Erik Koopman wrote:
Trade Standard is a project proposal for:
(a) a public knowledge base for all information about goods, technology and
(way of) trade to stimulate international development,
(b) a public ethic standard and indicator to evaluate international trade
and industry and
(c) a public register to verify the ethic classification of goods,
technology and trade.
Although its high aim is Trade Standard an internet platform very equal to
Wikipedia. The only differences are: (1) focus on technical and ethical
subjects, (2) equal layouts for all articles, including a chapter for
"ethical, social and sustainable characteristics". And (3) the addition of
registers to list the ethical characteristics of chemicals, products etc.
Trade Standard is a project with high potential that (a) stimulates
international spread of free (technical) information, (b) connects
technology with ethics and (c) offers a solution to upgrade today's very
conservative, 'lowest standards'-oriented culture of international trade and
industry.
The problem with this proposal is that it requires an ethical valuation
of products. That would be a POV act, where there could be enormous
differences of opinion. If some organization already makes such
valuations, we would do better to comment on the article for the product
that that organization values it in such a way. Let them have the POV
fights.
Ec