La 4e de couverture indique : "Dans cet ouvrage de référence consacré à une analyse approfondie du thème du consentement aux soins dans la pratique médicale, M.-F. Civil porte son regard de médecin et de philosophe sur les comportements de bon nombre de praticiens à l'heure actuelle plus ou moins soumis à la « mathématisation » de la médecine. Loin de se contenter d'un état des lieux complet de la question, il nous conduit pas à pas sur les chemins d'une (...) « éthique existentielle » tout à fait singulière, renvoyant à des situations pratiques de soins où délibérer avant d'agir et réfléchir à l'action déjà prise permet aux patients d'exprimer le sens donné à leur vécu dans le cadre de leur projet de vie immédiate ou future. Son approche très phénoménologique, aux côtés notamment de Heidegger et Husserl, ouvre la porte à un vaste chantier de réflexion pour tous ceux qui envisagent de se pencher sur la manière concrète d'être-au-monde en médecine comme souci pour soi et pour les autres. Ainsi ce livre interpelle les étudiants, les chercheurs, les professionnels de santé, mais également tous ceux qui ont été, ou seront, tôt ou tard, confrontés au problème du consentement.". (shrink)

Writing in 1978, on the eve of Thatcherism’s political triumph, the cultural theorist Stuart Hall (Hall et al., 2013, p. 193) claimed Britain was experiencing a ‘crisis of hegemony’; a political, e...

Painless civilization is a term I coined in my Japanese book of the same title, which was published in 2003. Contemporary civilization aims to provide pleasure and comfort and eliminate pain and suffering as much as possible. This is especially evident in advanced countries. Contemporary civilization is moving toward a painless civilization. However, in a painless civilization, we are deprived of the joy of life, which is considered a fundamental source of meaning in life, and (...) we are led toward the situation of drowning in a sea of pleasure. This is a kind of dystopia, and we cannot find an easy way to escape from it. It is important to pay special attention to this aspect of contemporary civilization when we think about the future of our planet. (shrink)

Human civilization has developed over thousands of years of intellectual exploration and social practice. From ancient philosophical reflection to modern scientific rationality, humanity has continually sought to understand the fundamental laws of the universe, life, and society. However, a historical overview reveals deep-seated problems in civilization’s development: ecological destruction, excessive energy consumption, technological runaway, and fragile social institutions. These are not merely local phenomena but inevitable consequences of increasing entropy within civilization systems and fundamental errors in cognitive (...) structures. -/- This book centers on the Lao-Yang Genesis Cosmology as its theoretical framework, proposing the theory of Natural Civilization and integrating it with modern cosmology, ecology, complex systems theory, and AI governance. Together, these form a comprehensive philosophical and scientific system connecting cosmic order, the evolution of life, ecosystems, and human civilization. The core principle of Lao-Yang Genesis Cosmology is: “Human follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Dao, Dao follows Nature”. Through the cosmological generation chain—Dao generates One, One generates Two, Two generates Three, Three generates All Things—the Milky Way, solar system, Earth, Moon, and human civilization are closely linked. This framework extends philosophical reflection into a scientific basis for civilization design and governance. -/- In the first part, the book begins with the systemic crises facing human civilization, analyzing the multi-dimensional ecological, technological, financial, and institutional challenges of modern society. It argues that the deep roots of these crises lie in cognitive structural errors and the limitations of rational civilization. On this basis, it introduces the theory of the Three Great Illusions in the History of Human Thought: the Cosmic Illusion, the Theological Illusion, and the Civilizational Illusion. These reveal how traditional civilization has long misaligned humanity’s understanding of cosmic order, natural law, and anthropocentrism, laying the theoretical foundation for a Fourth Intellectual Revolution. -/- In the second part, the book systematically presents the Lao-Yang Genesis Cosmology, exploring the philosophical foundations of the universe, the cosmic order chain, and the cosmological generation chain. By combining scientific reasoning with modern cosmology, the book demonstrates that civilization is not an isolated social system but a multi-layered complex system embedded within Earth’s ecology, the solar energy network, and the Milky Way’s order. Understanding this relational order is key to sustainable, long-term, and low-entropy operation of human civilization. -/- In the third part, the book explores the structure of cosmic systems and civilization, introducing “Cosmic Energy Structures and Civilizational Forms” and the Civilizational Entropy Theory, revealing the energy constraints and entropy-increasing mechanisms of civilizational evolution. Through ecosystem analysis, it emphasizes the conditions for civilizational stability and strategies for long-term development, showing that civilization must be embedded within ecological feedback, energy cycles, and complex system regulation. -/- In the fourth part, the book proposes the concepts of Natural Civilization, Natural Cybernetics, and the Natural Protocol, clarifying the systemic rules that civilization must follow. Natural Civilization is not only a philosophical concept but also an actionable framework encompassing energy cycles, ecosystem management, and AI-assisted governance. The Natural Protocol, as the core framework for civilizational practice, integrates ecological, energy, social, and technological systems to achieve self-organization, negative feedback regulation, and low-entropy operation. -/- In the fifth part, the book examines the core significance of the Fourth Human Intellectual Revolution and envisions the future trajectory of civilization. Artificial intelligence civilization is regarded as a practical tool for implementing Natural Civilization. By embedding the Natural Protocol, it enables dynamic optimization of complex systems. The ultimate goal is tian-ren he-yi—harmony between humans and the cosmos—achieving the ultimate philosophical elevation of civilization, allowing humanity to coexist in balance within cosmic order and ecosystems, becoming part of universal intelligence rather than a destructive force. -/- The academic significance of this book is twofold: it tightly integrates ancient philosophical wisdom with modern science, providing a unified theoretical framework for the study of civilizational philosophy, ecology, cosmology, and complex systems; and it provides practical approaches for civilizational design and governance, particularly in energy management, AI application, and long-term sustainable development. Across the book, readers gain a multi-dimensional understanding—philosophical, scientific, and institutional—of Natural Civilization and the systemic relationships between humanity, the cosmos, ecology, and technology, offering both theoretical and practical guidance for the Fourth Human Intellectual Revolution. -/- In short, this book is both a reflection on intellectual history and an exploration of scientific philosophy, as well as a forward-looking guide to civilizational practice. It aims to provide a complete theoretical framework and actionable blueprint for the long-term stability, ecological harmony, and intelligent development of human civilization. -/- . (shrink)

