UNIT.3. Diversity and Ethical Frameworks
What is an ethical paradigm?
A paradigm is a set of beliefs and concepts that determine your worldview and that of others in your social group. It gives you a framework from which you operate in the world. One can learn to see beyond your own paradigm, and to understand other people’s view of the world and, thus, their paradigms.
3.1 Intercultural competence
Looking at intercultural competence is one way to bring the topic of ‘Cultural Diversity’ to grass roots, to make it a real tangible topic for youth: appropriate, useful, and fitting for the life and work skills demanded in Europe today.
“Intercultural Competence is the fundamental acceptance of people who are different to oneself outside one’s own culture / the ability to interact with them in a genuinely constructive manner which is free of negative attitude (e.g. prejudice, defensiveness, apathy, aggression etc.) / the ability to create a synthesis, something which is neither “mine” nor “yours”, but which is genuinely new and would not have been possible had we not combined our different backgrounds and approaches.” By Anna SCHMID, UBS AG, Financial Services Group, Zürich
3.2 Ethics and European Identity
Ethical framework
Objectivism
- Some things are “objectively” and (therefore) universally right and / or wrong.
Consequentialism
- The rights and wrongs of an action are determined not by objective principles, but by their real-world effects.
Virtue ethics
- If you cultivate a character that is truly based on, and “filled with”, virtues – such as love, loyalty, kindness, forgiveness, and other-directedness – and you always act in authentic accordance with your virtuous character, then every action you perform is virtuous.
3.3 Fairness principles for enabling diversity
“Life is not fair; get used to it.” – Bill Gates
“It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Fairness principles
- Don’t interrupt each other
- Give everyone a turn to speak
- Be aware of your reaction to each young individual
- Respect other’s views
- Be open-minded to those who are different to you.
3.4 Rethinking communication for Active Participation
Young people with different ideas, backgrounds, preferences, and personal experience of participation have different perceptions of what are the main impediments to greater youth participation and the best solutions to improve it. What they have in common is a certainty that deep inside European youth want to be active participants. There is an opportunity to create multiple new participation channels at the local, national, and EU level. Participation channels are instruments that the general public can use to influence government action in order to promote, debate, co-produce and decide on questions relating to municipal policies. The city’s participation bodies are regular forums where the City Council and the general public can debate aspects of municipal policies and influence government actions. They can be territorial (neighbourhood, district, city) or sectorial, by area of action according to the subject under discussion (culture, mobility, education, etc.).
There is no crisis of participation of European youth, but there is a huge opportunity that awaits taking.
Food for thought questions
- How do you feel about the fairness principles? What others would you recommend to build a fair and inclusive society?
- How could discussing fairness and ethics support your cultural and social inclusion?