Global Antinomic Phenomena

Today, the world stands at crossroads and in a transitional dilemma, with the signs of optimism and pessimism equally viable and equally potent. Of the two contradictory signs, pessimistic syndromes seem to overshadow optimistic signs. Like a rudderless ship afloat on the uncharted ocean, the world is moving in all directions.

With the crumbling of the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, the world appeared to herald a new golden age. But contrary to the heightened expectation of ushering in a lasting peace on earth, the world is, however, torn by racial, ethnic, tribal, social and religious conflicts. Scandals and scams are commonplace in our world.

We see a lot of antinomic signs in today's world. Affluent and indigent, creative and decadent, progressive and retrogressive, dynamic and enervated, our world is moving forward and backward, up and down, and converging and diverging simultaneously on the same space-time continuum.

Especially, we see three major antinomic phenomena.

First, we see the antinomy of globalization and localization in our world today. With the phenomenal development of transportation and communication, the world has become a "global village" as Marshall McLuhan sagaciously observed. But at the same time, we see the increasing fragmentation of the globe. In 1945 the un was inaugurated with only 51 members. There were 195 nations which participated in the Atlanta Olympic Games. If the present trend of fragmentation is left unchecked, there will be nearly 1000 countries in the world before long.

Second, we see the antinomy of increasing knowledge and decreasing wisdom. Today, the Baconian adage, "Knowledge itself is power," has become a reality. According to Alvin Toffler's Power Shift, the potency of knowledge has supplanted military power and monetary power. James Appleberry, President of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, points out that the total amount of knowledge possessed by human beings doubles within five years. Ironically enough, it is also true that in an inverted proportion of increasing knowledge, wisdom – the power of discerning and judging correctly between what is right and what is wrong – has decreased. Remember how the Nazi mass-murdered the Jews; how Stalin liquidated the kulaks? In the end, knowledge often becomes "a tool of evildoing."

Third, since the age of Enlightenment, the idea of Progress has long been a dominant historical view of modern man. Some scholars believed that nations would not resort to wars. Most, if not all, futurists hold a view that almost all countries will eventually develop the characteristics of post-industrial societies. But on the other hand, today, man's inhumanity to his fellow man is one of the most conspicuous elements of history. At no time in world history has there been so much worldwide grief and suffering. More people are fearful, uptight, and filled with heartache than ever before.

As a result of this confusion, the post-Cold War world is heading towards an era of more serious global conflicts. The future global conflicts will be no longer between nations but between civilizations.

How can we then help resolve conflicts among civilizations? What role can we play to rectify the situation?

Abridged from “Restoration of Humanity” by Won-Sul Lee (World Encyclopedia of Peace, Chicago, 1999, vol. pp.437-438)

Notes

1.McLuhan, Marshall is a former professor of English at Toronto University (Canada) who coined the term “global village”. It implies that due to a boost in the information industries (i.e. technologies based on the computer and including also communications, cable, media and entertainment) since the 1970s the world has become a single place (a small global village) where all residents (villagers)learn news (through the Internet or the CNN for example) almost simultaneously and are multiple interdependent in terms of culture, economy, politics, behavioral psychology, and even fashion.

2.Atlanta, the capital of Georgia (USA) saw the Olympic Games in 1997.

3.Baconian means “of”, “pertaining to”, or “characteristic of” the works or thought of Francis Bacon (1561 - 1621), English philosopher and esseyist. He was such a prominent figure in English culture that a number of researchers believe it was he who was the author of the plays attributed to William Shakespeare.

4.Toffler, Alvin is a prominent US writer and futurist who offers challenging ideas in his books which, as soon as they are published, rocket onto the bestseller lists.

5.Enlightenment is a philosophical and social movement of the 18^th century, concerned with the critical examination of previously accepted doctrines and institutions from the point of view of rationalism.