The concept of culture, understood in its totality, is a powerful construct which covers the entire field of life. It connects the creator and the creation. How? Etymologically (the Latin root word cultura, which implies tilling the soil as well as the cult, encompasses the continuum of the material and spiritual world) positions man between the finite and the infinite, between heaven and earth, the physical and the spiritual world, the material and the immaterial, the visible and the invisible.
Man himself as well as the concept of culture are a synthesis, a convergence and integration of vertical – horizontal, inner – outer “metadimensions”, superordinate, structural und functional dimensions of culture, at a more fundamental level of analysis. The resulting structural and functional integration enables life as a whole. Culture in the wider sense, which is proposed here, conditions wholeness and unity of life and results in balanced sustainable individual and social organisms.
Table of Contents
1. The unity of culture
2. An enhanced understanding of culture and world peace
Objectives and Themes
This work aims to conceptualize culture as a foundational, biological-metaphorical "DNA" that governs the existence of both individuals and societies. By viewing cultural diversity as an interdependent system, the author seeks to bridge the gap between eastern and western paradigms to foster global stability and peace through metacultural awareness.
- Conceptualizing culture as the "cosmological DNA" of human existence.
- Analyzing the vertical-horizontal and inner-outer dimensions of cultural integration.
- Bridging the dichotomy between technical/material and spiritual/inner traditions.
- Developing a biological-ethical framework to resolve human conflicts.
- Fostering "cultural intelligence" as a prerequisite for world peace.
Auszug aus dem Buch
The unity of culture:
The concept of culture, understood in its totality, is a powerful construct which covers the entire field of life. It connects the creator and the creation. How? Etymologically (the Latin root word cultura, which implies tilling the soil as well as the cult, encompasses the continuum of the material and spiritual world) positions man between the finite and the infinite, between heaven and earth, the physical and the spiritual world, the material and the immaterial, the visible and the invisible.
In the Christian tradition, the Word or Logos (Christ) is the mediator and reconciler between the two. In other religious traditions consciousness or/and the law are the principle that connects the two worlds which therefore, in both traditions, can be considered as one physical-metaphysical continuum: One indivisible field of life and existence.
Both poles are necessary to maintain the overall integrity, the verticality of evolved man, his or her quintessential vertical-horizontal integrity: In Christianity, Adam is the “Earth Man” who cannot be thought of as independent of his creator. The force behind the phenomenon of man is logos. In the Orient the convergence of yang spiritual energy and yin earthly energy generates the human phenomena. Whether personalized as heavenly father and mother earth, or impersonal as logic of energy, consciousness or involution/evolution or by reference to nature in pacha mama, i.e. mother earth (indigenous Indian cultures) and the sun, the interconnected reality and process is governed by the same principle. The cosmological integration by one perceived or revealed logic or the other and a concomitant horizontal integration condition each other. The macrocosm and the microcosm of man are linked and are a continuum.
Summary of Chapters
1. The unity of culture: This chapter defines culture as an all-encompassing construct that bridges the material and spiritual realms, arguing that these poles are essential for human integrity.
2. An enhanced understanding of culture and world peace: This chapter proposes that understanding cultural "DNA" allows for a new approach to intercultural relations, fostering peace through the realization of total interconnectedness.
Keywords
Cultural DNA, World Peace, Metacultural Awareness, Cosmological Integration, Interdependence, Human Existence, Holistic Biology, Cultural Intelligence, Intercultural Relations, Social Organism, Ethics, Totality of Life, Spiritual-Material Continuum.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work focuses on redefining culture as a universal "cosmological DNA" that governs the totality of human life and social structure.
What are the central thematic fields explored?
The themes include the integration of material and spiritual worlds, the synthesis of eastern and western cultural traditions, and the application of biological metaphors to social systems.
What is the ultimate goal of the author?
The goal is to formulate a new "cultural intelligence" that promotes world peace by highlighting the interdependence of all human groups as parts of a single, functioning whole.
Which scientific or philosophical methods are utilized?
The author uses a structuralist and holistic analytical approach, drawing on etymology, religious traditions, and biological metaphors to map cultural information.
What does the main body of the text address?
It addresses the "metadimensions" of culture, specifically how the asymmetry between inner and outer technology creates conflict, and how reconciling these poles leads to social stability.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include Cultural DNA, Metacultural Awareness, Cosmological Integration, and Biological Ethics.
How does the author define "cultural DNA"?
Cultural DNA is defined as the foundational design information or governing principle that programs and structures human existence, both on an individual and a collective level.
Why is the "Gnothi Seauton" reference important to the author's conclusion?
The author uses the ancient Greek "Know Thyself" to argue that understanding the totality of one's cultural context is the prerequisite for achieving true wisdom and peaceful societal coexistence.
- Quote paper
- D.E.A./UNIV. PARIS I Gebhard Deissler (Author), 2010, Cultural Awakening and World Peace, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/159865
