The triumphant development of Western civilization is steadily approaching. Nikolay dik, petr dik. Culture and global problems of our time

Culture and global problems modernity

Gaining more and more strength, civilization often showed a clear tendency to impose its ideas through missionary activity or direct violence coming from religious, in particular Christian, traditions. A work ethic and a pragmatic style of thinking served as sources of irresistible pressure from the ideas and means by which she imposed her habits and views on other cultures and traditions. So civilization steadily spread across the planet, using all possible ways and means for this - migration, colonization, conquest, trade, industrial development, financial control and cultural influence. Little by little, all countries and peoples began to live according to her laws or created them according to the model established by her. Her morals have become an object of worship and a role model; and even if they are rejected, it is from them that they are repelled in search of other solutions and alternatives.

The development of civilization, however, was accompanied by the flourishing of bright hopes and illusions that could not be realized, at least for reasons of a psychological and social nature. Elitism has always been at the heart of her philosophy and her actions. And the Earth - no matter how generous it is - is still unable to accommodate a continuously growing population and satisfy more and more of its needs, desires and whims. That is why a new, deeper split is now emerging in the world - between the overdeveloped and underdeveloped countries. But even this rebellion of the world proletariat, which seeks to join the riches of its more prosperous fellows, is taking place within the framework of the same dominant civilization and in accordance with the principles established by it.

It is unlikely that she would be able to withstand this new test, especially now, when her own social body is torn apart by numerous ailments. The scientific and technological revolution is becoming more and more obstinate, and it is more and more difficult to pacify it. Having endowed us with unprecedented strength and instilling a taste for such a standard of living, which we had never even thought of before, NTR sometimes does not give us the wisdom to keep our capabilities and needs under control. And it is time for our generation to finally understand that it is now up to us whether we can overcome this critical discrepancy, since for the first time in history, the fate of not individual countries and regions depends on this, but of humanity as a whole. It is our choice that will predetermine which path the further development of mankind will take, whether it will be able to avoid self-destruction and create conditions for satisfying its needs and desires.

Is the critical threshold far from us? I think that he is already quite close, and we are rapidly rushing straight to him. By 1984, the world's population will reach almost 5 billion. This will inevitably lead to an increase in the scale and complexity of all earthly problems. The number of unemployed may reach 500 million by this time. The European Economic Community will, apparently, continue to struggle over how to reform the multifaceted monetary system and coordinate the development of its member countries and their foreign policy. And although the importance of the role of the Community in the world is by no means determined by the size of its member countries, whose population is only 5-6% of the world's population, one can hardly seriously count on its tangible assistance to the rest of the world. It is unlikely that the countries of the Community will be able to get out of the quagmire of their own problems by this time. In the meantime, the resourceful and powerful half of the world's scientific community, engaged in "defense" programs, will give a new impetus to the arms race, providing it with the means of entering boundless outer space. And more and more chunks of the world's product will be consumed for suicidal purposes. For tens of millions of years, tropical rainforests have been in a state of stable equilibrium. Now they are being destroyed at a rate of 20 hectares per minute. If this continues, then in three or four decades they will finally disappear from the face of the earth - before the oil runs out in the last wells, but with much more dangerous consequences for humans.

This sad list can be continued indefinitely. And what is most terrible, no one, in essence, knows which of this multitude of dangers and problems - by no means all of which we have already experienced and realized - will unleash the chain reaction that will bring humanity to its knees. No one can now predict when this will happen, and it is quite possible that the coming years are the last respite given to humanity so that it finally comes to its senses and, before it is too late, change course.

What can we do in this final hour? First of all, it is time to finally understand for everyone - both those who make responsible decisions and ordinary people - that one cannot endlessly rely on all kinds of social mechanisms, on the renewal and improvement of the social organization of society, when the fate of a person as a species is at stake. For all the important role that issues of its social organization, its institutions, legislation and treaties play in the life of modern society, with all the power of man-made technology, they do not ultimately determine the fate of mankind. And there is no, and there will be no salvation for him until it itself changes its habits, morals and behavior. The real problem with the human species at this stage in its evolution is that it has proven incapable of. culturally to keep pace and fully adapt to the changes that he himself made to this world. Since the problem that has arisen at this critical stage of his development is inside, and not outside the human being, taken both at the individual and collective levels, then its solution must come primarily and mainly from within himself.

The problem ultimately comes down to human qualities and ways to improve them. For it is only through the development of human qualities and human abilities that it is possible to achieve a change in the entire material-oriented civilization and use its enormous potential for good purposes. And if we want now to curb the technical revolution and direct humanity towards a future worthy of it, then we must first of all think about changing the person himself, about the revolution in the person himself. These tasks, for all their seeming incompatibility at first glance, are quite real and solvable today, provided that we finally realize what exactly is at stake ...

For many years I have pondered what steps a person should take in order to turn away from the disastrous path. Investigating the complexity of the infinitely large and penetrating into the secrets of the infinitely small, he comprehended the unity of the Universe and discovered the individual elements of that natural order that unites everything in the world. However, in this process of cognition, he did not pay enough attention to what is between the two extremes and what is actually most important for himself - his own world and his place in it. This has become the Achilles heel of modern man.

Two aspects can be distinguished here. One of them concerns the person himself and his behavior, which we need to better understand. Research and reflection on this highly disturbing topic began at the dawn of the development of philosophy and medicine; these problems are inexhaustible, and the process of their cognition is endless. But I do not mean this aspect first of all. The second, which is more immediate and important in the light of today's problems, concerns the relationship between man and his environment, which is increasingly influenced by results. human activity... It is here that there are highly dangerous gaps associated with insufficient awareness of the limits and consequences of human activity in the world; these gaps need to be filled immediately - but how?

If it were necessary to immediately change human nature to solve this problem, the situation would be simply hopeless. No, we must start with what will help to bring human perception and, consequently, the way of existence and way of life of a person into line with the real world of today and the ability of a person to change the world, which he recently acquired. What is needed is not biological, but cultural evolution, and although this process may turn out to be long and complex, its implementation is within our capabilities.

We managed to improve the individual qualities of athletes, astronauts and astronauts, improve machines, devices, materials, chicken, pig and corn varieties, we succeeded in increasing labor productivity, increased a person's ability to read quickly, learned to talk with computers. But we never even tried to sharpen the perception of our new position in the world, to raise awareness of the power that we now have, to develop a sense of global responsibility and the ability to evaluate the results of our actions. I have no doubt, if we just try, we will succeed on this path, as each new step will clearly prove that further movement in this direction is in our fundamental interests. We have before us an endless end of opportunities for improving human qualities.

This is the basis of my optimism, my belief that the situation can still be rectified. At the same time, although the improvement of human qualities is so necessary now, it is so difficult that to achieve this goal it will be necessary to mobilize the will, abilities and capabilities of the inhabitants of the entire Earth for many decades. In the meantime, however, humanity will continue to multiply. Nor will it be possible to stop the huge, man-made, uncontrollable technical machine that is operating at full capacity today. All this means that the upcoming changes in the human system are likely to be much more significant than those that happened earlier. And since it is not yet known whether humanity will be able to control its numbers and the brutal power of its technical machine, and when all this will happen, today you can meet with the most extreme, sometimes mutually exclusive alternatives of the future.

Will humanity one day be able to dispel all the threats and troubles looming over it and create a mature society that would wisely manage and wisely dispose of its earthly environment? Will this new society be able to end the current division and create a truly global, stable civilization? Or, in order to avoid more severe crises, humanity will prefer to entrust its fate to technology even more, developing, as futurologists hopefully predict the absolutizing role of science, "postindustrial" or "informational" models of society? Will this path turn out to be a miraculous way out of the current impasse and will not a person with all his disabilities, weaknesses, aspirations and spirituality finally perish in a system that will be distant and alien to his nature? Will not this choice ultimately lead to the creation of a purely technocratic, authoritarian regime, where work, law, organization of society and even information, opinions, thoughts and leisure will be strictly regulated by the central government? Will a pluralistic society be able to function as a whole under these conditions?

Or will humanity be so overwhelmed by its own complexity and uncontrollability that the prospect of final decay and death will become real for it? Wouldn't the richer want to dig themselves into oases of relative safety and prosperity in a vain attempt to distance themselves from common destiny? Will this not lead to a new, deeper split of society into clans? What other consequences, rational or irrational, can flow from our unstable present? And can the possibility of the most terrible apocalyptic catastrophe, which will stigmatize human destiny for many centuries, and possibly forever, be considered absolutely excluded and implausible? When and in what form can we be especially threatened by this danger?

You can draw an infinite number of different scenarios of the future, more or less plausible, but, of course, none of them can claim to be absolute. The tense situation in which those living on Earth now find themselves is a direct consequence of what our ancestors and even ourselves did and did not do in previous years. From a historical perspective, it is not so important how common advantages and disadvantages are common among people. And even if someone, sometime in the future, takes responsibility for something done or not done in the past, there will be little benefit from it. The most important thing today is to deeply think about what will happen to the billions of the world's population tomorrow - and this almost exclusively depends on what we all together from now on will or will not do.

From all these considerations, it follows, in my opinion, the conclusion that the situation is now extremely serious and time is not working for us, but we still have a good chance to take fate into our own hands - provided that we concentrate all our energy, all the best, what is in us, on the solution of this highly important and urgent task. If we can make this truly critical effort, then I am confident that, with certain limitations, the future of humanity can become what we all, collectively, want it to be. And the only question is where to start.

Nineteen centuries ago, the Roman writer Columella, studying the then most important field of activity - agriculture, rightly noted that it needs a person who knows who wants to and who can. A modern man, who has decided today to take on an unprecedented event - the creation of a global empire, recklessly overturned this logical sequence, because he can, but so far he does not want to, because he does not know. We must correct this state of affairs, and the first of many things to come should be an understanding of the real world and our position in it ...

I believe that the creation of the Club of Rome, the main goal of which was to study and identify a new situation in which a person found himself in the century of his global empire, was an exciting event in the spiritual life of mankind. Literally every hour our knowledge of the most diverse things grows; however, we remain almost ignorant about the changes in ourselves. And if something can be credited to the Club of Rome, it is precisely that it was the first to rebel against this dangerous, almost suicidal ignorance.

We know that our journey as homo sapiens began about a hundred thousand years ago, and that the historical annals of mankind have been going on for a hundred centuries now. However, in recent decades, more and more often the idea is born that humanity has reached some important milestone and found itself at a crossroads. For the first time since the Christian world stepped into its second millennium, the real threat of the imminent coming of something inevitable, unknown and capable of completely changing the common fate of huge masses of people seems to really hang over the world. People feel that the end of an era in their history is coming. But no one, it seems, today still thinks about the need to radically change not only their own way of life, but the life of their family, their people. And it is precisely in this, in essence, that lies the reason for many of our troubles, that we have not yet been able to adapt our thinking, attitude and behavior to this urgent need.

A person does not know how to behave in order to be a truly modern person. And this feature is inherent only in him - other species do not know this weakness. The tiger knows very well how to be a tiger. The spider lives the way spiders live. The swallow has learned the habits of a swallow. Natural wisdom helps all these species to constantly regulate and improve the qualities that ensure survival, adaptability to changing external conditions. And the evidence of the success of these efforts is the very fact of their present existence. But unexpectedly, in the age of scientific and technological revolution, man turns out to be their mortal enemy, enemy or tyrant of almost all life forms on the planet. A man, having invented a fairy tale about an evil dragon, turns out to be this dragon himself.

And a person who has much in common with all other living beings lacks only the wisdom to survive. Gradually losing his natural ability to adapt and survive, considering it for the good more and more to trust his fate to reason, that is, to his technical capabilities, man, instead of changing himself, began to change the world around him, becoming a star of the first magnitude in it. He would never have won victories in a direct fight with other species, but he offered them a fight in his own way and became invulnerable. However, the world could not change infinitely, catering to his desires, and at each new step of ascent, a person had to again realize his increased strength and learn to live with it. As a result - here it is, the human paradox: as in quicksand, a person gets bogged down in his unprecedented possibilities and achievements - the more force he uses, the more he needs it, and if he does not learn to use it in time, then he is doomed to become an eternal prisoner of these quicksands. sands.

