5. December 2025
Focus on global inequality: Nils Goldschmidt at the Global Ethic Lecture in Lucerne
In the Hans Küng – Global Ethic Lecture at the University of Lucerne, Nils Goldschmidt highlighted the challenges of global inequality. He pointed out ways in which justice can be achieved in everyday life and in politics through opportunities, responsibility, and the ability to compromise.
FOCUS ON GLOBAL INEQUALITY
On November 26, 2026, the 4th Hans Küng – Global Ethic Lecture took place at the University of Lucerne. Prof. Dr. Nils Goldschmidt, Director of the Global Ethic Institute in Tübingen, spoke about one of the most pressing ethical issues of our time: global inequality. In doing so, he directly tied in with Hans Küng’s vision of global ethics.
Goldschmidt made it clear that global justice is not solely a question of redistribution. Rather, the focus must be on the
FIVE IMPULSES FOR A CONTEMPORARY DEBATE ON JUSTICE
Based on his book “Justice,” Goldschmidt presented five ideas from science, politics, and civil society:
- Biological equality (Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard): The starting point for human dignity.
- Scope for distribution (Werner Plumpe): Economic conditions must be fair.
- Creating opportunities (Martha Nussbaum): Development opportunities are crucial for justice.
- Being able to “smell” others (Bishop of Hildesheim): Social closeness and recognition are indispensable
- Justice begins with ourselves (Neven Subotic): Responsibility is always personal
These ideas show that justice is not an abstract state, but a concrete practice that begins in everyday life.
FIVE ASSESSMENTS ON POLITICAL DESIGN
Goldschmidt also formulated five assessments on how political and social actors can address the challenges of inequality:
- Radical problems do not necessarily require radical solutions.
- Caution is a political virtue.
- Tolerance, compromise, and recognition begin locally.
- Trust in the many—not just in large companies.
- “Second-best is first-rate”: There is no perfect solution, but many good ways to achieve complex coexistence.
The last point in particular underscores the need for realistic, jointly responsible solutions.
At the end of his lecture, Goldschmidt emphasized a key correlation: societies that strengthen their ability to compromise create better conditions for justice. His conclusion: from consensus to compromise – and from compromise to the principle of justice.
The Hans Küng – Global Ethic Lecture honors the intellectual legacy and global vision of the foundation’s founder. Nils Goldschmidt impressively demonstrated how relevant global ethical perspectives are to the debates of our time and how they can offer guidance in a world seeking justice and cohesion.
Hans Küng – Global Ethic Lecture
The lecture series is jointly organized by the Global Ethic Foundation Switzerland, the Ecumenical Institute, and the Institute for Social Ethics at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Lucerne. The aim of the series is to introduce, discuss, and further develop the concerns, principles, and themes of the Global Ethic Project.
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