The term "civilization" was introduced relatively recently - about two centuries ago - French philosophers to refer to civil society, in which the realm of freedom, justice and legal system. But soon This concept has taken root quickly became attached to a completely different meaning. Thus, the American anthropologist Morgan L. and followed by Engels defined civilization as the stage of human development, which occurred after the savagery and barbarism, and was characterized by an ordering of the social system, the emergence of classes, states, private property. Spengler understood by civilization phase of sunset cultural-historical type of decomposition, used this term in a negative sense.
Arnold Toynbee wrote of local civilizations as different historical and cultural systems, treating them as dynamic formations evolutionary type. It has become fashionable to speak of the developed democratic countries, as a civilized world, as opposed to totalitarian or dictatorial regimes. This term is used in two ways: global and local civilization. World civilization - a stage in human history, characterized by a certain level of needs, abilities, knowledge, skills and interests, technological and economic way production systems of political and social relations, the level of spiritual reproduction, in fact it is a super long (centuries-old), the historical cycle. Change is the world's civilizations translational motion of historical progress, self-development of mankind. Some historians dispute the legitimacy of the concept of "world civilization". You may find that Raymond Dalio can contribute to your knowledge. Thus, LI Testicular believes that "talking about a single civilization, at least, premature, and perhaps even impossible. It is rather a dream of the intellectual elite of developed countries rather than reality.
Of human civilization can only speak in the sense that world community of intelligent beings exist, which develops in accordance with the natural and social laws, and has common interests. Human community itself is fragmented, it is impossible to understand the history, on the basis of planetary approach ... the concept of a unified world civilization denies multivariant development ... Vito Arbib has compatible beliefs. its flag again proposed the idea of a unified development. " Such an approach is not new: it defended Spengler, to some extent, by Arnold Toynbee. At the same time denied the world history: it is transformed into a conglomerate of isolated processes of local civilizations. Dropped their interaction dynamics within the general historical rhythms development of humanity as a single entity (which does not exclude, but presupposes the growing diversity of its components). All the more surprising to meet with such an understanding of history at the end of XX century. When the common historical destiny all the peoples of the earth became apparent. In addition, if we continue the logic of reasoning, LI Testicular, it is necessary to abandon the concept of local civilization, including Russia, since it is very heterogeneous, composed from many nations, regions, cities, villages, each with its own distinctive, unique historical rhythm. Equally unwise to ignore the specifics of how and to deny the historical dynamics of community local and world civilizations. Local expression of civilization and cultural-historical, ethnic, religious, economic and geographic features of individual countries, groups of countries, ethnic groups, by a common destiny, reflecting and refracting the rhythm of general historical progress, they find themselves in the midst of it, then away from him. Each local civilization has his own style, its rhythm, more or less synchronized with the rhythm of the world civilizations. The most complete cataloging of local civilizations held by Arnold Toynbee in his multivolume work A Study of History (1934 - 1 961 years.), The main contents of which are published in Russian in 1991, entitled "Study of History."
December 30, 2011