Over the past decades, in a new burst of inspiration, a person has won several more dizzying technical victories, but he has not yet found the time either to learn how to use their fruits, or to get used to the new opportunities that they have given him. So he began to lose a sense of reality and the ability to assess his role and place in the world, and at the same time the fundamental foundations that his ancestors had erected with such zeal throughout all previous centuries, trying to preserve the human system and establish a relationship with the ecosystem. Now a person is faced with the need to radically reconsider the traditional views on himself, on his fellows, on family, society and life in general, and to reconsider on the scale of the entire planet, but he still does not know how to do this.

It is necessary to be completely aware of the absurdity of the assertions that the current deeply abnormal and unsuccessful state of the human system can be at least somehow equated with any kind of cyclical crises or associated with some transitory circumstances. And if - for lack of another suitable word - we are nevertheless forced to call it a crisis, then we must realize that this is a special, all-embracing, epochal crisis that permeates literally all aspects of human life. The Club of Rome called it the hardships of humanity.

The diagnosis of these difficulties is still unknown, and effective drugs cannot be prescribed against them; moreover, they are aggravated by the close interdependence that now binds everything in the human system. Ever since a man opened a box like Pandora's box, and a hitherto unknown technique slipped out of his control, everything that happens somewhere in the world echoes almost everywhere. There are no more economic, technical or social problems existing separately, independently of each other, which could be discussed within the same specialized terminology and solved slowly, separately, one after another. In our artificially created world, literally everything has reached unprecedented proportions and scales: dynamics, speed, energy, complexity - and our problems too. They are now simultaneously psychological, and social, and economic, and technical, and, in addition, also political; moreover, closely intertwining and interacting, they take root and sprout in adjacent and distant areas.

Even with a cursory glance at the above list of problems, it is easy to see the links that tie them together; a closer look at these connections can be traced even more clearly. Uncontrolled human settlement around the planet; inequality and heterogeneity of society; social injustice, hunger and malnutrition; widespread poverty; unemployment; growth mania; inflation; energy crisis; pre-existing or potential shortage of natural resources; the collapse of the international trading and financial system; protectionism; illiteracy and outdated education system; youth riots; alienation; the decline of cities; crime and drug addiction; an explosion of violence and a tightening of police power; torture and terror; disregard for law and order; nuclear madness; political corruption; bureaucracy; environmental degradation; the decline of moral values; loss of faith; a feeling of instability and, finally, the lack of awareness of all these difficulties and their interconnections - this is not a complete list, or, rather, a tangle of those complex, tangled problems that the Club of Rome called problems.

Within the framework of this problematic, it is difficult to single out some particular problems and propose separate, independent solutions for them - each problem correlates with all the others, and any solution that is obvious at first glance to one of them can complicate or somehow influence the solution of others. And none of these problems or their combinations can be solved through the consistent application of the methods of the past based on the linear approach. Finally, over all the problems, another difficulty loomed, recently emerging and overriding all others. Experience has shown that at a certain level of development, problems begin to cross borders and spread throughout the planet, regardless of the specific socio-political conditions existing in different countries - they form a global problem.

Such an international spread of problematic epidemics does not mean that problems of a regional, national or local nature will disappear or become less intense. On the contrary, they are becoming more and more, and it is more and more difficult to cope with them. But the worst thing is that we continue to stubbornly focus our attention precisely on these peripheral or partial problems, which seem closer to us and therefore more, and at the same time we do not notice or simply do not want to realize that in the meantime around us the vice of a much more formidable one is tightening more and more tightly. world global problem. On the other hand, governments and current international organizations turn out to be absolutely incapable of responding flexibly enough to the current situation. Their very structure seems to be specially created in such a way as to solve extremely narrow, sectoral problems and remain completely insensitive to general, global ones. They seem to be surrounded by an impenetrable wall, through which the echoes of the unfolding storms are not even heard; moreover, their bureaucratic apparatus stubbornly resists any attempts to react, it is literally paralyzed by a mass of urgent tasks and at the same time, of course, does not see much more terrible, but somewhat distant in time, troubles ...

In August 1974 I was visited by Erwin Laszlo, a former concert pianist, a man of versatile interests and multifaceted talents: philosopher, cybernetics specialist, essayist. He shared with me one idea that turned out to be very consonant with my own thoughts. Its meaning was as follows. Thinking about the future, people, as a rule, focus mainly on the negative trends of current development, on unsolved problems, on those changes that are necessary for the survival of human society, leaving aside and practically not taking into account the healthy, positive principles existing in it. ... And yet, perhaps, it is on them that you need to, if not rely, then, in any case, count on when planning certain changes. “By focusing on illness, we are primarily addressing fear, and the behavior based on it is difficult to direct in the desired direction. Conversely, a health focus motivates positive goal-oriented behavior; and then any achievement is seen not just as good luck in an effort to avoid misfortune, but as a victory, ”he wrote later. “Man climbs Everest because he sees it as an expression of human ingenuity and resilience. Tell him that he must do the same in order to survive or gain freedom, and he will take it as hard, inhuman work. "

I shared this point of view. Indeed, it was time to move from the stage of an ordinary shock - which was necessary to draw people's attention to the impending danger - to a new stage of a positive outlook on what humanity can actually achieve in the foreseeable future in the course of its evolution. Unfortunately, among economists and technicians there are still fools who believe that it is their sciences that are able to find that magic philosopher's stone that will heal humanity from all its ills. In addition, there are influential forces in the world interested in continuing the previous course, so it is too early to stop shock treatment. And yet, the goals of humanity cannot be limited only to the desire to avoid catastrophe, to provide opportunities for survival and then drag out a prosaic and flawed existence in its semi-artificial world. It is necessary to raise the spirit of a person, he needs ideals in which he could really believe, for the sake of which he could live and fight, and if necessary, and die. And these ideals should grow from his awareness of his new role on the planet - the role about which I have already spoken so much.

After Laszlo and I discussed all these issues in detail, he expressed his readiness to take on the implementation of a project on the goals of modern humanity, provided that he was supported by the Club of Rome and the necessary financial resources... Not doubting the approval of my colleagues in the Club, I guaranteed him our support and helped to settle financial issues. The main task of the project was to determine the goals that humanity should set for itself at the current stage of its development. These goals were supposed to be derived as a result of a comparative analysis of the current situation and prospects for the development of mankind, on the one hand, and development trends of various schools of thought, cultural traditions, values and motivations throughout the history of human civilization, on the other. It was planned to use the results of already conducted studies, including the projects of the Club of Rome, as the initial material characterizing the current state of mankind. “Today,” said Laszlo, “we are faced with the task of finding ideals that could, at the global level, fulfill functions equivalent to those of local and regional myths, religions and ideologies in healthy social systems of the past.” And here the paramount importance was attached precisely to the global, global approach.

Until now, the traditional sources of ideals have always been religious and civic belief systems and worldviews. Now, before our eyes, two new sources are arising: a sense of globality, which I will talk about below, and an awareness of the new role of man as the leader of all life on Earth. And we are all faced with the task of finding such a combination of these ideals stemming from different sources, which is in tune with the feelings of modern man, in order to create in him the moral incentives and creative aspirations necessary for self-satisfaction and direct them to achieve goals that correspond to the spirit and needs of our time. A new project called “Goals for a Global Society” was launched at the end of 1974 to open a broad discussion of this problem. Laszlo managed to assemble a good group, and they planned to complete the first stage of work on the project by the summer of 1976 ...

We are now only at the very beginning of a process of profound change and must ourselves take care of how to direct its further development and expansion. Man subjugated the planet and now must learn to manage it, comprehend the difficult art of being a leader on Earth. If he finds the strength to fully and fully realize all the complexity and instability of his current position and accept a certain responsibility, if he can reach that level of cultural maturity that will allow him to fulfill this difficult mission, then the future belongs to him. If he falls victim to his own internal crisis and does not cope with the high role of the protector and chief arbiter of life on the planet, well, then a person is destined to witness how the number of his kind will sharply decrease, and the standard of living will again slide down to the mark passed several centuries ago. And only New Humanism is able to ensure the transformation of a person, to raise his qualities and capabilities to a level corresponding to the new increased responsibility of a person in this world.

This New Humanism should not only be in tune with the power acquired by man and correspond to the changed external conditions, but also possess resilience, flexibility and the ability to self-renew, which would allow regulating and directing the development of all modern revolutionary processes and changes in industrial, socio-political and scientific technical areas. Therefore, the New Humanism itself must be revolutionary in nature. It must be creative and convincing in order to radically update, if not completely replace the principles and norms that seem to be unshakable today, to promote the emergence of new values and motivations that meet the requirements of our time - spiritual, philosophical, ethical, social, aesthetic and artistic. And it must radically change the views and behavior of not individual elite groups and strata of society - for this will not be enough to bring salvation to a person and again make him the master of his destiny - but turn into an integral, organic basis of the worldview of the broad masses of our population, which has suddenly become so small the world. If we want to raise the level of self-awareness and organization of the human system as a whole, to achieve its internal stability and harmonious, happy coexistence with nature, then our goal should be a deep cultural evolution and a radical improvement in the qualities and abilities of the human community. Only under this condition will the century of the human empire not turn into an age of catastrophe for us, but will become a long and stable era of a truly mature society.

The revolutionary character thus becomes the main distinguishing feature of this healing humanism, for only under this condition will it be able to fulfill its functions - to restore the cultural harmony of a person, and through it the balance and health of the entire human system. This transformation of the human being will constitute the Human Revolution, thanks to which the rest of the revolutionary processes will finally acquire goals and meaning, and will reach their culmination. Otherwise, they are destined to wither away, without flourishing and leaving nothing behind, except for an unimaginable and inaccessible to the mind a mixture of good and evil.

Of course, revolutionary changes in the material sphere have brought a lot of benefits to man, And yet the industrial revolution, which began a century and a half ago in the British Isles with the use of mechanical looms and steam machines, and then, rapidly expanding, eventually acquired its current gigantic, the truly frightening appearance of the modern industrial system creates much more needs than it is capable of satisfying, and therefore itself needs a radical restructuring and reorientation. The scientific revolution that followed it widely spread scientific methods and approaches, greatly expanded our knowledge about the most diverse processes and phenomena of the physical world, however, it did not add wisdom to man. As far as the technical revolution is concerned, it was this revolution — with all the material benefits that it brought down on man — that turned out to be the main source of his internal crisis. By changing the attitude to work and creating the myth of growth, she, moreover, not only significantly transformed the means of warfare, but also radically changed its very concept. And expensive military equipment, the possession of which only the superpowers could afford, to a large extent contributed to the current political polarization of the world.

It hardly makes sense to dispute that the scientific and technological industrial complex created by man was and remains the most grandiose of his creations, but it was he who ultimately deprived a person of orientation and balance, plunging the entire human system into chaos. And the coming socio-political revolutions can resolve only a part of the problems arising in connection with this. For, no matter how good the new order, for which such a stubborn struggle is now being waged, it will nevertheless affect only certain aspects of the current international system, leaving unchanged the principle of the sovereignty of nation states that underlies it and without touching on many pressing human problems. Even with the most favorable development of events, these revolutions will not be able to turn mankind from a pernicious path. The intense mental fermentation observed in society, disunited and disordered, must be directed, planned and coordinated. Like all other revolutionary processes, this revolution will remain incomplete and will not be embodied in any real deeds, if not. inspire and not revive her with purely humanistic human ideals. For only they will give the revolutionary processes a general direction and universal goals. For me, the most interesting are three aspects that, in my opinion, should characterize the New Humanism: a sense of globality, love of justice and intolerance of violence.

