Communication Ethics and Universal Values
Edited by:
- Clifford G. Christians - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA
- Michael Traber - World Association for Christian Communication, London
January 1997 | 400 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
This volume will revolutionize the field of communication ethics by identifying a broad-based ethical theory of communication. Returning to bedrock ethical principles found across cultures, such as justice, reciprocity, and human dignity, Communication Ethics and Universal Values transcends the world of mass media practice to uncover a more humane and responsible code of values which society as a whole can adopt and accept.
The authors of Communication Ethics and Universal Values collectively approach the foundational issues of ethics from diverse perspectives and defend the possibility of universal moral imperatives. As the authors of these chapters examine the values in which their cultures are grounded, a short list of ethical principles emerges--truth, respect for another person's dignity, and no harm to the innocent. The ethical standards that resonate within each of the six cultures represented form the common ground on which one can stand and face today's media crises and conundrums.
The study process for this book has demonstrated that cultures in all their differences reflect common humanness and humanity. By returning to established universal values, Communication Ethics and Universal Values provides communication scholars are with inspiration and direction for their ongoing work in mediation, conflict resolution, and relationship and personal communication.
Seyla Benhabib
Foreword
INTRODUCTION
PART ONE: FOUNDATIONS AND FRAMEWORK
Clifford Christians
The Problem of Universals in Communication Ethics
Antonio Pasquali
The Moral Dimension of Communicating
Edmund Arens
Discourse Ethics and Its Relevance for Communication and Media Ethics
Deni Elliott
Universal Values and Moral Development Theories
PART TWO: PROTONORMS ACROSS CULTURES
Dietmar Mieth
The Basic Norm of Truthfulness
Muhammad I Ayish and Haydar Badawi Sadig
The Arab-Islamic Heritage in Communication Ethics
Anantha Sudhaker Babbili
Ethics and the Discourse on Ethics in Post-Colonial India
Gabriel Jaime Perez
Three Axiological Proposals for Communication Ethics in a Latin American Context
Andrew A Moemeka
Communalistic Societies
Cynthia-Lou Coleman
Emergent Values from American Indian Discourse
PART THREE: APPLICATIONS
Pedro Gomes
Communication, Hope and Ethics
Georgette Wang
Communication Ethics in a Changing Chinese Society
Hideo Takeichi
Japanese Style Communication in a New Global Age
Karol Jakubowicz
Vagaries of Time and Place
Keyan Tomaselli and Arnold Shepperson
Accepting the Other
Robin Andersen
Women, Welfare and the United States Media
CONCLUSION
Michael Traber
An Ethics of Communication Worthy of Human Beings