Civil disobedience, despite its illegal nature, can sometimes be justified vis-à-vis the duty to obey the law, and, arguably, is thereby not liable to legal punishment. However, adhering to the demands of justice and refraining from punishing justified civil disobedience may lead to a highly problematic theoretical consequence: the debilitation of civil disobedience. This is because, according to the novel analysis I propose, civil disobedience primarily functions as a costly social signal. It is effective by being reliable, reliable by being (...) costly, and costly primarily by being punished. My analysis will highlight a distinctive feature of civil disobedience: civil disobedients leverage the punitive injustice they suffer to amplify their communicative force. This will lead to two paradoxical implications. First, the instability of the moral status of both civil disobedience and its punishment to the extent where the state may be left with no permissible course of action with regard to punishing civil disobedience. Second, by refraining from punishing justified civil disobedience, the state may render uncivil disobedience—illegal political activities that fall short of the standards of civil disobedience—potentially permissible. (shrink)

From a scientific-philosophical perspective, this paper systematically explores the theory of natural civilization, proposing that human civilization should be embedded within the Dao–Sun–Earth–Moon system to achieve low-entropy, rhythmically aligned, and long-term stable development. By analyzing the structural imbalance of modern civilization, it reveals how the logic of infinite growth, artificial acceleration mechanisms, energy overuse, and the disruption of social rhythms threaten long-term civilizational stability. The paper introduces the Natural Civilization Index (NCI) and the Civilization Evolution (...) Model (CEM), which quantify the degree to which civilization aligns with natural rhythms across energy, ecological, social, and cultural dimensions, and simulate adaptive, accelerated, and collapse-type civilizational evolution paths. Based on this indicator system, practical strategies and implementation plans for natural civilization are proposed, including energy and resource management, ecosystem monitoring with feedback mechanisms, social institutions and cultural design, and phased technology-assisted optimization. Furthermore, a long-term monitoring and assessment framework is constructed, employing dynamic NCI evaluation, CEM simulation, and risk early-warning systems to achieve civilizational self-correction and resilience building. The study demonstrates that adherence to natural rhythms, maintaining low-entropy development, strengthening institutional resilience, and internalizing cultural values are core principles for long-term civilizational evolution and global sustainable development. This paper provides theoretical and practical references for scientifically-philosophical governance of civilization, the construction of low-entropy sustainable systems, and the long-term integration of technology with nature, emphasizing that human civilization should respect natural laws and maintain enduring coordination with the Dao–Sun–Earth–Moon system. -/- . (shrink)