The soul of humanism - in the holistic vision of a person at all periods of his life - in all its continuity. After all, it is in a person that the sources of all our problems are contained, all our aspirations and aspirations are concentrated on him, in him all the beginnings and all ends, and in him are the foundations of all our hopes. And if we want to feel the globality of everything in the world, then an integral human personality and its capabilities should be at the center of this. Although this thought has probably already stuck in my teeth and sometimes seems to be just a truism, the fact remains: in our time, the goals of almost any social and political action are directed, as I have already said, almost exclusively to the material and biological aspects of human existence. Let a person really be insatiable, but still, following such a simplified approach, it is impossible to reduce to this his vital needs, desires, ambitions and aspirations. And what is even more important, this approach leaves aside the main asset of a person - his own unrealized, undetected or misused opportunities. And yet it is precisely in their development that not only the possible solution of all problems lies, but also the basis for the general self-improvement and self-expression of the human race.

Closely related to this is another important thought - the idea of the unity of the world and the integrity of mankind in the era of the global human empire. Needless to say, just as biological pluralism and differentiation contribute to the resilience of natural systems, cultural and political diversity enriches the human system. However, the latter has now become so integrated and interdependent that it can survive only by remaining united. And this presupposes mutually compatible and consistent behavior and relationships between the different parts of this system. The general interdependence of processes and phenomena dictates another concept necessary for the formation of a sense of globality - the concept of consistency. Without it, it is impossible to imagine that all events, problems and their solutions are actively influencing and experiencing the same impact on the part of the rest of the range of events, problems and solutions.

All these aspects of the new globality are closely interconnected and correlate with two other concepts dictated by the peculiarities of our era. These new concepts relate to timing and goals and stem from the fact that acquired human power has accelerated the pace of events and increased the ambiguity and uncertainty of our future. This forces the person to look further ahead and clearly understand their goals and objectives. A man, in the words of Dennis Gabor, is not able to predict his future, but he can build it. And the humanistic concept of life at the current, highest stage of human evolution requires him to finally stop “looking into the future” and start “creating” it. He should look as far as possible and in his actions pay equal attention to both current and distant consequences in time, including the entire period during which these consequences can manifest themselves. Therefore, he must think carefully and decide how he would like to see the future, and in accordance with this, regulate and regulate his activities.

I am fully aware of how difficult it is for us, with all the differences in our cultures, to perceive the concept of globality - a concept that links together a person, humanity and all interacting elements and factors of the world system, uniting the present and the future, linking actions and their final results. This fundamentally new concept corresponds to our new complex and changeable world - a world in which, in the age of the global human empire, we have become sovereign masters. And in order to be human in the true meaning of this word, we must develop an understanding of the globality of events and phenomena, which would reflect the essence and basis of the entire Universe ...

An active fermentation of ideas is also observed in international life; here the concept of independence is replaced by an approach based on the recognition of the multilateral dependence between all the individual elements of the international system. This is only the first, albeit modest, but absolutely necessary step forward from the current anarchic and uncontrollable state in the world, which is based on the so-called “sovereignty” of a chaotic multitude of competing and quarreling states, first to forced, and then quite conscious cooperation. The ultimate goal of this evolution will be a true "community" of people united by mutual respect and common interests. There is hardly a need to re-emphasize that national sovereignty is the main obstacle on the way to salvation in the age of the global empire of man. And the fact that it stubbornly retains its significance as a guiding principle of the state structure of mankind is a typical syndrome of our abnormal cultural development, and therefore of all our difficulties.

In this regard, I will allow myself to touch upon some of the issues that I have already discussed in more detail. Before the outbreak of World War II, there were about sixty sovereign states in the world, some of them with extensive colonial possessions. Now 144 countries are members of the United Nations. And all of them: big and small, old and young, some are very monolithic and homogeneous, others are highly heterogeneous in structure, some represent a rational single organism, others bear imprints of various kinds of historical, racial, geographical and cultural circumstances justifying their existence - they are all extremely egocentric and extremely jealous of the prerogatives of their sovereignty. The borders of some have been moved many times over the centuries; unstable and changeable, like mercury, many of them are still the subject of lively discussions. Others stubbornly preserve the traditions of ancient dynastic marriages and alcove alliances, or perpetuate the whims of cartographers who transferred the spheres of influence of colonial empires to the drawing board. And yet each of the countries, even when contemplating plans to seize foreign territories, proclaims the inviolability and sacred inviolability of its own borders.

On the practical side, for most relatively small and weak states, sovereignty remains largely nominal, not to mention the recently introduced concept of limited sovereignty. In fact, in the face of superpowers, large states and even powerful corporations, the position of small countries seems rather hopeless. However, even they, having experienced from their own experience what it means to be weak in the face of the strong, are not inferior to the latter in cruelty, refusing to recognize for ethnic and cultural minorities, who, at the whim of history, found themselves within their territories, the same rights to self-determination and independence, which are required for themselves on the world stage. And yet, for all its ethical, political and functional unacceptability and absurdity, the sovereignty of the nation-state remains the cornerstone of the current world order. Moreover, it is quite obvious that in recent years there has even been a certain revival of the cult of sovereignty, a cult that A.J. Toynbee, calling it "the main religion of mankind, which chose as an object of worship the bloody god Moloch, who requires people to sacrifice their children, themselves and all their neighbors - representatives of the human race." Is it any wonder that the structure of the current international building turns out to be so unstable and wobbly if it is built of old, unusable bricks - sovereign nation states.

Nothing, probably, would have seemed more strange and wild to an intelligent alien observing the Earth from the side than this kaleidoscope of all kinds of countries that divided continents into parts - a piece for you, a piece for me - and now striving to share the seas among themselves! The alien will be even more surprised when, approaching, he sees what ingenuity the earthlings manage to show in order to justify the existence of this unthinkable structure and to control it.

The monstrous military buildup that annually consumes 6-8% of the total product of human labor for destructive purposes is far from the only absurd by-product of this senseless division. To it can be added the system of diplomatic services that has grown to an incredible size, the benefits of which are now not much more than from the equally swollen system of secret intelligence services. It is obvious that in our century - a century when telephone, telegraph and television communication systems, telexes, radio, press and airlines covering literally the whole world bring all the latest news to every home, when information by itself travels around the world without assistance, when journalists do not miss a single more or less interesting incident without covering it on newspaper pages, and satellites constantly monitor what is happening on the planet's surface - a significant part of these extremely cumbersome, mannered and hopelessly outdated services left to us from the times knights of sword and sword turns out to be completely superfluous and inappropriate.

In addition to the obvious, tangible and eye-catching results of the activities of all these services and organizations, in particular the military, many small tricks have been invented that complicate and confuse modern life. Monstrously inflating the bureaucratic apparatus, officials are sending to all ends piles of encrypted messages, coded instructions, misleading reports, overlapping and completely contradicting agreements, protocols drawn up to amend previously signed ones, which in turn were intended to amend former laws - also into laws that should never have existed in nature. Artificial alliances are created, which are usually immediately forgotten, international laws are developed that allow many very different interpretations - however, this is not so important, since no one ever observes them anyway.

The fact that today many people continue to stubbornly defend national sovereignty does not at all serve, in my opinion, as proof of its expediency. Indeed, until the moment when the world had the opportunity to become convinced of the falsity and cunning of the myth of economic growth, it enjoyed exactly the same unanimous worship. And just as this myth faithfully served the interests of the world establishment, helping it cover up its flaws and failures, the principle of national sovereignty turns out to be very beneficial in the first place to its most ardent defenders - the ruling classes. After all, a sovereign state is their fiefdom. All the pomp and outward splendor, all the pompous words and ornate decorations that hide behind a narrow egocentrism, coupled with the associated property interests - all this serves the selfish goals of governments in the best possible way; after all, a sovereign state allows them, hiding behind loud phrases about fatherland and traditions, or fatherland and revolution, or something else, to defend their own positions first of all. Moreover, it gives them more and more new means, pretexts and reasons to exert psychological and political pressure on their fellow citizens, not stopping at the right time to call for help an old tried-and-true trick - to inflame nationalism and chauvinism in the country. That is why not a single statesman of any country has ever stood up and proclaimed openly and publicly that the orthodox adherence to the principle of state sovereignty in the modern world is becoming not only dangerous, but simply ridiculous and completely inappropriate.

And yet, despite the efforts of its defenders, the "vessel of sovereignty," as the Harvard political scientist Stanley Hoffman put it, "gave a leak," and a stream flows continuously and uncontrollably through its once completely waterproof walls. technological innovation... And along with it, slowly but surely, the conviction grows and spreads that this state of affairs is leading us on the wrong path. And hence - the confidence in the need to search and study new transnational forms of organization and ways of coexistence. Already now, in those circles of society that are most sensitive to the new requirements of the current era, concrete studies are being undertaken aimed at identifying the structure of a new political order on the planet, free from the imperatives of national sovereignty. This is how the myth of growth was once dispelled step by step and the role of gold as a single monetary equivalent died out. Now, the idea of the need to abandon the principle of the sovereignty of the national state is also gradually ripening and acquiring real features.

The initiative for the first steps in this direction should come from older and stronger countries. The new countries created as a result of decolonization and the liberation movement are a case of a significantly different kind. For them - by virtue of the logic of the existing world order - the possibility of creating an independent state is an inevitable proof of self-determination, a means of self-affirmation and national unity, it is an opportunity to have their say in solving international problems, to develop, relying on their own forces, to educate their own class of politicians capable of manage state affairs. Finally, it allows them to optimally adapt to each other - without sacrificing too much of either - their traditional culture and modern management methods. And no matter how ridiculous the mistakes that they have already made and will make more than once during the period of training and adaptation, no matter how naive and what excesses they fall into, the experience of self-government is absolutely necessary for their further development, and they acquire it. can only under the guise of sovereignty.

As for the countries belonging to the so-called First, developed capitalist world, they just can and should take the initiative of collective and voluntary renunciation of part of their sovereign rights, thereby showing the world that this is not associated with any tragic consequences. for the development of the country. And this idea is not so new as it might seem at first glance. Such attempts were made for the first time 40 years ago in Europe, which is considered to be the cradle of the principles of sovereignty. In 1934, the government of the Spanish Republic took the decision to renounce part of its sovereign rights and transfer them to the League of Nations, but soon a civil war broke out in the country, nationalists came to power with the support of the military - and the romantic initiative was never destined to come true. Apart from this attempt, the Europeans needed to go through yet another, the second world war (which, like the first, proceeded mainly on their territory, mercilessly crippling Europe and its peoples), in order to finally realize the meaninglessness of all suffering, destruction, moral and financial sacrifices that have brought them squabbles between separate nation states. And in 1945, tired of this war, of those who kindled it, they finally matured to the idea that it was time to unite their efforts and tried to create a new, unprecedented transnational and supranational organization.

It took another twelve years before the real foundations of the present European Economic Community were laid. It is quite remarkable that the overwhelming majority of Western European countries then expressed their full readiness for integration in the economic field, considering it as a prelude to further political unification. However, this logically inevitable development of the process was disrupted and suspended due to the lack of a strong unified leadership, due to the revival of nationalism - the most striking, but not the only example of which is Gaullism - as well as due to parochial, narrowly selfish interests and actions of representatives of political circles. ... Certain difficulties also arose in connection with the positions taken on this issue by the United States and the Soviet Union, concerned, albeit for various reasons, with the prospect of a new economic giant and competitor and a possible redistribution of political power and influence.

Of course, such a slow development of the integration process and the innumerable delays that continuously arise on the way to its concrete implementation, could not but cause a certain disappointment and cooling to the idea itself. In addition, the state of the general crisis that the countries of Western Europe are currently experiencing does not at all dispose to the implementation of large projects, if they do not promise frankly positive results in the near future. Reuniting a divided and divided continent - and this is what Europe once was - was and remains an extremely difficult task, and its solution is fraught with incredible difficulties; however, now we can say that the key to it has been found, and the very logic of things is forcing Europe to unite. In the current decade, in my opinion, very favorable conditions have been created for the implementation of many projects that have not yet been realized. It is in this direction that the mood of the majority of Europeans is now developing. If this idea continues to gain strength and support - and I believe that this will happen - we will witness a decisive event for the fate of all world development - the creation of the first true regional union or community.

