The Epilogue discusses how the narrative and arguments of the book can help us revisit the debates in Ottoman intellectual historiography over the concept of order (nizam), underlining how labor history and class perspectives can expand the scope of questions and offer new agendas for Ottoman and global histories of the modern era. It offers a conceptual discussion of reform, and highlights the distinctive characteristics of Ottoman Reform in the long nineteenth century, by focusing on its connections with modern capitalism. It emphasizes the capitalist characteristic of the order which the reformist elites struggled to institute throughout the nineteenth century. It underlines how focusing on a specific worksite, and, in particular, studying relations of production within an Ottoman military-industrial site, could help us to reveal these capitalist patterns and class dynamics in Ottoman reform processes. It points to the necessity of the dialogue between labor/social history and intellectual history to better understand how these capitalist practices shaped or were shaped by the mentalities and ideas of Ottoman state elites during this period.

In this chapter argues that the ethics of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) must be understood as inseparable from the modes of responsibilization that have preceded it, which refers to developments in business ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and corporate sustainability. Focusing primarily on ESG as a heading for corporate responsibility policies and practices within the context of EU regulation, the chapter considers ESG as a supplement to prior conceptions rather than a stand–alone concept. After outlining the foundational, societal and environmental accomplishments of the three preceding constructs, the chapter argues that the defining, supplementary feature of ESG is that it is informational and that it has emerged as a concept that binds together the information needs of investors and other stakeholders, corporate disclosures, and government regulation. Thus, the ethics of ESG must be understood in terms of its ability to put greater and more obligatory demands on corporate responsibility through standardized reporting, standardized methods, and standardized data and performance measures.

Xi Jinping’s drive for power has destabilized elite political consensus and dismantled power-sharing norms that evolved since the 1980s. By removing de jure term limits on the office of the presidency – and thus far refusing to nominate his successor for this and his other leadership positions – Xi has solidified his own authority at the expense of the regular and peaceful transfer of power. In doing so, he has pushed China towards a potential destabilizing succession crisis. This chapter assesses China’s possible leadership succession scenarios in the coming years. Is Xi akin to Stalin after the purges of the 1930s – a leader who has so thoroughly eliminated rivals and cowed the system that he will remain in power until he can no longer perform the duties of office, leaving a succession battle in his wake? Or will the system produce a reaction against his all-encompassing power, either forcing him out of office prematurely or at least pushing him to set a timetable for his departure? Alternatively, what are Xi’s options for presiding over an orderly succession in the next 5 to 10 years? Solving the succession problem will be critical for the party’s future survival.

A patient in the preoperative area suddenly refuses to go forward with the removal of infected wires unless he is given assurances that the rest of his brain implant will remain in place. He indicates that he will go home and die rather than have the implant removed. The patient, surgeon, ethicist, and wife all convene to resolve the time sensitive issues. The short-term outcome is very positive, but there is an unexpected longer-term outcome that was unsettling.