The paper examines the evolution of international society by weighing the elements of international society and world society in the world trade law and in the practices of the WTO. The starting points of the paper are, on the one hand, recent discussions of ES scholars on international and world society and primary institutions. On the other hand, there is a prolonged debate between international law scholars on universalism and pluralism. Universalists, including constitutionalists, believe that international law means following higher principles no matter its different realms. The pluralists consider that such conditions have never prevailed in international law. They claim that not only legal diversity, but also that international law is imposed by actors other than the state. The paper tries to relate these two law approaches of universalism and pluralism to the ES discourses of international and world society in the special context of the world trade organization and law. The contemplation of the paper is reflected to three non-trade issues in the WTO: development, environment, and human rights.