It must be said that the process of unification in itself does not imply an automatic rejection of the attributes of sovereignty, but contributes to a certain dissolution of this principle, firstly, extending it to much larger geographic territories, and secondly, gradually imposing transnational ties on them and introducing organizations of a supranational character. It is very interesting that the processes currently taking place in Europe involve the most diverse groups and strata of society in the creation of new institutions and new mechanisms. The construction of the Community is not carried out according to a pre-planned program, as was originally assumed, but mainly a la carte, which ultimately cannot but slow down its pace. And all the main social forces, not having the opportunity to prepare and plan actions in advance and on a sufficiently solid basis against their wishes, are forced to draw maps of their progress right on the ground, choosing the forms and paths of development and, along the way, adapting them to the changing reality.

In parallel with the transfer to the jurisdiction of the Community of some functions that were previously in the competence of individual states, a certain reverse process of decentralization is developing, accompanied by the expansion of local autonomy and the powers of local institutions. The creation of such a hierarchical coordinated system that unites at the supranational level the interests and capabilities of various groups and strata of the population and ensures the distribution of responsibility for decision-making is justified today in our increasingly complex world, both from a political and a functional point of view. In the conditions of Europe, such a restructuring leads to the creation of Europe des regions, significantly different from Europe des patries, that is, sovereign states. culture global humanity

The constructive impact of the experience of the European Economic Community reaches far beyond the continent. The Community agreements on cooperation with Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Morocco and Tunisia, as well as its economic partnership with forty-six countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, open the way for the world to new organizational forms of cooperation. Under the shadow of such treaties, numerous non-governmental ties and contacts are established between groups of sovereign states in the economic, financial, technical and cultural fields. As a result of this close and viable interweaving of transnational interests, the sacramental principles of sovereignty fixed in various statutes and documents are gradually being ousted and practically doomed to oblivion.

The deeply innovative nature of these processes makes them the object of active resistance from various social groups and political forces. However, I believe that the future belongs to these processes. I think that tomorrow many countries that are now bound by the ties of simple cooperation with the European Economic Community will join it as full members. Agreements with other countries will be concluded, and the sphere of new solidarity will expand, setting a good example for all countries and peoples. In particular, after a long pause, regional integration of Latin American countries will finally develop further. The basis for renewed action in this area will be the pragmatic a la carte formula of the Latin American Economic System, adopted by the Panama Canal countries in August 1975. The project I have already mentioned, initiated by the Club of Rome in Venezuela, will help Latin American countries understand that the future of each of them is inextricably linked with the fate of the entire continent, depends on their ability to act together, regardless of their national borders separating them.

It is safe to say that the consciousness of the need to solve a number of problems, bypassing the level of individual states and not making a fetish of their sacramental sovereignty, and to overcome the shortcomings of the national structure by creating regional and subregional unions is continuously developing, gaining more and more new supporters. The formation of voluntary non-regional coalitions is one of the signs of the desire to break out of the trap of sovereignty. Previously, coalitions of this kind were usually of a military nature. Now they have become absolutely necessary for solving common problems for different countries and regions of the world, requiring the abandonment of national prestige and national prerogatives in favor of joint, collective action. These problems include, in particular, the management of the use of certain types of natural resources, the development of a number of technologies, certain aspects of environmental protection, regulation of monetary and financial issues, etc.

The most widely known and best organized coalition of this type is currently represented by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries - OPEC. It has clear advantages over its alleged counterpart and antipode - the International Energy Association. Another example is the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development - OECD, which, in contrast to the previously mentioned ones, has a much wider base and a significantly different set of goals and objectives: it serves as an official forum, and sometimes an exponent of the interests of the market economy of developed countries. In November 1975, the first ever economic summit was held. The Rambouillet Declaration, signed by the six largest industrialized countries of the OECD, focused on the current grave economic crisis and the joint action required to tackle it. At the same time, the idea of a permanent “directorate” of “capitalist” countries began to crystallize, the usefulness and effectiveness of which is difficult to foresee in advance: it will depend on what concrete forms it will take and what forces will lead it. At the opposite end of the spectrum is Gruipa 77, the coalition I have already mentioned of about 100 least developed countries. Apparently, the regional economic association of the Soviet Union and the socialist countries - the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, or CMEA, will also continue to develop and improve.

All these tendencies testify to the obvious ineffectiveness of the old system of bilateral relations in the face of world problems. On the other hand, cumbersome international organizations uniting about 150 states simply cannot function without resorting to the mediation of coalitions of one kind or another. And here again, reality turns out to be stronger than outdated principles and structures, forcing government circles and representatives of the political top to create associations that ignore state borders, and to pursue a course of solidarity between peoples. These processes and trends are very encouraging; however, if all this does not ultimately result in confrontation between individual coalitions, now, more than ever, the active support of the wider world community is needed.

I think that regional communities and non-regional coalitions - different in nature, scale and tasks and existing in spite of their own and foreign national borders, which so rigidly divided the world into economic, political and ideological blocs and groupings - will play an increasingly important role in the future. ... One of their advantages is that they are, by their very form, much less monolithic than nation states, and therefore more receptive to new opportunities, new experiences, innovative and creative elements and needs, than formal bureaucratic institutions such as scientific academies. research institutes, religious and non-governmental organizations. Thus, in the historically established hierarchy of institutions and institutions, a new decision-making ability is created that allows you to manage an increasingly complex and increasingly integrated world.

Another area where an equally bountiful harvest of ideas is ripening is related to the concept of interdependence, which is directly opposite to the principle of sovereignty. Harlan Cleveland, head of the International Program at the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies, is absolutely right when he says that the people of the world are "much more interdependent than is reflected in today's national and international institutions." Believing that "the humanistic management of international interdependence is one of the most important political and moral problems of our time," he embarked on a major program to identify which international institutions and agreements could establish a system of multilateral governance of activities related to the satisfaction of human needs.

It is understandable for developing countries if, in advocating “selective” interdependence, they reject in advance the solutions that stronger countries might impose on them. In fact, they are right in many ways. Indeed, forcibly imposed interdependence in relations between unequals inevitably turns into its opposite, turning into dependence; here a situation arises, similar to the case with a cutlet of one hazel grouse and one horse - the final product turns out to be solid horse meat. In this vein, in my opinion, the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States should also be assessed, which unequivocally emphasizes the role of national sovereignty. The guarantee of the rights of small and young states should not be the chimera of independence, but the assertion and collective guarantees of the absence of dependence on any other state. If we approach this condition from more general positions, it requires the establishment of fairer and more equitable ties of reciprocity and interdependence between all countries without exception, a radical transformation of international practice. Only then will the countries be united by the bonds of truly mutual dependence. And we have no other way: world system has now entered a phase of truly epochal transformations, and it is interdependence that is one of its defining foundations.

The most paradoxical thing is that even the United Nations - this forum of sovereign states - is gradually shaking the foundations of the principle of sovereignty. For many years, its relatively less powerful members have continuously complained about the dominance of large countries in the UN, about the fact that sometimes there is an abuse of the veto right, that the United States of America is recruiting a majority for itself through bribery and other unseemly means. Recently, the situation has changed radically, and now it is the turn of the United States to express dissatisfaction with the "tyranny of the majority." However, whatever the beneficial consequences of these shifts in discontent, one thing is clear: the vices and reasons for the insufficient effectiveness of the UN are not so much related to the organization itself as to the behavior of its members, who are more than anything else concerned about the observance of their own rights and sovereign interests and do not want to notice nothing else.

All are unanimous in the opinion that the United Nations system needs serious reforms, in this regard, a special commission was even created, and its proposals were discussed at the Special Session in September 1975. But after all, not a single real reform of the United Nations can fail to run counter to the philosophy of sovereignty. With old structures, it often happens that the mini-reforms initiated in them lead to the need for deep maxi-reforms, affecting the foundations. In this regard, I recall a story with a friend of mine, the owner of a beautiful seventeenth century palace on one of the Venetian canals. Such palaces are said to hold on only because they are held together by electrical wiring. So, one day my friend decided to install a bathtub and called a plumber. The work somehow mysteriously influenced the state of the doorways at the opposite end of the building, the strengthening of which changed the balance of the roof, and this in turn affected something in the very foundation of the palace. As a result, the friend had to renovate the entire building. I am confident that something similar can happen to the United Nations. Its restructuring will convince even the most inveterate conservatives that the root of many of the shortcomings of this and other similar organizations lies precisely in the principle and logic of sovereignty.

The United Nations system also played an important role in putting forward the idea of transforming the world community as a whole instead of individual countries into a subject of legal regulation. Since the UN World Conference, the word "peace" has become, along with the word "nation", to acquire the meaning of a key word in world politics. It is known that the main goal of the conferences is aimed at revising on a global scale the most acute problems of mankind, such as man and the environment (Stockholm, 1973), population (Bucharest, 1974), food (Rome, 1974), the use of the seas and oceans (Caracas - Geneva - New York, expected to continue in the coming years), human settlements (Vancouver, 1976), employment (Geneva, 1976), water resources (Buenos Aires, 1977), science and technology (1979 year). This list, apparently, will be continued. It is applicable that, attending these conferences, even the most conservative representatives of official governments, eternally preoccupied with their own affairs and interests, cannot fail to see the comprehensive, truly global impact of the problems, the echoes of which, like an echo, spread throughout the world, reaching its most distant corners ...

We are already accustomed to the fact that groups of progressive people concerned about something or against something protesting from all continents gather together, organizing, in parallel with intergovernmental conferences, open discussions and free debates on various issues. Sometimes they make more noise than meaning, but more often than not they are much more useful than official forums, with which, by the way, they usually strongly disagree. The dialectic of the development of this kind of movement is simple and clear - this is an increasingly loud and unforgiving Vox populj. This is also related to the continuous growth of the number of non-governmental organizations studying and trying to solve the unprecedented complexity of the problems of our time. Some of them play only an auxiliary or stimulating role, making up for the insufficient efficiency of government activities, but there are some that could be compared with antibodies secreted by the body during a period of danger. This is a kind of defensive reaction of our sick society to the poisoning of the poisons of sovereignty, nationalism, ignorance, selfishness, shortsightedness, bureaucracy. The Club of Rome could rightfully be included in this category: not having an organizational structure, it really strives to embrace contemporary problems in all its forms and manifestations. Such useful and necessary organizations focus attention on the pressing problems of our time. From them a life-giving stream of fresh, truly innovative ideas gushes in a continuous stream, and together they influence the formal structure of government and international institutions.

Meanwhile, some governments are beginning to understand the need to coordinate their long-term national and regional plans in a global context. Just a few years ago, no one seemed to suspect that national interests should really be considered and assessed only against the background of broader, universal interests. In the late 1960s, work began on the Year 2000 Project to explore alternatives for Europe's future development and select trends that would ensure sustainable prosperity. The initiators of the project had noble ideas and broad plans, but they viewed Europe as an isolated, closed unit, without even discussing the possible impact on it (until 2000) of such factors as the situation in the world as a whole and its development. In the new project of the European Community - "Europe in 30 years" - Europe appears as a part of the global environment, to which it must somehow adapt, willy-nilly; the goal of the project is now reduced to finding the best possible way create a comfortable ecological niche for yourself within the external environment.

A similar story happened in the United States. In 1967, there was published a commemorative report of the authoritative "Commission of the Year 2000", organized at the initiative of the American Academy of Arts and Science. At the beginning of the study, forecasts and quantified economic development prospects up to the end of this century were presented separately for each country. At the same time, it was tacitly assumed that the current division of the world is an intrinsic feature of it, which will remain unchanged until the end of time. However, the outlined forecasts - for all their exceptional merits - after all the great labors were immediately and completely forgotten. The report went on to discuss America's future, referring only briefly and along the way to referring to the rest of the world as an appendage whose main function is to unquestioningly accept and support American reality. As far as I know, until recently, even the Soviet Union, for all its rich and long-term planning experience, made such mistakes. I hope that Soviet specialists have already succeeded in developing a methodology for long-term planning, taking into account the tendencies of world development. I think that sometime in the future, the United States will also do well. But I am absolutely sure that today even such huge and powerful countries cannot afford the luxury of not understanding that any such plan - if it is really good for something - should be guided by the expected trends of global development and that if along this path If these two giant powers go, then all other countries and regions will certainly follow.

