Humanitarian virtue: identifying ethics and values in humanitarian thinking.

Area of Science:

• Humanitarian Studies
• Ethics
• Philosophy

Background:

• The humanitarian sector is expanding with diverse actors, raising questions about the 'humanitarian' nature of all involved.
• Understanding commonalities and differences among these actors is crucial for effective cooperation.
• Unspoken values often underpin humanitarian actions, policies, and ideas, necessitating a framework for interpretation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose ethical thinking as a lens for understanding connections between diverse humanitarian approaches.
• To identify key ethical considerations: defining 'good,' navigating means-ends tensions, and determining responsibility.
• To develop clusters of ethical thinking to map commonalities and divisions within the humanitarian landscape.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 14 distinct approaches to humanitarian thinking.
• Examination of underlying values and ethical frameworks guiding these approaches.
• Development of ethical clusters to categorize and compare different humanitarian perspectives.

Main Results:

• Identification of distinct clusters of ethical thinking within humanitarian approaches.
• Highlighting how ethical considerations shape perceptions of 'good,' means-ends relationships, and responsibility.
• Demonstrating the utility of ethical analysis in understanding actor values and motivations.

Conclusions:

• Ethical thinking offers a valuable framework for analyzing the diverse landscape of contemporary humanitarianism.
• Understanding shared and divergent values can improve cooperation and interaction among humanitarian actors.
• This approach aids in appreciating the ethical underpinnings of choices and actions in humanitarian contexts.