REVOLUTION OR RENAISSANCE © University of Ottawa Press 2008 All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without permission in writing from the publisher. 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 overnance is the process of effective coordination whereby an organization Gor 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 his is a book about economics and culture: two of the most powerful forces Tat 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 11 REVOLUTION OR RENAISSANCE 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 This page intentionally left blank 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 This page intentionally left blank Prologue Ours is possibly one of the most critical periods in human experience. Poised in the transition between one kind of world and another, we are literally on the hinge of a great transformation in the whole human condition.—John McHale (1969), p. 15 here is mounting evidence to confirm that humanity has arrived at a crucial Tturning point in history.