Understanding what political and ethical consequences a person's entry into the age of his global empire entails necessarily presupposes a significant, qualitative leap in this area. It is quite logical that in the current conditions each country, community or coalition strives to pursue exactly the policy that, in their opinion, corresponds to their own direct interests. Methods have already been developed - including the Mesarovich-Pestel modeling method - that allow decision-makers to more comprehensively analyze possible prospects for world development, assessing in a global context the limits and conditions for the implementation of certain alternatives to national or regional development... The use of such techniques makes it possible to see firsthand that the planet is not so large and generous as to satisfy the expectations of all groups of the world population without exception. And if each of them strives to grab as much as possible, this will ultimately lead to a catastrophe for the entire system that ensures human life on Earth, and as a result, no one will get anything of what they want and what they really need. I think the time has come for the most powerful and responsible groups of the human community - and first of all the European Economic Community, the United States of America, the Soviet Union, China, Japan and OPEC - to mobilize their scientific and technical resources and available information to study the true state of the global system. It will undoubtedly show that its condition is by no means as good as we would like, that there is a noticeable tendency towards an even greater deterioration and that it is in the common interests of all mankind to preserve, and, if possible, improve it. Leading groups should also set an example to others - I constantly emphasize that the example should come from the largest and most powerful - after weighing and deciding what they themselves, together and separately, can do to achieve this goal and what practical steps should be taken, to improve the situation.

We are now approaching a period when we will have to find smarter ways to satisfy our own. interests. And here it is important to understand that the well-being of the whole world as a whole is a necessary condition for the well-being of its individual parts, while the opposite is not at all obvious and must be verified in each specific case. The well-being of human societies from time immemorial has been based on ethical and moral principles. And now one of the most important such principles says: not a single - even the most powerful and prosperous - country or coalition can hope to not only succeed, but even simply survive if a dangerous global situation is created that endangers the existence of all other groups of humanity. And then follows the most important conclusion: the higher the status or the level of expectations that a given country associates with the future, and, therefore, the more share it hopes to receive from the world renewal, the greater its own contribution to this renewal should be.

What general conclusion can be drawn from a review of all these seemingly disparate, unrelated problems? As far as one can now imagine, creating a new society at a global level will require much more of us than simply establishing the new order currently under discussion; for this process to really begin, humanity - having finally freed itself from the myth of growth - must now get rid of yet another trap, baited by national sovereignty. It is he who prevents humanity from fully realizing the logic of interdependence and preparing to become a global community. Sensing the deepening danger and experiencing multiplying difficulties, people of the world are gradually realizing the need and inevitability of some favorable changes in the organization of social development that can change and improve their current situation. They are even willing to make significant sacrifices to facilitate these changes, if only to have a chance to raise their children, gain dignity, enjoy life and participate in its further improvement. If we can contribute to the development of these sentiments, wide horizons will open before us. But we need to get used to the idea that the sovereign nation state will inevitably be at the center of social transformation. It is the change in the principles and nature of the nation-state that will become the main condition for the success of Mankind.

The transformation of the international order and power structure will in many cases proceed through a peaceful, albeit difficult, civil evolution; sometimes, however, it will acquire a rather violent character, at times even moving the main line of conflicts now located on the borders between countries inside the states themselves. I hope that these problems will become the topic of one of the future scientific projects of the Club of Rome, and he, I am sure, will show that this coup can be carried out without violence - provided, of course, that citizens of the whole world gradually learn to look realistically at their problems and at their capabilities. And here again the qualities and abilities of the people themselves will be decisive.

For more than half a century, the question of the situation of time has been posed more and more insistently; each generation has answered this question for its own moment. However, if earlier the threat to our spiritual world was felt by only a few people, then since the beginning of the war this question has arisen before almost every person ...

The question of the present situation of a person as a result of his formation and his chances in the future is posed more acutely than ever before. The answers provide for the possibility of death and the possibility of a real undertaking, but a decisive answer is not given.

What made a person a person is beyond the history that has been passed down to us. The tools in constant possession, the creation and use of fire, language, overcoming sexual jealousy and male companionship in creating a permanent society raised man above the animal world.

Compared to the hundreds of millennia in which these seemingly inaccessible steps towards becoming human have been taken, the history we see in about 6,000 years takes an insignificant amount of time. In it, a person appears as spread over the surface of the Earth in many different types, which are only very little or not connected with each other and do not know each other. Of these, the man of the Western world, who conquered the globe, contributed to people getting to know each other and understand the significance of their interconnectedness within humanity, advanced through the consistent implementation of the following principles:

a) An endless rationality based on Greek science introduced calculability and the domination of technology into existence. Generally significant scientific research, the ability to foresee legal decisions within the framework of formal, created by Rome law, calculation in economic enterprises up to the rationalization of all activities, including those that are destroyed in the process of rationalization, all this is a consequence of a position infinitely open to the compulsion of logical thought and empirical objectivity, which must be constantly understood by everyone.
c) The subjectivity of identity is clearly manifested in the Jewish prophets, Greek philosophers and Roman statesmen. What we call a personality took shape in this form in the course of human development in the West and from the very beginning was associated with rationality as its correlate.
c) In contrast to the Eastern rejection of the world and the associated possibility of "nothing" as a true being, Western man perceives the world as an actual reality in time. Only in the world, and not outside the world, does he gain self-confidence. Identity and rationality become for him a source from which he unmistakably cognizes the world and tries to dominate it.

These three principles have become firmly established only in the last centuries, the XIX century brought their full manifestation outside. The globe became accessible everywhere; space is allocated. For the first time, the planet has become a single all-encompassing place of human settlement. Everything is interconnected. Technical dominance over space, time and matter grows infinitely, no longer thanks to random individual discoveries, but through planned labor, within the framework of which the discovery itself becomes methodical and achievable.

After millennia of isolated development of human cultures, in the last four and a half centuries, the process of conquering the world by Europeans has been going on, and the last century has marked the end of this process. This century, in which the movement was carried out at an accelerated pace, knew many individuals who were completely dependent on themselves, knew the pride of leaders and rulers, the delight of discoverers, courage based on calculation, knowledge of the ultimate boundaries; it also knew the depth of spirit that is preserved in such a world. Today we perceive this century as our past. A revolution took place, the content of which we perceive, however, not as something positive, but as a heap of immeasurable difficulties: the conquest of external territories has come across a limit; the outwardly expanding movement, as it were, bumped into itself ...

A specific feature of modern times is the deification of the world since Schiller's time. In the West, this process has been accomplished with such radicalism as nowhere else. There were unbelieving skeptics in ancient India and in antiquity, for whom only the sensually given mattered, to the capture of which they, although considering it, however, insignificant, rushed without any remorse. However, they still did this in a world that, in fact, for them remained as a whole spiritualized. In the West, as a consequence of Christianity, another skepticism has become possible: the concept of a transcendental god-creator turned the entire world created by him into his creation. The pagan demons were expelled from nature, the gods from the world. Created became the subject of human cognition, which at first, as it were, reproduced in its thinking the thoughts of God. Protestant Christianity took this seriously; the natural sciences with their rationalization, mathematization and mechanization of the world were close to this kind of Christianity. The great natural scientists of the 17th and 18th centuries remained believing Christians. But when in the end the doubt eliminated the creator god, only the cognizable in natural sciences a mechanized image, which would never have happened with such harshness without the previous reduction of the world to creation.

This divorce is not the disbelief of individual people, but a possible consequence of spiritual development, which in this case, in fact, leads to nothing. There is a feeling of a never-before-experienced emptiness of being, in comparison with which the most radical disbelief of antiquity was still protected by the fullness of images of the still-preserved mythical reality; it shows through in the didactic poem of the epicurean Lucretius.

Modernity was compared with the time of the decline of antiquity, with the time of the Hellenistic states, when the Greek world disappeared, and with the third century after the birth of Christ, when ancient culture perished. However, there are a number of significant differences. Before, it was a question of a world that occupied a small space of the earth's surface, and the future of man was still outside its borders. At the present time, when the entire globe has been mastered, everything that remains of humanity must enter the civilization created by the West. Previously, the population was decreasing, now it has grown in unheard-of proportions. Previously, a threat could only come from outside, now an external threat to the whole can only be partial, death, if we are talking about the death of the whole, can come only from within. The most obvious difference from the situation of the third century is that then technology was in a state of stagnation, its decline began, while now it is making its irrepressible progress at an unheard of pace.

Outwardly visible new, which from this time should serve as the basis for human existence and sets new conditions for it, is the development of the technical world. For the first time, the process of true domination over nature began. If we imagine that our world will perish under heaps of sand, then subsequent excavations will not bring up wonderful works of art similar to the ancient ones, we still admire the antique pavements - from the last centuries of the new time, such an amount of iron and concrete will remain in comparison with the previous ones. , which will become obvious: man has enclosed the planet in a network of his equipment. This step has the same significance in comparison with the previous time as the first step towards the creation of tools in general: there appears the prospect of turning the planet into a single factory for the use of its materials and energies. Man broke through the vicious circle of nature for the second time, left it in order to create in it that which nature as such would never have created; now this creation of man competes with her in the strength of its influence. It appears before us not so much in the visibility of its materials and apparatuses, as in the reality of its functions; based on the remains of the radio masts, the archaeologist could not form an idea of the availability of events and information that they created universal for the people of the whole Earth.

However, the nature of the deification of the world and the principle of technization are not yet sufficient to comprehend that new thing that distinguishes our centuries, and in its completion - our modernity from the past. Even without a clear knowledge of people, the feeling that they live at a time when they reach a milestone in the development of the world that is incommensurate with similar milestones of individual historical epochs of past millennia does not leave us. We live in a spiritually incomparably richer situation with opportunities and dangers, however, if it is not given satisfaction, it will inevitably turn into the most insignificant time for the incapacitated person.

Looking at the past millennia, one might think that man has reached the end in his development. Or, as a bearer of modern consciousness, he is only at the beginning of his path, at the beginning of his formation, but, this time possessing the means and the possibility of real recollection, on a new, completely different level.

In the whirlpool of modern existence, it often becomes incomprehensible what actually happens. Unable to escape on the shore, which would allow us to survey the whole, we rush in our existence like on the sea. The whirlpool creates what we see only when it carries us along with it.

However, this existence is now taken for granted, as a massive supply through rational production based on technical discoveries. When this knowledge of the comprehended process as a whole turns into an awareness of the existence of modernity, it becomes inevitable not the whirlpool, incomprehensible in its capabilities, but the apparatus operating in the course of the necessary economic development. Setting ourselves the goal of clarifying our spiritual situation, we proceed from how reality is currently viewed. A condensed reproduction of the known should make the meaning of this knowledge perceptible: if the reality comprehended in it is powerful in itself, then this knowledge as such turns into a new, spiritual force, which, if it is not limited to a strongly justified rational application for a separate purposeful activity, but is absolutized into the general picture of existence is a faith that can only be accepted or rejected. While scientific research in its peculiarity is aimed at investigating the nature and level of economic forces, for spiritual awareness of the situation, the decisive answer is the answer to the question of whether these forces and what they create should be considered the only human reality that dominates everything.

Mass existence and its conditions. According to the estimates of 1800, the population of the Earth was about 860 million, today it is equal to 1800 million. This unprecedented increase in population over the course of one century was made possible by advances in technology. Discoveries and inventions have created: a new basis for production, the organization of enterprises, a methodological study of the highest productivity of labor, transport and communication, delivering everything you need everywhere, ordering life through formal law and the police; and on the basis of all this, an accurate calculation in the enterprises. Enterprises were created, systematically managed from the center, despite the fact that they employ hundreds of people, and they spread their influence over many regions of the planet.

