The twentieth century will be
chiefly remembered by future generations not as an era of political conflicts
or technical inventions, but as an age in which human society dared to think of
the welfare of the whole human race as a practical objective.
Arnold J. Toynbee, English
historian (1889 – 1975)
In his Nobel Prize acceptance
speech on December 11, 1957, former Prime Minister of Canada, Lester Pearson
quoted historian, Arnold Toynbee, author of the book A Study of History. The main thesis of Toynbee’s work is that the
well being of a civilization depends on its ability to respond creatively to
challenges, human and the environment.
Pearson was optimistic about the
twentieth century. He believed that the cycle of rise and decline was not
inevitable and that a civilization could choose and act wisely in the face of
recurring hardships. However, civilization was proven to overcomes the
dangerous aggressivity of the individual, by weakening him, disarming him and
setting up an internal authority to watch over him, like a garrison in a
conquered town[1].
It is impossible to resist the
impression that human beings commonly apply false standards and thoughts,
seeking power, success and wealth for themselves and admiring them in others,
while underrating what is truly valuable in life. “One of the most remarkable
characteristics of human nature”, writes Hermann Lotze (1817 – 1881), a German
philosopher, “is, alongside so much selfishness in specific instances, the
freedom from envy which the present displays toward the future”[2].
The concept of the spectacle
brings together a wide range of phenomena. Diversities and contrasts among such
phenomena are the appearance of a social organization. This social organization
is part of a class struggle, which according to Karl Marx (1818 – 1883), is a
fight for social justice in the living age of the modern society[3].
Like modern society itself, is at once united and divided, struggles between
forces.
These struggles have been
established for the purpose of running the similar socio-economic and political
system. The globalization phenomena, which is more likely is the capitalism
invasion towards the world had caused social justice being left at a
dilapidated condition. This phenomenon does greatly affects the built
environment, which automatically will affect the social system we live in. (to
be continued)
[1] Freud, Sigmund, Civilization and Its Discontent, Penguin Books, London, 2002.
[2]
Lotze, Hermann, Microcosmus: An Essay
Concerning Man and His Relation to the World (4th edition), (trans.
E. Hamilton and E. E. C. Jones), T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1899.
[3]
Marx, Karl, Dispatches for the New York Tribune, (eds.
James Ledbetter), Penguin Books, London, 2007.
Keep em coming. I like to read where this is heading to.
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WA
will do... hopefully i can finish this soon. btw, selamat hari raya en wan. salam to liyana and umar.
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