From SDGs to Universal Development Goals (UDGs): A Philosophical Analysis under Divine Economics

Abstract

This study critically examines the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a philosophical lens, highlighting their ontological, epistemological, and normative limitations. Although the SDGs provide a global framework for development, they remain normatively thin, relying on technical targets and political consensus without clarifying the ethical and moral principles needed to guide action, particularly when goals conflict. Using the framework of Divine Economics, the study reinterprets development as a socially constructed reality arising from collective intentionality, language, and institutional recognition, and exposes the limits of conventional economics, which prioritizes material utility over moral, spiritual, and intellectual dimensions of human life. The research introduces the model of Divine Human Ecology, identifying seven interrelated domains of human existence: individual, family, society, nation, world, environment, and ultimate reality. This framework demonstrates how values, informed by both material and spiritual considerations, shape social action and sustainable outcomes. It also shows that many SDGs, including justice, gender equality, and environmental protection, function as social intelligibles whose meaning and effectiveness depend on shared recognition and value-guided behavior. Drawing on this philosophical grounding, the study proposes a set of Universal Development Goals (UDGs) to complement the SDGs. The UDGs embed moral, cultural, spiritual, and intellectual dimensions, providing the missing value layer that renders sustainability coherent, intergenerationally responsible, and universally intelligible. By integrating ethical principles with epistemic and ontological clarity, the study offers a robust framework for sustainable development that goes beyond material indicators, supporting policy and practice that promotes human flourishing in a holistic and enduring manner.