Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book approaches the question of the role of applied ethics in a global world, taking into account that applied ethics faces undeniable dilemmas and makes the creation of trust possible. It examines the public task of applied ethics in current global, plural contexts. The book starts from the premise that the new challenges in the age of globalisation demand a post-conventional and post-traditional response from moral philosophy. It examines the rational motivation of moral action in the implementation of moral norms and designs an alternative Habermas' response. The book suggests the need for a hermeneutics open to a normative or critical level in order to account for the status of applied ethics. It starts with the aspiration of applied ethics to contribute a fresh approach to the rational organisation of social praxis.