. It should be a universal rule that people are equal and that they should be treated equally. When it comes to international business, a lot of organizations throughout the world have formed their own code of conduct. Many organizations collaborate with other entities throughout the world to create a set of standards that can be utilized internationally. Such approach is a good example of universalism that is applied in the modern world. The idea that I can work as I used to without being discriminated or condemned for my ethnic identity, income, gender, or race appeals to me.
The same can be said about education as learning and acquiring knowledge is a basic human right. Education should be accessible for everyone who want to pursue it. I now have access to education, and it is the achievement of universalists. In the future, I want that my children will be able to learn and pursue their dreams. However, it is clear that not everyone receives what people from the developed world get. People from the third world cannot afford quality education and do not get a minimum wage.
It is extremely difficult to define a similar set of morality and ethics rules for each and every country in the world because each country, religion, and community has their own set of likes and dislikes, rules, preferences, understanding, and so on. As a result, it is complicated for an organization to form a similar set of rules that can be applied in each and every country in the world. The choice to establish moral principles varies depending on where a company does business. The great example of this is sweatshops that violate human rights by providing low standards of work for its employees, paying low wages and exploiting children’s labor. Therefore, the universalist approach should be applicable worldwide although it is almost impossible to ensure. If there are people who understand universal laws and regulations, cases like sweatshops will not be prevalent. Due to the possibility that universalism can end horrible human rights violations; it appeals to me even more.
To conclude, universalism is the belief that there is a universal ethic that applies to all persons, regardless of their history, preferences, characteristics, or circumstances, and that it applies to that individual at all times. Universalism principles are universal principles; all humans are afforded equal rights and hence share the same ideas and perspectives on what is good and wrong. Universalism is founded on the belief that every ethical quandary may be solved by using a reasonable test or norm. I believe that living in a society where moral universalism is the recognized worldview would be beneficial for the human species. I think that since moral universalism virtually provides the world a moral perspective that is free of disputes, disparities, and biases.
References
de Brito Filho, J. C. M., & Santa Brigida, Y. S. (2021). Kantian Moral Universalism: An Ethical Approach of Human Dignity in Public International Law. Revista Brasileira Estudos Politicos, 122, 323.
Enke, B., Rodriguez-Padilla, R., & Zimmermann, F. (2022). Moral universalism: Measurement and economic relevance. Management Science, 68(5), 3590-3603.
OHCHR. (n.d.). OHCHR | Universality of cultural rights.