Two opinions about the near future (Hervé Juvin contra Gilles Lipovetsky)
Vol.65,No.1-2(2018)
Abstract
Keywords:
globalization; hyper-capitalism; world-culture; conflict; tradition
Pages:
45–61
In the last fifty years, we have repeatedly been confronted with the pressing question of whether our civilization, and perhaps the whole civilization, is coming to an end. G. Lipovetsky and H. Juvin tackle this question in their own ways in the book The Globalized West, which they published together in France in 2010. While Lipovetsky attempts to provide a balanced view of the postmodern world, which results in a picture of a society that does not abandon its (various) traditions, Juvin emphasises the threat of global confrontation. Both authors primarily deal with the question of the relationship between economics and politics and both criticize in their own ways the dominance of economics over politics. It must be mentioned that their focus is a bit narrower than that of authors such as Spengler or Toynbee, or authors building on the idea of an ecological catastrophe. However, this provides a convenient material for a comparison with their predecessors' and contemporaries' views on a society that is obviously facing great changes. The author of this paper confronts their views with the views of their predecessors and contemporaries (Feyerabend, Fukuyama, Huntington, Popper, etc.) and attempts to find similarities and differences.
globalization; hyper-capitalism; world-culture; conflict; tradition
45–61