We have become victims of what ethicist Thomas Murray terms unilateral moral disarmament . In our society those things which are the essence of a civilized society are seen as liabilities. As Saul writes, . . . A golf ball, on the other hand, is an asset and the sale of it a measurable factor of growth. A face lift is an element of economic activity while a heart bypass is a liability which the economy must finance.
Holidays are among the pearls of the service industry, while child care is a cost.
Stepping into the future Similarly, the debate on what is ethical has been narrowed to the material world. There seems to be an almost universal commitment to what is value free, which limits our efforts to develop good futures. This, by default, commits us to techno-futures which we accept without serious questioning of the values within technology. While good futures may not make headlines in the same way as techno-futures , a renaissance of the future becomes part of the creation of a true civilization. The future has the potential to be a repository of hope for the whole society - a place in which the good and the better are possible.