Globalization as a challenge of modernity: assessment criteria in the paradigm of orthodox social ethics

Introduction. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon of globalization from the perspective of the foundations of Christian social ethics, with a particular emphasis on Orthodox socio-theological discourse. The relevance of this study stems from the universality of globalization processes, which, being the subject of active academic debate, are considered, among other things, in terms of their cultural, ethical, religious, and social implications. Particular attention is given to the ethical dimension of the problem associated with the development of technological progress and the preservation of the spiritual and moral components of culture.

Materials and methods. The aim of the study is to develop a framework Christian approach to assessing globalization and to identify mechanisms capable of guiding globalization processes toward the ideal of the common good. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the integration of Orthodox social teaching into the analysis of current trends in the development of human culture, thereby avoiding extremes and offering a balanced, rational approach. As a philosophical and methodological foundation, a position is proposed that combines the principles of sobornist’ and personalism, enabling an examination of globalization from both a meta-social perspective and an anthropological one, informed by Christian teaching and associated with the challenge to human ontological dignity. The study utilized a hermeneutic method (to evaluate the social concept of the Russian Orthodox Church and the speeches of its representatives), a historical-comparative method to identify the Orthodox approach in comparison with other approaches, and a critical discourse analysis method to reconstruct the ideological basis and identify the destructive features of globalization.

Results. The ambivalent nature of the phenomenon of globalization was established. The following criteria were developed to assess globalization: 1. An anthropological criterion, which determines whether globalization promotes the development of individual dignity and integrity or leads to depersonalization and fragmentation; a solidarity criterion, which analyzes whether globalization fosters genuine unity among people based on genuine, principles of sobornost’ or replaces it with faceless network structures; a justice criterion, which evaluates the distribution of benefits and the emergence of risks in globalization processes; and a criterion of preserving cultural diversity, which is used to determine whether globalization contributes to the development or the erosion of various cultural communities and traditions. These criteria have demonstrated that the key challenges of globalization are rooted in an anthropological crisis, whereby a focus on individual spiritual development is replaced by a focus on consumer success.

Discussion and conclusions. It is argued that globalization, lacking an internal ethical framework, urgently requires rational governance based on traditional principles and values. These principles can serve as tools for uniting humanity, where integration processes are subordinated to the idea of individual spiritual development in the context of achieving genuine human community. Orthodox social ethics, with its emphasis on the idea of  sobornost’ and a vertical hierarchy of values conditioned by religious personalistic presumptions, can be viewed as a framework for the fruitful management of globalization. This approach, which can be characterized as managed polycentric globalization, avoids both the extremes of total homogenization and fundamentalist isolation.

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