Rather than reach a consensus on specific moral values which are imbedded in culture, it
seems more sensible to agree on a platform of general principles that are simultaneously
supported by a philosophy of democratic learning and can contribute to the global education
discourse on moral values education. Nussbaum (1997) has endorsed “cosmopolitan
education” which spans borders and encourages the value of equal worth among all people
(quoted in Kennedy, 2004: 18). Kennedy’s (2004) exploration of the Asian values question
concluded that while tension and conflict between a global humanity and local cultural
traditions remain, at the very least, valuing a common humanity must be agreed upon. Brunn
and Jacobsen (2000) have suggested an alternative point of departure in terms of centralizing
the curriculum of values education, basing content on a global understanding of values, with
human rights as the focal point.