This term, “civilization”, has been mentioned repeatedly. In fact, the stated purpose of this blog is to contribute to the discourse on the advancement of civilization. Perhaps we could all share thoughts about our relative understandings of what civilization is.
Of civilization it can be asked: What are its elements? Of what is it composed? What are its characteristics? How does it advance? How is it understood? What are its connotations and implications? What are its dynamics? What is your understanding of its laws and governance, the role of statesmanship and the empowerment of the masses? What are the dynamics of the change that is pending? Trace the course of the evolution as it will foreseeably unfold. Cast before our eyes a vision of the future world civilization as you would see it be. Who are the protagonists of this change, and what are their respective capacities and roles?
Please share your thoughts.
achieving coherence 
3 replies on “Civilization”
To me, the essence of a civilization is the worldwide unit by which humans can organize themselves. We’ve never really had the opportunity in society to say that until now (in the past century or so). Namely, we’ve been organized into smaller units (political, cultural, social, or whatever) such that, for example, this sentence I’m writing now could not possibly have been available to 7 billion people to read.
Today we still have those divisions — I still live in Texas; I still work for such-and-such company, I still have a certain group of friends with whom I usually socialize — but there is this greater “society/nation/body politic” (pick your term) to which I also belong.
The world has tried to capitalize on that opportunity to have an international civilization under one banner; look at the United Nations and Facebook for notable, and very different, examples. But without the spiritual foundation to that goal of unity, we can’t achieve it. That is what the Baha’i Writings discuss and I’m sure some other readers can think of selections to share.
[…] the problem; it is essential, provided it is in the context of building a just and unified world civilization, having both a spiritual and material component. Materialism’s error was in the arbitrary […]
[…] our purpose? That individual and social well-being are inextricably linked? That a world civilization beckons humanity, one that will be governed by justice, one that will achieve a dynamic coherence […]