On the Rocky Road to the First Global Civilization
1991; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 44; Issue: 9 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1177/001872679104400901
ISSN1741-282X
Autores Tópico(s)Globalization, Historical Perspectives, and International Relations
ResumoBecause the main arenas of our world society have become more multidimensionally interdependent, we postulated (1) the emergence of the first global civilization, (2) that leaders and their constituencies due to national transparency around the world are beginning to recognize the axiological unpreparedness of their international, national, and local institutions for this kind of civilization, and (3) that a new social architecture for these organizations is needed that fits better with this emerging civilization. The core proposition of this paper goes beyond the assertion that civilization is reaching global coherence. The first global civilization, it is proposed, has a thematic pattern or development valence towards a social architectural mindset based on symbiotic societal (Paradigm S) values related to but distinctive from both industrial (Paradigm I) and de-industrial values (Paradigm D). We find evidence for three theories of the future of global civilization which we call: Homogenizing Westernization, Unbridgeable Cultural Chasms, and Global Dynamic Syncretism. Finally, it is observed that only a small fraction of the civilization-building initiatives and innovations are being reported and learned from, e.g., the emergence of thousands of social change organizations, and that the social sciences need to devote more attention to the art and discipline of embodying human values in global structures with which people can identity.
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