Possible pathways to an universal human ethic
The fragmentation of the post-Cold War order, compounded by the existential risks of anthropogenic climate change and the rapid deployment of autonomous artificial intelligence, has rendered the search for a universal human ethic an urgent pragmatic necessity rather than a mere philosophical exercise. This report provides an exhaustive analysis of the biological, philosophical, legal, and technological pathways toward establishing a cohesive global ethical framework. Drawing upon evolutionary psychology, we demonstrate that the cognitive substrates for morality—rooted in cooperation and reciprocal altruism—are biologically universal, transcending cultural variation. We synthesize major wisdom traditions, from the "Golden Rule" and Confucian Ren to African Ubuntu, revealing an existing "overlapping consensus" on human dignity. We critically evaluate the efficacy of current international legal mechanisms, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Criminal Court, while addressing the persistent challenges of cultural relativism and enforcement. Furthermore, this report identifies the "alignment problem" in Artificial Intelligence as a forcing function that is currently compelling humanity to operationalize its ethical values into computational code. We conclude by proposing a "Dialogical-Deliberative" roadmap, leveraging digital democracy tools and global citizenship education, to transition from static declarations to a dynamic, evolving planetary ethos.