Ethics Moment: Analyzing the six killer apps

Ethics Moment: Analyzing the six killer apps
Ethics Moment: Analyzing the six killer apps

Ethics Moment: Analyzing the six killer apps

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As the American Century wanes and China continues its emergence as a global superpower, many predict that this new century will be dominated by Asia. If so, it would mark a shift not just in global power, but in a centuries old cultural balance of power as well.

In his book Civilization: The West and the Rest, historian and Harvard university professor Niall Ferguson explores why western civilization has been such a dominant force on the planet over the centuries. And, as referenced in his popular TED talk, “The 6 Killer Apps of Prosperity,” he identifies six key reasons why - or killer apps, as he dubs them.

Ferguson’s list has inspired Al Gini to examine each more deeply - and the lessons they contain not just for America past, but for its future as well:


Al Gini is a professor of business ethics and chair of the department of management at Loyola University Chicago. He is also the co-founder and associate editor of Business Ethics Quarterly, and the author of several books, including My Job, My Self and Seeking the Truth of Things: Confessions of a (catholic) Philosopher.