This development is associated with the rationalization of activities; decisions are not made instinctively or by inclination, but on the basis of knowledge and calculation; development is also associated with mechanization: labor turns into activity calculated to the limit, connected with the necessary rules, which can be performed by different individuals, but remains the same. Where previously a person only waited, allowed the necessary to arise, he now foresees and does not want to leave anything to chance. The worker is forced to a large extent to become part of the operating mechanism.

The population cannot live without a huge apparatus, in the work of which it participates as wheels, in order to thus ensure its existence. On the other hand, we are provided for in a way that the masses of people have never been provided with throughout history. Even at the beginning of the 19th century, there were periods in Germany when people suffered from hunger. Diseases drastically reduced the population, most children died in infancy, only a few people survived to old age. At present, in the regions of Western civilization, the occurrence of hunger in peacetime is excluded. If in 1750 in London one person in twenty died every year, now it is one in eighty. Insurance against unemployment or illness and social security do not allow people in need to die of hunger, whereas in the past it was a matter of course for entire sections of the population and to this day it is so for a number of Asian countries.

Mass support is not carried out according to a specific plan, but also in an extremely complex interaction of various types of rationalization and mechanization. This is not a slave economy, where people are used as animals, but an economy in which people, of their own free will, each in his place, enjoying full confidence, participates in creating conditions for the functioning of the whole. The political structure of this apparatus of activity is democracy in one form or another. No one can any longer, on the basis of a contrived plan, determine without the consent of the masses what they should do. The apparatus develops in the collision of the struggling and in accordance with the acting volitional directions; the criterion of what an individual does is success, which ultimately determines the continuation or elimination of his activity. Therefore, everyone is acting according to the plan, but not according to the plan of the whole.

In accordance with this, over the course of two centuries, political economy has developed as the main science. Since at this time economic, technical and social processes increasingly determined the historical course of things for the general consciousness, their knowledge turned, as it were, into a science of human things in general. Associated with this is the immense complexity in the implementation of the principle of the goal-rational order in ensuring existence, a principle that seems so simple in itself. This complexity reveals a whole world of permissible domination, which, being nowhere distinguishable as a whole, exists only in constant modification.

Consciousness in the age of technology. A consequence of the development of technology for everyday life is the confidence to provide everything necessary for life, but in such a way that the pleasure of it is diminished, because it is expected to be taken for granted, rather than perceived as a positive fulfillment of hope. Everything becomes just material that can be obtained for money at any moment; it lacks the tinge of the personally created. Items of use are manufactured in enormous quantities, wear out and thrown away; they are easily replaceable. They expect from technology to create not something precious, unique in its quality, independent of fashion because of its value in human life, an object that belongs only to him, preserved and restored if it deteriorates. Therefore, everything connected simply with the satisfaction of a need becomes indifferent, essential - only when it is not there. As the scale of the provision of life grows, the sense of scarcity and threat of danger increases.

Among the objects of use there are expedient, completely finished types, final forms, the production of which can be normalized according to a certain plan. They were not invented by any one smart person; it is the result of a process of discovery and formation, perfected by an entire generation. So, the bicycle developed over two decades, taking forms that now seem ridiculous to us, until it acquired its final form in a number of modifications, which it has retained to this day. If now most of the objects of use in some details and repel the inconsistency of form, curls and excess of details, impracticality of devices, emphasized and therefore unnecessary technicality, the ideal as a whole is clear, and in some cases it is realized. Where it is realized, attachment to any particular instance loses all meaning; only a form is needed, not a separate instance, and, despite all the artificiality, there is a certain new closeness to things as to something created by people, that is, closeness to them in their function.

Technique's overcoming of time and space in daily newspaper reporting, travel, mass production and reproduction through film and radio has created an opportunity for everyone to come into contact with everyone. There is nothing more distant, secret, amazing. Anyone can participate in important events. The people in the leading positions are known as if they were met daily.

The inner position of a person in this technical world is called efficiency. People are expected not to reason, but knowledge, not reflections on the meaning, but skillful actions, not feelings, but objectivity, not disclosure of the actions of mysterious forces, but a clear establishment of facts. Messages should be expressed succinctly, plastically, without any sentimentality. Valuable considerations that are consistently presented as material from past education are not considered worthy of attention. Comprehensiveness is rejected, constructive thought is required, not talking, but simply communicating facts. Everything that exists is directed towards controllability and the right device. The reliability of technology creates dexterity in handling all things; the ease of communication normalizes knowledge, hygiene and comfort, schematizes what is associated in existence with body care and eroticism. Compliance with the rules is at the fore in everyday behavior. The desire to act like everyone else, not to stand out, creates a typing that absorbs everything, reminiscent on another level of the typing of the most primitive times.

The individual breaks down into functions. To be means to be in action; where there would be a sense of personality, efficiency would be broken. The individual person lives as a consciousness of social being. In the borderline case, he feels the joy of labor without feeling his self; the collective lives, and what would seem boring to an individual person, moreover, unbearable, in the collective he calmly accepts, as if under the rule of a different impulse. He thinks of his being only as "we".

Man's being is reduced to the universal; to vitality as a productive unit, to the triviality of pleasure. The division of labor and entertainment deprives the existence of its possible weight; the public becomes material for entertainment, the private becomes an alternation of excitement and fatigue and a thirst for the new, the inexhaustible stream of which is quickly forgotten; there is no duration, it is just a pastime. Efficiency also contributes to an unlimited interest in the general instinctive sphere of all: this is expressed in the enthusiasm of the mass and monstrous, the creation of technology, a huge crowd of people, public sensations caused by the deeds, happiness and dexterity of individual individuals; in subtle and crude eroticism, in games, adventures, and even in the ability to risk life. The number of participants in the lotteries is amazing; solving crossword puzzles is becoming a favorite pastime. Objective satisfaction of spiritual aspirations without personal involvement guarantees a business functioning in which fatigue and rest are regulated.

In the decomposition into functions, existence loses its historical peculiarity, in its extreme expression up to the leveling of age differences. Youth, as an expression of higher vitality, capacity for activity and erotic delight, is a desirable type in general. Where a person has only the meaning of function, he must be young; if he is no longer young, he will strive for the appearance of youth. Added to this is that the age of an individual is no longer important from the start; his life is perceived only in an instant, the temporary duration of life is only a random duration, it is not stored in memory as a significant sequence of inevitable decisions made in various biological phases. If a person has essentially no more age, he always starts from the beginning and always reaches the end; he can do both this, and this, today this, tomorrow another; everything seems to be always possible, and nothing in essence is real. An individual person is no more than a case of millions of other cases, so why should he attach importance to his activities? Everything that happens happens quickly and then is forgotten. Therefore, people behave as if they are all the same age. Children become adults as early as possible and participate in conversations of their own free will. Where old age itself tries to appear young, it does not command respect. Instead of doing what befits it, and thus serving the young at a certain distance in scale, old age takes on the form of vitality that is characteristic of youth, but unworthy in old age. Genuine youth seeks distance, not confusion, old age seeks form and fulfillment, as well as consistency in its destiny.

Since general efficiency requires simplicity, understandable to everyone, it leads to uniform manifestations of human behavior throughout the world. Not only fashions become uniform, but also the rules of communication, gestures, manner of speaking, the nature of the message. The ethos of communication is also becoming common: polite smiles, calmness, no rush and insistent demands, humor in tense situations, willingness to help if it does not require too much sacrifice, lack of closeness between people in personal life, self-discipline and order in the crowd - all this is expedient. for the common life of many and is being realized.

The dominance of the apparatus. By transforming individuals into functions, the huge apparatus for ensuring existence removes them from the substantial content of life, which previously influenced people as a tradition. It was often said: people are poured over like sand. The system is formed by an apparatus in which people are rearranged at will from one place to another, and not a historical substance, which they fill with their individual being. An increasing number of people are leading this existence, divorced from the whole. Scattered in different places, then unemployed, they represent only a naked existence and do not occupy more than a certain place within the whole. The deep, previously existing truth - each one fulfills his task in his place in the created world - becomes a deceptive turn of speech, the purpose of which is to calm a person who feels the chilling horror of abandonment. Everything that a person is able to do is done quickly. He is given tasks, but he lacks consistency in his existence. The work is done expediently, and that is done. For some time, the identical methods of his work are repeated, but do not deepen in this repetition so that they become the property of the one who uses them; there is no accumulation of self-being in this. What has passed does not matter, only what is happening at the moment is significant. The main property of this existence is the ability to forget, its prospects in the past and future are almost compressed in the present. Life goes on without memories and without foresight in all those cases when it is not about the power of abstractive purposefully directed attention to the productive function within the apparatus. Love for things and people disappears. The finished product disappears, only a mechanism that can create a new one remains. Forcibly chained to immediate goals, a person is deprived of the space necessary to see life in general.

Where average productivity is the measure of a person, the individual is indifferent as such. There are no irreplaceable ones. What he was in the quality - he is common, not himself. People who do not want to be themselves at all are predetermined for this life; they have the advantage. One gets the impression that the world is falling into the power of mediocrity, people without destiny, without differences and without a true human essence.

It seems that the objectified man, cut off from his roots, has lost the most essential thing. For him, the presence of true being does not appear in anything. In pleasure and displeasure, in tension and fatigue, he expresses himself only as a definite function. Living from day to day, he sees a goal that goes beyond the immediate performance of work, only to take the best possible place in the apparatus. The mass of those who remain in their places separates from the minority of those who unceremoniously make their way forward. The former stay passively where they are, work and enjoy leisure after work; the second are encouraged to be active by ambition and love of power; they are exhausted, thinking of possible chances for advancement and straining their last strength.

The management of the entire apparatus is carried out by the bureaucracy, which itself is an apparatus, that is, people who have turned into an apparatus, on which those who work in the apparatus depend.

The state, the community, the factory, the firm - all of this is an enterprise led by a bureaucracy. Everything that exists today needs a multitude of people, and therefore an organization. Within the bureaucratic apparatus and through it, advancement is possible, which provides great significance with essentially similar functions, requiring only greater intelligence, skill, special abilities, and active actions. The dominant apparatus patronizes people with abilities that allow them to advance: those who know how to assess the situation, shameless individuals who perceive people according to their average level and therefore successfully use them; they are ready as specialists to rise to virtuosity, they are able to live without hesitation and, almost without wasting time for sleep, are obsessed with the desire to advance.

Next, you need the ability to win the favor. You need to be able to persuade, even bribe - perform service without fail, become irreplaceable, - be silent, cheat, a little, but not too much, lie, be tireless in finding reasons, behave outwardly modestly, - if necessary, appeal to feeling - work to the pleasure of the bosses , - not to show any independence, except for that which is necessary in individual cases.

For someone who, by origin, cannot claim high positions in the bureaucratic apparatus, is not prepared for that by education, but must achieve the appropriate position on his own, this is due to demeanor, instinct, attitude to values, and all this poses a danger to true identity as a condition for responsible leadership. Sometimes a fluke can help; however, as a rule, successful people are distinguished by such qualities that prevent them from putting up with the fact that a person remains himself, and therefore, with an unerring instinct, they try by all means to oust such people from their field of activity: they call them arrogant, eccentric, one-sided and unacceptable in business; their activities are evaluated on a false absolute scale; they are suspicious, their behavior is seen as provoking, disturbing peace, peace in society and transgressing due boundaries. Since a high position is achieved only by the one who sacrificed his essence, he does not want to allow the other to keep it.

