Studies on the Conceptual Foundations

Book excerpt: Goals in a Global Community: The Original Background Papers for Goals for Mankind: A Report to the Club of Rome expounds on the idea of a global community by analyzing the human predicament in terms of the diverse images of possibility that drive our differing national and social behaviors. More specifically, it asks whether humanity can create a global community with apparently conflicting, and yet so fundamentally similar, goals. This volume is comprised of 12 chapters and opens with a discussion on long-term trends and the evolution of complexity, suggesting that socioeconomic systems may be more effectively understood in light of dissipative systems. The following chapters explore the historical evolution of mankind's inner and outer dimensions; how to make sustainable economic growth a global possibility; the possibilities of changing motivation as well as finding motivation to change; and why social motives are the strongest driving forces behind change of goals for the global community. The book also proposes solar energy as a permanent clean source of abundant energy in a fully ordered and economically feasible global transition. The final section argues that the Club of Rome must continue to risk advocacy and recognize that human values are a fact of human existence. This monograph will be a useful resource for sociologists, social scientists, and psychologists.