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Alexander N.
Chumakov GLOBALIZATION OUTLINE
OF THE HOLISTIC WORLD
Moscow, Prospect, 2005 |
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1.
Why
specify what seems self-evident
2.
When
awakening comes
Part I. Global transformations in the modern world
1. Individual in the realm of problems
2. Global problems as reality
3. The emergence of global studies
4. The first global revolution
5. Paradigm shift
6. The phenomenon of globalization
7. From global problems to
globalization
8. Resurrection of global studies
Part II. stages
of progress: dynamics of scientific and technological development
1.
Science
and technology as the engines of progress
2.
Technological
progress
3.
Scientific
progress
4.
Scientific
and technological progress
5.
Scientific
and technological revolution
6.
Informational
revolution
7. Social dimension of scientific and
technological progress
Part III. globalization as an objective historical
process
1. The holistic world
2. The main turning points of history
3. Prehistoric society
4. History begins
5. The first symptoms of globalization
6. Globalization begins
7. Fundamental globalization
8. Space era begins
9. Multiaspect
globalization
Part IV. conceptual approaches to history
1. History as reconstruction of the
past directed to the future
2. Formations approach
3. Cultural and historical types
4. Cultures approach
5. Civilizations approach
6. Noosphere
7. Sustainable development
8. Futurology
Part V. Understanding globalization: basic stages
1. From reality to its understanding
2. Understanding universal linkages (first stage)
3. Understanding the holism of the
world (second stage)
4. Discovering global problems (third stage)
5. Recognizing globalization (forth stage)
6. Post-globalization (fifth, hypothetical stage)
Instead of the Conclusion
Appendixes
Index
Summary
Contents
Summary
The
volume is dedicated to one of the most topical issues today - to the issue of
globalization. Academic discussions around this topic are numerous and the number
of globalization-related studies and publications steadily grows. Although
practical experience and theoretical material is vast, nevertheless, they can
hardly be considered satisfactory. For the last decades the significance of
globalization and global problems engendered by it has grown while adequate
coordinated response of the world community still lacks.
This
volume analyzes the phenomenon of globalization in tight connection with such
fundamental social phenomena as “scientific and technological progress”,
“culture” and “civilization”. The book claims that civilizational interconnections emerged
and developed as a result of the emergence and refinement of culture that arose
with the upraise of the first human beings at some stage of history – more
precisely, in the period of the Neolithic revolution. These interconnections
gave birth to separated civilizational centers. From the very beginning
civilizational development contributed into unification of social life to lead
in the middle of the second millennium (in the era of Renaissance and the great
geographic discoveries) to the beginning of practical globalization. In the
last century it grew into multiaspect globalization that determined the
formation of the world community and the emergence of global problems of
humankind in the last half of the XX century.
In
the Introduction it is stressed that tight connections between mutually
dependent and complimentary concepts of culture, civilization and globalization
(and, most important, between the phenomena behind them) have not been
understood and thoroughly analyzed so far. Numerous publications contain many
diverse facts about globalization, attempting to figure out trends and
repeating patterns but they fail to go farther than simple description of what
is going on in the world. There is neither theory of globalization, nor clear
and concise analysis of its multiple and interconnected aspects. The volume
rises these questions and attempts to answer them through comprehensive study
of the objective foundations of globalization as well as of those natural and
historical conditions under which this multiaspect and large-scale phenomena
emerged and was developing.
The
book is prefaced by methodological commentaries where the author stresses the
need to define more precisely the basic concepts related to globalization. He
emphasizes several principles explaining why our understanding of globalization
falls behind with regard to the real world developments and why our interest to
globalization emerges and fades away periodically.
Part
One, Global Transformations in The Modern World, demonstrates that human beings
are determined to face problems. These problems become more complex and acute
while humankind is becoming global. It is stressed that the Earth is the best
of all possible worlds for humans to live in. It is the real paradise often
turned into hell by human beings themselves. This part of the book shows how
global studies emerged and were developing as a transdisciplinary sphere of
scientific knowledge located at the crossroads of philosophical, natural,
technological and social sciences. Global studies are also seen as a set of
practical activities (governmental decisions, political actions, social
movements, etc.) directed towards resolving universal contradictions.
Part
Two, Stages of Progress: Dynamics of Scientific and Technological Development,
analyzes the emergence and development of science and technology and explains
their role in the process of globalization. Basing on rich historical material,
the volume describes various stages of scientific and technological progress
and reveals the essence of scientific and informational revolutions and their
influence on the formation of holistic world.
Part
Three, Globalization as an Objective Historical Process, analysis the world as
a holistic world. History is understood as an interconnected time-bound process
divided into subsequent stages. Interchange of these stages signifies,
according to the author, the four
turning points of history. The first stage is prehistoric period. The second,
connected with the Neolithic revolution, means that history begins. The third
stage defined by Karl Jaspers as “pivotal time” is characterized by the first
signs of globalization. The fourth stage is identified with the era of the
great geographic discoveries when practical globalization begins. Already by
the beginning of the XX century it has become fundamental; with the beginning
of space explorations and informational revolution it becomes multiaspect.
Globalization is seen as a process of universalization, of the development of
structures, ties and relations common for the whole planet in various spheres
of social life. Globalisation is also seen as a fact of reality, a phenomenon
manifesting itself through the existence of the limited global space, single
world economy, universal ecological interconnectedness, global communications,
etc. This phenomenon, thus, can not be ignored by anyone. The volume shows how
globalization embraces the whole Earth and its three basic spheres: geological,
biological and social untied by a common name triosphere.
Part
Four, Conceptual Approaches to History, analyzes various approaches to social
development. Such concepts as socio-economic formations, culture, civilization,
noosphere, sustainable development and futurology are critically studies in
order to evaluate their applicability to describing the process of
globalization.
Part
Five, Understanding Globalization: Basic Stages, concludes the volume and
demonstrates that understanding globalization is a complex task having five
stages. First stage meant understanding universal connections and lasted from
the end of the XVIII century to the beginning of the XX century. Second stage
meant understanding of the holism of the world and lasted from the 1920s to the
1960s. Third stage in the 1970s – 1980s meant discovering global problems of
modernity. At the moment we witness recognizing globalization and this fourth
stage will last about 10 years more. In the future one could suggest the
beginning of the fifth stage provisionally called postglobalization.
The
Conclusion sums up the volume stressing that our understanding of globalization
is hampered by the fact that this phenomenon is not common for our normal
perception. It has no historical analogies and its scale and complexity
overgrows ordinary human vision of the world. Globalization is the largest and
the most significant planetary phenomenon, which can only be understood at some
special and temporal distance. Time is needed for collecting and analyzing
information, special distance is needed for details and particulars not to hide
the main elements and outlines of the whole. To evaluate globalization
correctly and non-partially we should recreate the holistic world outlook and to
look at this complex phenomenon from various sides. This would allow to work
out a general theory of globalization. Now the time have come to do it. Spatial
distance needed is provided by space explorations, above all. This allows to
consider globalization both as a natural and historical process and as the
sphere of relations and confrontations between various forces and interests.
Website: www.globalistika.ru
Email: chumakov@logic.ru