The methods of promotion in the apparatus determine the selection of the right persons. Since only the one who strives for success achieves anything, but this is what should never be admitted in a specific situation, it is considered decent to wait until you are called: it depends on behavior how to achieve what you want, while maintaining the appearance of restraint. First, usually in society, as if imperceptibly, they direct the conversation in the right direction. As if indifferently, assumptions are expressed. They are preceded by such expressions: I do not think about it ... one should not expect that ... - and thus express their desires. If this does not lead to anything, then nothing has been said. If the desired result is achieved, then you can soon inform about the proposal received, pretending that it happened regardless of your desire. A habit is created to assert many things that contradict each other. With all people, you should establish such relationships in order to have the greatest possible connections, using the one that is needed in this particular case. Instead of the camaraderie of original people, there is a kind of pseudo-friendship of those who silently find each other in case of need, giving their communication a form of courtesy and courtesy. Not to violate the rules of the game in pleasures, to express your respect to everyone, to be indignant when you can count on an appropriate response, never to question common material interests, whatever they may be - all this and the like is essential.

Dominance of the masses. The mass and the apparatus are connected to each other. A large mechanism is needed to ensure the existence of the masses. He should focus on the properties of the mass: in production - on labor force the masses, in their products - on the values of the masses of consumers.

The mass is like a crowd of people who are not connected with each other, who in their combination make up a kind of unity, as a transient phenomenon has always existed. The mass as a public is a typical product of a certain historical stage; these are people bound by the perceived words and opinions, not differentiated in their belonging to different strata of society. The mass as a totality of people, arranged inside the apparatus for ordering existence in such a way that the will and properties of the majority are of decisive importance, is a constantly acting force of our world, as a public and as a crowd, it acts as a transitory phenomenon.

Le Bon gave an excellent analysis of the properties of the mass as a temporary unity of the crowd, defining them as impulsiveness, suggestibility, intolerance, a tendency to change, etc. The property of the mass as a public consists in a ghostly idea of its significance as a large number of people; she makes her own opinion as a whole, which is not the opinion of any individual person; countless others, unrelated many, whose opinion determines the decision. This opinion is called "public opinion". It is a fiction of the opinion of all, as such it appears, it is called upon, it is expressed and accepted by individual individuals and groups as their own. Since it is, strictly speaking, intangible, it is always illusory and instantly disappears - nothing, which, as nothing of a large number of people, becomes for a moment a destructive and uplifting force.

Cognition of the properties of the mass included in the apparatus is not simple and unambiguous. What a person is is manifested in what the majority does: in what is bought, what is consumed, in what can be counted on when it comes to many people, and not in the inclination of individual individuals. Just as budget items in a private economy serve as a characteristic feature of the essence of an individual, so the budget of a state dependent on the majority is a sign of the essence of the masses. The essence of a person can be judged by being aware of the funds he has, based on what he has money for and what they lack. The most direct way to learn what can be expected on average is taught by the experience that develops from contact with many people. These judgments have been strikingly similar over the millennia. United in large numbers, people seem to want only to exist and enjoy; they work under the influence of a stick and a carrot; they, as a matter of fact, do not want anything, become enraged, but do not express their will; they are passive and indifferent, tolerate their need; when the respite comes, they get bored and yearn for something new.

For the mass included in the apparatus, the fiction of equality is of prime importance. People compare themselves to others, while everyone can be himself only if he is not comparable to anyone else. What the other has, I also want to have; what the other can do, so can I. Envy, the desire to enjoy, to have more and to mean more, reigns secretly.

If in the old days, in order to know what you can count on, you had to get acquainted with princes and diplomats, now for this you need to be aware of the properties of the mass. The condition of life has become the need to perform some function, one way or another serving the masses. The mass and its apparatus have become the subject of our most vital interest. For the most part, it dominates us. For everyone who does not deceive himself, it is the sphere of his full service dependence, activity, worries and obligations. He belongs to her, but she threatens the person with death in the rhetoric and vanity associated with her statement: "we are all"; the false sense of the power of this affirmation vanishes like nothing. The mass included in the apparatus is spiritless and inhuman. She is present existence without existence, superstition without faith. She is able to trample everything, she has a tendency to not tolerate greatness and independence, to educate people so that they turn into ants.

As the huge apparatus for ordering the life of the masses consolidates, everyone must serve him and participate in the creation of something new with his own labor. If he wants to live by engaging in spiritual activities, this is possible only by participating in the pacification of any mass of people. He must show the importance of what is pleasing to the masses. She wants to ensure her existence with food, eroticism, self-affirmation; life does not give her pleasure if any of this is missing. In addition, she needs a way to know herself. She wants to be led, but so that it seems to her that she is leading. She doesn't want to be free, but she wants to be. To satisfy her desires, in fact, the average and ordinary, but not called such, must be exalted or, in any case, justified as universal. What is inaccessible to her is called far from life.

Advertising is needed to influence the mass. The noise it makes is now the form that every spiritual movement must take. The silence in human activity as a form of life seems to have disappeared. It is necessary to show, read reports and make speeches to cause a sensation. There is a lack of genuine greatness in the mass apparatus in the representation. No festivities. Nobody believes in the authenticity of the holidays, even the participants themselves. It is enough to imagine the Pope making a solemn journey across the entire globe to the center of present power, to America, approximately the way he traveled throughout Europe in the Middle Ages, and we will immediately see how incomparable with the past the phenomenon of our time.

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The development of civilization, however, was accompanied by the flourishing of bright hopes and illusions that could not be realized, at least for reasons of a psychological and social nature. Elitism has always been at the heart of her philosophy and her actions. And the Earth, no matter how generous it is, is still unable to accommodate the continuously growing population and satisfy more and more of its needs, desires and whims. That is why a new, deeper split is now emerging in the world - between the overdeveloped and underdeveloped countries. But even this rebellion of the world proletariat, which seeks to join the riches of its more prosperous fellows, is taking place within the framework of the same dominant civilization and in accordance with the principles established by it. (379)

Is the critical threshold far from us? I think that he is already quite close, and we are rapidly rushing straight to him.

What can we do in this final hour? First of all, it is time to finally understand for everyone - both those who make responsible decisions and ordinary people - that one cannot endlessly rely on all kinds of social mechanisms, on the renewal and improvement of the social organization of society, when the fate of a person as a species is at stake. For all the important role that issues of its social organization, its institutions, legislation and treaties play in the life of modern society, with all the power of man-made technology, they do not ultimately determine the fate of mankind. And there is and will not be salvation for him until it itself changes its habits, morals and behavior. The true problem of the human species at this stage of its evolution is that it has proved to be culturally incapable of keeping up and fully adapting to the changes that it itself has made in this world. Since the problem that has arisen at this critical stage of his development is inside, and not outside the human being, taken both at the individual and collective levels, then its solution must come primarily and mainly from within himself.

The problem ultimately boils down to human qualities and ways to improve them. For it is only through the development of human qualities and human abilities that it is possible to achieve a change in the entire material-oriented civilization and use its enormous potential for good purposes. And if we want to curb the technical revolution now and direct humanity towards a worthy future, then we must first of all think about changing the person himself, about the revolution in the person himself. These tasks, for all their apparent incompatibility at (380) at first glance, are quite real and solvable today, provided that we finally realize what exactly is at stake ...

In our artificially created world, literally everything has reached unprecedented proportions and scales: dynamics, speed, energy, complexity - and our problems too. They are now simultaneously psychological, and social, and economic, and technical, and, in addition, also political; moreover, closely intertwining and interacting, they take root and sprout in adjacent and distant areas.

Even with a cursory glance at the above list of problems, it is easy to see the links that tie them together; a closer look at these connections can be traced even more clearly. Uncontrolled human settlement around the planet; inequality and heterogeneity of society; social injustice; hunger and malnutrition; widespread poverty; unemployment; growth mania; inflation; energy crisis; pre-existing or potential shortage of natural resources; the collapse of the international trading and financial system; protectionism; illiteracy and outdated education system; youth riots; alienation; the decline of cities; crime and drug addiction; an explosion of violence and a tightening of police power; disregard for law and order; nuclear madness; political corruption; bureaucracy; environmental degradation; the decline of moral values; loss of faith; a feeling of instability and, finally, a lack of awareness of all these difficulties and their interrelationships - this is not a complete list, or rather, a tangle of those complex, tangled problems that the Club of Rome called problems.

Within the framework of this problematic, it is difficult to single out some particular problems and propose separate, independent solutions for them - each problem correlates with all the others, and any solution that is obvious at first glance to one of them can complicate or somehow influence the solution of others. And none of these problems or their combinations can be solved through the consistent application of the methods of the past based on the linear approach. Finally, over all the problems, another difficulty loomed, recently emerging and overriding all others. Experience has shown that at a certain level of development, problems begin to cross borders and spread throughout the planet, regardless of the specific socio-political conditions that exist in different countries - they form glopoint problem.

We are now at the very beginning of a process of profound change and must take care of how to direct its further development and expansion. Man subdued (381) the planet and now must learn to manage it, comprehend the difficult art of being a leader on Earth. If he finds the strength to fully and fully realize all the complexity and instability of his current situation and take on a certain responsibility, if he can reach that level of cultural maturity that will allow him to fulfill this difficult mission when the future belongs to him. If he falls victim to his own internal crisis and does not cope with the high role of the protector and chief arbiter of life on the planet, well, then a person is destined to witness how the number of his kind will sharply decrease, and the standard of living will again slide down to the mark passed several centuries ago. And only New Humanism is able to ensure the transformation of a person, to raise his qualities and capabilities to a level corresponding to the new increased responsibility of a person in this world.

This New Humanism should not only be in tune with the power acquired by man and correspond to the changed external conditions, but also possess persistence, flexibility and the ability to self-renew, which would allow regulating and directing the development of all modern revolutionary processes and changes in industrial, socio-political and scientific technical areas. Therefore, the New Humanism itself must be revolutionary in nature. It must be creative and convincing in order to radically update, if not completely replace the principles and norms that seem to be unshakable today, to contribute to the emergence of new values and motivations that meet the requirements of our time - spiritual, philosophical, ethical, social, aesthetic and artistic. And it must radically change the views and behavior of not individual elite groups and strata of society - for this is not enough to bring salvation to a person and again make him master of his destiny - but turn into an integral, organic basis of the worldview of the broad masses of the population of our world, which has suddenly become so small. ... If we want to raise the level of self-awareness and organization of the human system as a whole, to achieve its internal stability and harmonious, happy coexistence with nature, then our goal should be a deep cultural evolution and a radical improvement in the qualities and abilities of the human community. Only under this condition will the century of the human empire not turn into an age of catastrophe for us, but will become a long and stable era of a truly mature society.

The revolutionary character thus becomes the main distinguishing feature of this healing humanism, for only under this condition will it be able to fulfill its functions - to restore the cultural harmony of man, and through it (382) the balance and health of the entire human system. This transformation of a human being will be Human revolution thanks to which the rest of the revolutionary processes will finally acquire goals and meaning, and will reach their culmination. Otherwise, they are destined to wither away, without flourishing and leaving nothing behind, except for an unimaginable and inaccessible to the mind a mixture of good and evil.

For me, three aspects are of greatest interest, which, in my opinion, should characterize the New Humanism: a sense of globality, love of justice and impatiencebridge to violence.

The soul of humanism - in the holistic vision of a person at all periods of his life - in all its continuity. After all, it is in a person that the sources of all our problems are contained, all our aspirations and aspirations are concentrated on him, in him all the beginnings and all ends, and in him are the foundations of all our hopes. And if we want to feel the globality of everything in the world, then in the center of this should be integral human personality and its possiblenosti. Although this thought has probably already stuck in my teeth and sometimes seems to be just a truism, the fact remains: in our time, the goals of almost any social and political action are directed, as I have already said, almost exclusively to the material and biological aspects of human existence. Let a person really be insatiable, but still, following such a simplified approach, it is impossible to reduce to this his vital needs, desires, ambitions and aspirations. And what is even more important, this approach leaves aside the main asset of a person - his own unrealized, undetected or misused opportunities. And yet it is precisely in their development that not only the possible solution of all problems lies, but also the basis for the general self-improvement and self-expression of the human race.

