Morals of Economic Internationalism

In this thought‑provoking series of lectures, the author examines how moral expectations shift when we move from personal interactions to the world of corporations and then to the arena of nations. By treating businesses and governments as extensions of human communities, the work asks whether the same standards of honesty, compassion, and responsibility should apply across all levels of economic life.

The discussion highlights the unsettling gap between the high moral bar we set for ourselves and the lower, often pragmatic, codes that guide corporate conduct and international policy. Drawing on historical examples and contemporary debates, it reveals how concepts like “reason of state” and “national necessity” can erode the very idea of shared ethical obligations. Listeners are invited to reflect on whether true economic internationalism can ever be grounded in a common moral framework, or if it will remain a patchwork of competing interests.