Open AccessAlain Locke’s “Moral Imperatives for World Order” Revisited
Author(s) -
Christopher Buck
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the journal of bahá’í studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2563-755X
pISSN - 0838-0430
DOI - 10.31581/jbs-29.1-2.5(2019
Subject(s) - racism , hindsight bias , relevance (law) , order (exchange) , context (archaeology) , moral order , sociology , environmental ethics , epistemology , political science , social science , law , philosophy , history , gender studies , psychology , social psychology , economics , archaeology , finance
History offers a review of past events in a quest for contemporary relevance, where hindsight can serve as a source of insight into present-day social paradoxes and dilemmas. The present essay revisits three public speeches by distinguished Bahá’í philosopher, Alain Locke, presented at the Institute of International Relations’ Tenth Annual Session in 1944, and argues that he articulated a three-part message: (1) racism, although an American problem, is not purely a domestic issue; (2) racism has bilateral and multilateral consequences (especially economic) in the international context; and (3) three “moral imperatives”—of promoting the unity of races, religions, and nations, both locally and globally—are primary objectives in the quest for world peace.