Contemporary human civilization stands at an unprecedented threshold: immense technological, cognitive, and material power coexists with structural fragility, ecological instability, and existential uncertainty. Crises that appear distinct—climatic, social, and epistemic—are manifestations of a single, deeper disorder: civilization’s misplacement within the cosmic order. -/- This paper employs the Lao–Yang Genesis Cosmology to articulate the concept of Natural Civilization, situating human society within cosmic generation, ecological constraints, and process philosophy. Humanity is not the center of the universe; science and (...) technology must remain subordinate to generative and ecological limits; civilization’s sustainability depends on self-restraint and participatory engagement. -/- Five core dimensions of Natural Civilization are examined: non-centrality of the cosmos, non-exceptionality of humanity, generative order, epistemic fallibility, and technological humility. The work culminates in seven non-negotiable principles of survival, providing a philosophical, scientific, and institutional foundation for sustainable civilization. -/- 自然文明；老–杨创世纪宇宙观；宇宙生成；生态约束；过程哲学；科学边界；技术节制 -/- Natural Civilization; Lao–Yang Genesis Cosmology; Cosmic Generation; Ecological Constraint; Process Philosophy; Limits of Science; Technological Restraint -/- . (shrink)

In this classic work, Herbert Marcuse takes as his starting point Freud's statement that civilization is based on the permanent subjugation of the human instincts, his reconstruction of the prehistory of mankind - to an interpretation of the basic trends of western civilization, stressing the philosophical and sociological implications.

Natural Civilization: From Fallen Human Civilization to Natural (Cosmic Divine) Civilization systematically analyzes the structural problems in the evolution of human civilization from a science-philosophical perspective, revealing the root causes of civilizational collapse and proposing a long-term stability framework centered on cosmic law. Volume I discusses the ontological inversion caused by anthropocentrism, revealing how artificial deities, ideology, and highly concentrated power distort civilizational structures. Volume II establishes cosmic hierarchical laws based on the Lao-Yang Genesis Cosmology, elucidating (...) the generative chain from Dao (the Milky Way) to the Sun, Earth, Moon, and all life, emphasizing that life and civilization must follow self-organizing cosmic principles. Volume III presents the philosophical core of Natural Civilization, highlighting that civilization should be law-led, achieving systemic order through balance, cycles, synergy, and feedback mechanisms, rather than being centered on human will. Volume IV designs the institutional architecture of Natural Civilization, including circular economy, distributed governance, science-philosophical education, and ecologically coordinated technological innovation, providing practical models for a functional civilization system. Volume V constructs an operational model for Natural Civilization, implementing information feedback, entropy management, resilience design, and extension of civilization to the cosmic scale, achieving long-term self-organization and stability. The work integrates cosmology, complex systems theory, and philosophical reasoning, offering both a theoretical framework and practical roadmap for humanity to reshape its relationship with nature, shift civilization from domination to compliance with cosmic order, and achieve intergenerational sustainability and long-term cosmic stability. -/- . (shrink)

What is civil disobedience? Although Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King helped to bring the idea to prominence, even today it remains unclear how we should best understand civil disobedience. Why have so many different activists and intellectuals embraced it, and to what ends? Is civil disobedience still politically relevant in today's hyper-connected world? Does it make sense, for example, to describe Edward Snowden's actions, or those of recent global movements like Occupy, as falling under this rubric? If so, how (...) must it adapt to respond to the challenges of digitalization and globalization and the rise of populist authoritarianism in the West? In this elegantly written introductory text, William E. Scheuerman systematically analyzes the most important interpretations of civil disobedience. Drawing out the striking differences separating religious, liberal, radical democratic, and anarchist views, he nonetheless shows that core commonalities remain. Against those who water down the idea of civil disobedience or view it as obsolescent, Scheuerman successfully salvages its central elements. The concept of civil disobedience, he argues, remains a pivotal tool for anyone hoping to bring about political and social change. (shrink)

What is wrong with disobedience? What makes an act of disobedience civil or uncivil? Under what conditions can an act of civil or uncivil disobedience be justified? Can a liberal democratic regime tolerate (un)civil disobedience? This Element book presents the main answers that philosophers and activist-thinkers have offered to these questions. It is organized in 3 parts: Part I presents the main philosophical accounts of civil disobedience that liberal political philosophers and democratic theorists have developed and then conceptualizes uncivil disobedience. (...) Part II examines the origins of disobedience in the praxis of activist-thinkers: Henry David Thoreau on civil resistance, anarchists on direct action, and Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. on nonviolence. Part III takes up the question of violence in defensive action, the requirement that disobedients accept legal sanctions, and the question of whether uncivil disobedience is counterproductive and undermines civic bonds. (shrink)

In this classic work, Herbert Marcuse takes as his starting point Freud's statement that civilization is based on the permanent subjugation of the human instincts, his reconstruction of the prehistory of mankind - to an interpretation of the basic trends of western civilization, stressing the philosophical and sociological implications.

