Revolution or Renaissance Making the Transition from an Economic Age to a Cultural Age

• Main Author: D. Schafer, Paul (auth)
• Format: Electronic Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: University of Ottawa Press / Les Presses de l'Université d'Ottawa 2008
• Series: Governance Series
• Subjects: Cultural studies; Economic theory & philosophy; economics; culture
• Online Access: OAPEN Library: download the publication; OAPEN Library: description of the publication

In <i>Revolution or Renaissance</i>, D. Paul Schafer subjects two of the most powerful forces in the world - economics and culture - to a detailed and historically sensitive analysis. He argues that the economic age has produced a great deal of wealth and unleashed tremendous productive power; however, it is not capable of coming to grips with the problems threatening human and non-human life on this planet. After tracing the evolution of the economic age from the publication of Adam Smith's <i>The Wealth of Nations</i> in 1776 to the present, he turns his attention to culture, examining it both as a concept and as a reality. What emerges is a portrait of the world system of the future where culture is the central focus of development. According to Schafer, making the transition from an economic age to a cultural age is imperative if global harmony, environmental sustainability, economic viability, and human well-being are to be achieved.