Revolution or Renaissance: Making the Transition from an Economic Age to a Cultural Age

320 Pages·2004·15.55 MB·English

by  D. Paul Schafer

REVOLUTION OR
RENAISSANCE
© University of Ottawa Press 2008
All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
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LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION
Schafer, D. Paul (David Paul), 1937-
Revolution or renaissance : making the transition from an
economic age to a cultural age / D. Paul Schafer.
(Governance series ; 16)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7766-0672-9
1. Economics—History. 2. Culture—Forecasting. 3. Human
ecology—Forecasting. 4. Sustainable development—Forecasting.
5. Environmental protection—Forecasting. 6. Culture. 7. Internationalism.
I. Title. II. Series: Governance series (Ottawa, Ont.) ; 16
HM636.S42 2008 306 C2008-901444-8
Published by the University of Ottawa Press, 2008
542 King Edward Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5
www.uopress.uottawa.ca
The University of Ottawa Press acknowledges with gratitude the support extended to its
publishing list by Heritage Canada through its Book Publishing Industry Development
Program, by the Canada Council for the Arts, by the Canadian Federation for the
Humanities and Social Sciences through its Aid to Scholarly Publications Program, by the
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and by the University of Ottawa.
We also gratefully acknowledge the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ottawa whose
financial support has contributed to the publication of this book.
REVOLUTION OR
RENAISSANCE
MAKING THE TRANSITION FROM AN
ECONOMIC AGE TO A CULTURAL AGE
D. Paul Schafer
Governance Series
G
overnance is the process of effective coordination whereby an organization
or a system guides itself when resources, power, and information are widely
distributed. Studying governance means probing the pattern of rights and
obligations that underpins organizations and social systems; understanding how
they coordinate their parallel activities and maintain their coherence; exploring
the sources of dysfunction; and suggesting ways to redesign organizations whose
governance is in need of repair.
The Series welcomes a range of contributions - from conceptual and
theoretical reflections, ethnographic and case studies, and proceedings of
conferences and symposia, to works of a very practical nature - that deal with
problems or issues on the governance front. The Series publishes works both in
French and in English.
The Governance Series is part of the publications division of the Centre on
Governance and of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the
University of Ottawa. This volume is the 16th volume published within this Series.
The Centre on Governance and the Graduate School of Public and International
Affairs also publish a quarterly electronic journal www.optimumonline.ca
Editorial Committee
Caroline Andrew
Linda Cardinal
Monica Gattinger
Luc Juillet
Daniel Lane
Gilles Paquet (Director)
The published titles in the Series are listed at the end of this book.
Preface
T
his is a book about economics and culture: two of the most powerful forces
at work shaping our world.
The first of these forces - economics - gave rise to the economic age we
are living in at present. It is an age that has made economics, economies,
and economic growth in general, and the production and consumption of
material and monetary wealth, consumerism, materialism, and the marketplace
in particular, the centrepiece of society and the world system. It has done so
because this is deemed to be the most effective way of dealing with people's
needs and wants in all areas of life.
While the economic age has produced many benefits, particularly for
people and countries in the West, it is not capable of coming to grips with
the fundamental problems confronting humanity. This is because it is based
on theoretical, practical, and historical foundations that are incompatible with
solving these problems. This is especially true with respect to the environmental
crisis, climate change, the gap between rich and poor nations and rich and poor
people, and, most notably, the escalating pressure of human numbers on the
finite carrying capacity of the planet.
Hence the need to create an age that is capable of confronting these
problems, and others that have loomed up on the global horizon in recent
years. Of all the possible forces upon which such an age could be founded,
culture provides the most promising possibilities. This is largely because culture
possesses a number of properties that are of crucial importance to the world of
the future. Most prominent among these properties is the capacity for holism,
sharing, cooperation, conservation, creativity, and the ability to provide a bridge