Closely related to this is another important thought - thought Othe unity of the world and the integrity of mankind in the era of the global human empire. Needless to say, just as biological pluralism and differentiation contribute to the resilience of natural systems, cultural and political diversity enriches the human system. However, the latter has now become so integrated and interdependent that it can survive by remaining united. And this presupposes mutually compatible and consistent behavior and relationships between the different parts of this system. The general interdependence of processes and phenomena dictates another necessary for the formation of a sense of the global concept - conceptconsistency. Without it, it is impossible to imagine that all (383) events, problems and their solutions are actively influencing and experiencing the same impact on the part of the rest of the range of events, problems and solutions.

Peccei A. Human qualities. - M., 1985 .-- S. 40-43, 83-86, 117-181.

The triumphant development of Western civilization is steadily approaching a critical milestone. The most significant successes of its previous development have already been entered into the golden book. And perhaps the most important of them, which determined all the other achievements of civilization, was the fact that it gave a powerful impetus to the deployment of industrial, scientific and technical revolutions. Having now reached menacing proportions, they have become like giant tigers, which are not so easy to curb. And, nevertheless, until recently, society managed to tame them and successfully subordinate them to their will, prompting them to rush forward and forward. From time to time, difficulties and obstacles grew on the way of this frantic race. But they were either overcome with amazing ease, or turned out to be stimuli for new powerful leaps forward, prompted the development of more perfect driving forces, new means of growth. Modern civilization has found opportunities for solving many seemingly insoluble socio-political problems. Thus, a new social formation, socialism, appeared, widely using the achievements of scientific and technological progress. Gaining more and more strength, civilization often showed a clear tendency to impose its ideas through missionary activity or direct violence coming from religious, in particular Christian, traditions. A work ethic and a pragmatic style of thinking served as sources of irresistible pressure from the ideas and means by which she imposed her habits and views on other cultures and traditions. So civilization steadily spread across the planet, using all possible ways and means for this. - migration, colonization, conquest, trade, industrial development, financial control and cultural influence. Little by little, all countries and peoples began to live according to her laws or created them according to the model established by her. Her morals have become an object of worship and a role model; and even if they are rejected, it is from them that they are repelled in search of other solutions and alternatives.

It is unlikely that she would be able to withstand this new test, especially now, when her own social body is torn apart by numerous ailments. The scientific and technological revolution is becoming more and more obstinate and it is more and more difficult to pacify it. Having endowed us with unprecedented strength and instilling a taste for such a standard of living, which we had never even thought of before, NTR sometimes does not give us the wisdom to keep our capabilities and needs under control. And it is time for our generation to finally understand that it is now up to us whether we can overcome this critical discrepancy, since for the first time in history, the fate of not individual countries and regions depends on this, but of humanity as a whole. It is our choice that will predetermine which path the further development of mankind will take, whether it will be able to avoid self-destruction and create conditions for satisfying its needs and desires.

What can we do in this final hour? First of all, it is time, finally, for everyone - both those who make responsible decisions and ordinary people - that one cannot endlessly rely on all kinds of social mechanisms, on the renewal and improvement of the social organization of society, when the fate of a person as a species is at stake. ... For all the important role that issues of its social organization, its institutions, legislation and treaties play in the life of modern society, with all the power of man-made technology, they do not ultimately determine the fate of mankind. And there is no, and there will be no salvation for him until it itself changes its habits, morals and behavior. The true problem of the human species at this stage of its evolution is that it has proved to be culturally incapable of keeping up and fully adapting to the changes that it itself has made in this world. Since the problem that has arisen at this critical stage of his development is inside, and not outside the human being, taken both at the individual and collective levels, then its solution must come primarily and mainly from within himself.

The problem ultimately boils down to human qualities and ways to improve them. For it is only through the development of human qualities and human abilities that it is possible to achieve a change in the entire material-oriented civilization and use its enormous potential for good purposes. And if we want now to curb the technical revolution and direct humanity towards a future worthy of it, then we must first of all think about changing the person himself, about the revolution in the person himself. These tasks, with all their seeming incompatibility at first glance, are quite real and solvable today, provided that we finally realize what is at stake, if we understand that to be called modern, appropriate for their time men and women means to comprehend the art of becoming better. In this book, I have made an attempt to raise and discuss all these problems and find an answer to the last, most important question - how to ignite the spark that will initiate the development of human qualities.

For all the enmity that I have long cherished for all kinds of biographies, and especially autobiographies, I could not avoid this genre (I did this at the request of the editor of the French edition who first approached me with this request). I owe a lot to some of my friends, in particular to Alexander King and Willem Altman, who not only gave me a lot of useful advice on the content of the book, but also suggested how to write it in general. Frankly, I did not always follow them, so all the flaws and imperfections that the reader finds on these pages should be entirely attributed to me. I am also deeply indebted to Peter Glandening and Joseph Gladwin, who patiently and carefully corrected my English making it in the end, I hope, quite readable. Finally, I want to especially thank Anna Maria Pignocchi for the truly invaluable help she constantly provided me as we overcame countless difficulties in preparing the book for publication.

By the way, none other than Winston Churchill considered the work on the book sheer torture. He compared her to a love affair. “At first,” he said, “it all looks like a passing fad. Then she becomes a mistress, then gradually turns into a mistress, and after that into a tyrant. In the end, at the last stage, you are almost ready to put up with this slavery of yours, but suddenly you find the strength in yourself, kill the monster and throw it at the feet of the public. " This is exactly what I am going to do now, amusing myself, like all authors, with the hope that I will be able to touch the strings in the souls of readers.

Rome, February 1977

A formidable warning that, for all its apparent well-being, humanity is in fact going through a period of acute crisis and that it is necessary, before it is too late, to radically change the outlined course of events, was voiced at two conferences organized by the Club of Rome in 1978 and 1979.

Only a quantum leap in human thinking and behavior can help us chart a new course, breaking the vicious circle in which we find ourselves. Of course, it is very difficult to achieve such profound psychosocial changes in human nature itself, but by no means impossible. The panorama of international life looks no less gloomy and hopeless now, but nevertheless I do not consider it so utopian to hope that with a strong will and desire we will still be able to overcome barriers.

I refuse to believe that a world in which there is enough knowledge and the means to set goals and develop strategies to avoid catastrophe and ensure the well-being of all of humanity, that such a world will ultimately turn out to be unmanageable.

But political will is just the first step in a new direction, and one step, of course, is not enough. The task before us is actually much more complicated and daunting. After all, since human development serves as an imperative for us, the broadest masses of the people should be involved in this process everywhere. Speech here should be about all of humanity as a single whole, which should become more mature and more responsibly prepare for the new coming era, if it is destined to come at all.

The question is quite natural: is it realistic to expect such an evolution from ordinary men and women of the planet, considering that we, apparently, have very little time left? In order to formulate the answer to this very difficult question in a sufficiently responsible manner, one must clearly realize that human ingenuity has never been subjected to such a decisive test. And experience shows that even the most ordinary people, if they fully understand the task, problem or impending danger, do not calm down until they find the means to cope with them.

And if we assess the current situation in this way, then it immediately becomes not so hopeless. Now, literally everywhere, people more and more acutely feel the urgent need to significantly improve the organization of the world community and improve the management of human affairs. The time has come to reveal and release the dormant ability in every person to see, understand and create, to direct the moral energy of people so that they themselves create a worthy common future for them.

In this book, I have touched on the goals and hopes that fuel this confidence of mine. Recently, under the auspices of the Club of Rome, a number of new ideas have been formulated, as well as special research and development. In my address to you, dear readers, I want to emphasize that I will be more than rewarded if the Russian edition of Human Qualities gives an opportunity to expand the horizons of these initial works and strengthen them by attracting the attention of Soviet scientists and specialists.

A. Peccei, President of the Club of Rome

To my children, my grandchildren,

all young people so that they understand

that should be better than us.

Foreword

The triumphant development of Western civilization is steadily approaching a critical milestone. The most significant successes of its previous development have already been entered into the golden book. And perhaps the most important of them, which determined all the other achievements of civilization, was the fact that it gave a powerful impetus to the deployment of industrial, scientific and technical revolutions. Having now reached menacing proportions, they have become like giant tigers, which are not so easy to curb. And, nevertheless, until recently, society managed to tame them and successfully subordinate them to their will, prompting them to rush forward and forward. From time to time, difficulties and obstacles grew on the way of this frantic race. But they were either overcome with amazing ease, or turned out to be stimuli for new powerful leaps forward, prompted the development of more perfect driving forces, new means of growth. Modern civilization has found opportunities for solving many seemingly insoluble socio-political problems. Thus, a new social formation, socialism, appeared, widely using the achievements of scientific and technological progress. Gaining more and more strength, civilization often showed a clear tendency to impose its ideas through missionary activity or direct violence coming from religious, in particular Christian, traditions. A work ethic and a pragmatic style of thinking served as sources of irresistible pressure from the ideas and means by which she imposed her habits and views on other cultures and traditions. So civilization steadily spread across the planet, using all possible ways and means for this - migration, colonization, conquest, trade, industrial development, financial control and cultural influence. Little by little, all countries and peoples began to live according to her laws or created them according to the model established by her. Her morals have become an object of worship and a role model; and even if they are rejected, it is from them that they are repelled in search of other solutions and alternatives.

Make an outline of the text. To do this, highlight the main semantic fragments of the text and title each of them.

Human qualities

“The triumphant development of Western civilization is steadily approaching a critical milestone. The most significant successes of its previous development have already been entered into the golden book. And perhaps the most important of them, which determined all the other achievements of civilization, was the fact that it gave a powerful impetus to the deployment of industrial, scientific and technical revolutions.<...>From time to time, difficulties and obstacles grew on the way of this frantic race. But they were either overcome with amazing ease, or turned out to be stimuli for new powerful leaps forward, prompted the development of more perfect driving forces, new means of growth. Modern civilization has found opportunities for solving many seemingly insoluble socio-political problems. Gaining more and more forces, civilization is steadily spreading across the planet, using all possible ways and means for this - migration, colonization, conquest, trade, industrial development, financial control and cultural influence.

Little by little, all countries and peoples began to live according to her laws or created them according to the model she established. Her morals have become an object of worship and a role model; and, even if they are rejected, it is from them that they are repelled in search of other solutions and alternatives.

The development of civilization, however, was accompanied by the flourishing of bright hopes and illusions that could not be realized, at least for reasons of a psychological and social nature.<...>And the Earth, no matter how generous it is, is still unable to accommodate a continuously growing population and satisfy more and more of its needs, desires and whims. That is why a new, deeper split has emerged now - between the overdeveloped and underdeveloped countries. But even this rebellion of the world proletariat, which seeks to join the riches of its more prosperous fellows, is taking place within the framework of the same dominant civilization.

It is unlikely that she would be able to withstand this test, especially now, when her own body is torn apart by numerous ailments. The scientific and technological revolution is becoming more and more obstinate, and it is more and more difficult to pacify it.

Having endowed us with unprecedented strength and instilling a taste for such a standard of living, which we did not even think about, NTR sometimes does not give us the wisdom to keep our capabilities and needs under control. And it's time for our generation to finally understand that now depends only on us<...>the fate of not individual countries and regions, but of all mankind as a whole. It is our choice that will predetermine which path the further development of mankind will take, whether it will be able to avoid self-destruction and create conditions for satisfying its needs and desires. "

(A. Peccei)

Explanation.

In the correct answer, the points of the plan should correspond to the main semantic fragments of the text and reflect the main idea of each of them.

The following semantic fragments can be distinguished:

1) The triumphant spread of Western civilization across the planet.

2) Difficulties and incentives for the development of civilization.

3) The most important problem of modern civilization is the problem of limited resources.

4) Aggravation of contradictions between the overdeveloped and underdeveloped countries.

5) The growing influence of scientific and technological revolution on the development of civilization.

6) The fate of civilization is in the hands of the present generation.

Other formulations of the points of the plan are possible, which do not distort the essence of the main idea of the fragment, and the allocation of additional semantic blocks.