between human beings and the natural environment. Clearly we have only
begun to realize the rich potential culture possesses to create the conditions for
a better world.
PREfACe 1
It is to a cultural age, then, that attention is directed in the second part of the
book. How would a cultural age function? What foundations would underlie it?
What priorities would drive it? How would it flourish most effectively? These
are the tough and demanding questions that must be asked - and answered - in
order to make the cultural age a reality.
In order to answer these questions, it is necessary to delve deeply into the
domain of culture, both as a concept and as a reality. What emerges is a portrait
of the world system of the future where culture and cultures are developed
in breath and depth, situated effectively in the natural, historical, and global
environment, and the necessary safeguards are established to ensure that culture
and cultures are used for constructive rather than destructive purposes. This is
imperative if global harmony, environmental sustainability, economic viability,
and human well-being are to be achieved in the future.
While this is not specifically a book about governance or public policy, it is
very much concerned with these matters in the final analysis. For it is concerned
with the need to reduce the demands human beings are making on the natural
environment, as well as to make it possible for people in all countries of the
world to enjoy reasonable standards of material living and opportunities for a
great deal of creative and spiritual fulfilment. And it is concerned with doing
this without straining the globe's finite resources and fragile ecosystem to the
breaking point.
I would like to thank Gao Xian and the Social Sciences Academic Press
for translating this book into Chinese and publishing it in China in 2006. I
would also like to thank a number of people whose contributions to my work
over the years have meant so much to me, especially Walter Pitman, Biserka
Cvjeticanin, Jack Fobes, Guy Métraux, Eleonora Barbieri Masini, Ervin Laszlo,
Erika Erdmann, John Gordon, Bill Mc Whinney, Prem Kirpal, Andre Fortier,
Sheila Jans, Joy MacFadyen, Arthur Witkin, Attila and Elfriede Bimbo, Tony
Saadat, and Real Bédard. A special note of thanks is due to the team at the
University of Ottawa Press - Dr. Gilles Paquet, Eric Nelson, Marie Clausen,
Jessica Clark, Patrick Heenan, and especially Alex Anderson - for the key role
they played in editing, publishing, and promoting this book. Finally, I would
like to thank my family - Nancy, Charlene, Susan, and Cinnamon - for their
support and understanding during the writing of the book. While recognizing
these contributions, I nevertheless assume full responsibility for everything
contained in the text.
D. Paul Schafer
Markham, Canada
2008
REVOLUTION OR RENAISSANCE
11
Table of Contents
Prologue 1
Part I - THE AGE OF ECONOMICS
1. Origins of the Economic Age 9
The Wealth of Nations 10
The Industrial Revolution 23
Religion and the Rise of Capitalism 27
Genesis of the World System 31
2. Evolution of the Economic Age 37
Classical Economics 39
Marxian Economics 51
Neoclassical Economics 58
Keynesian Economics 72
Development Economics 78
Contemporary Economics 85
3. Mechanics of the Economic Age 93
The Economic Worldview 93
The Economic Model of Development 98
Dominant Forces in Society 102
The Modern World System 113
4. Assessment of the Economic Age 119
Strengths of the Economic Age 120
Shortcomings of the Economic Age 124
A Balance Sheet on the Economic Age 130
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Part II - THE AGE OF CULTURE
5. Signs of a Cultural Age 139
The Holistic Transformation 140
The Environmental Movement 143
The Encounter with Human Needs 146
The Quest for Quality of Life 149
The Struggle for Equality 151
The Necessity of Identity 153
The Focus on Creativity 155
Culture as a Crucial Force 156
6. Foundations for a Cultural Age 159
The Nature of Culture 159
The Character of Cultures 166
The Cultural Interpretation of History 179
The Great Cultural Tradition 184
7. Functioning of a Cultural Age 191
A Cultural Worldview 191
Development of Culture and Cultures 193
A Cultural Model of Development 195
Key Cultural Concerns 200
A Cultural World System 207
8. Priorities for a Cultural Age 215
A New Environmental Reality 215
Fulfilling Human Needs 218
New Meanings of Wealth 221
A New Corporate Ideology 223
A New Political System 226
A Cultural Approach to Citizenship 230
A Breakthrough in Education 232
Liveable and Sustainable Cities 234
A United World 237
9. Flourishing of a Cultural Age 241
A Cultural Renaissance 242
The Cultural Heritage of Humankind 245
World Culture and World Cultures 248
A Global Federation of World Cultures 255
Epilogue 259
Bibliography 263