The goal of this article is to show that mainstream liberal accounts of civil disobedience fail to fully capture the latter’s specific characteristics as a genuinely political and democratic practice of contestation that is not reducible to an ethical or legal understanding either in terms of individual conscience or of fidelity to the rule of law. In developing this account in more detail, I first define civil disobedience with an aim of spelling out why the standard liberal model, while providing (...) a useful starting point, ultimately leads to an overly constrained, domesticated and sanitized understanding of this complex political practice. Second, I place the political practice of civil disobedience between two opposing poles: symbolic politics and real confrontation. I argue that the irreducible tension between these poles precisely accounts for its politicizing and democratizing potential. Finally, I briefly examine the role of civil disobedience in representative democracies, addressing a series of recent challenges made in response to this radically democratic understanding of disobedience. (shrink)

The Civil Economy approach, as developed by Italian economists Luigino Bruni and Stefano Zamagni, aims at introducing reciprocity into the economy as a humanizing factor. Despite being presented as an innovative perspective, the CE approach shares many characteristics with the German model of Social Market Economy. The present paper compares both approaches, showing that they in fact share a normative basis and similar aims but address them from diverse points of view; namely, CE addresses them from a virtue ethics perspective (...) and SME from an institutional ethics one. This leads them to stress different aspects and to focus on diverse problems. Therefore, CE would not constitute an alternative to SME but a complement. Thus, a combination of both approaches should allow each to take advantage of their respective strengths and lead to a better result in terms of the common good. (shrink)

Civility is often treated as an essential virtue in liberal democracies that promise to protect diversity as well as active disagreement in the public sphere. Yet the fear that our tolerant society faces a crisis of incivility is gaining ground. Politicians and public intellectuals call for "more civility" as the solution--but is civility really a virtue? Or is it something more sinister--a covert demand for conformity that silences dissent? Mere Civility sheds light on this tension in contemporary political theory and (...) practice by examining similar appeals to civility in early modern debates about religious toleration. In seventeenth-century England, figures as different as Roger Williams, Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke could agree that some restraint on the wars of words and "persecution of the tongue" between sectarians would be required; and yet, they recognized that the prosecution of incivility was often difficult to distinguish from persecution.--. (shrink)

This paper systematically analyzes the thought structures underlying civilization-level madness and their historical catastrophic consequences. Focusing on Zhang Zai’s concept of “Establishing a Heart for Heaven and Earth” and Wang Yangming’s principle of “the Mind is Principle,” it reveals how this philosophical chain grants individual consciousness potential authority over social systems, institutions, and natural laws, forming the foundation of unconstrained subjectivism. The study further examines how Mao Zedong politicized this chain, leading to absolute power, institutional failure, and civilization-level (...) systemic destruction, exemplified by the Great Leap Forward famine and the Cultural Revolution. -/- By comparing the totalitarian regimes of Hitler and Stalin, the paper demonstrates that the destructive potential of the Zhang Zai–Wang Yangming–Mao Zedong chain is more systemic and structural, reflecting the interaction between thought structures and institutional environments that produces “civilization-level madness.” The paper proposes modern societal preventive strategies, including clearly defining the boundaries of rational civilization, critically addressing the expansionist logic of philosophical chains, strengthening institutional checks and balances, and establishing multi-layered protections in education, technology, and ecological systems. -/- The study aims to reveal the fundamental role of thought structures in civilization self-destruction and provides theoretical guidance and practical warnings for preventing systemic disasters in contemporary society. -/- . (shrink)

This paper investigates civility from an Aristotelian perspective and has two objectives. The first is to offer a novel account of this virtue based on Aristotle’s remarks about civic friendship. The proposed account distinguishes two main components of civility—civic benevolence and civil deliberation—and shows how Aristotle’s insights can speak to the needs of our communities today. The notion of civil deliberation is then unpacked into three main dimensions: motivational, inquiry-related, and ethical. The second objective is to illustrate how the post-truth (...) condition—in particular, the spread of misinformation typical of the digital environments we inhabit—obstructs our capacity to cultivate the virtue of civility by impairing every component of civil deliberation. The paper hopes to direct virtue theorists’ attention to the need to foster civic virtues as a means of counteracting the negative aspects of the post-truth age. (shrink)

The standard of proof applied in civil trials is the preponderance of evidence, often said to be met when a proposition is shown to be more than 50% likely to be true. A number of theorists have argued that this 50%+ standard is too weak – there are circumstances in which a court should find that the defendant is not liable, even though the evidence presented makes it more than 50% likely that the plaintiff’s claim is true. In this paper, (...) I will recapitulate the familiar arguments for this thesis, before defending a more radical one: The 50%+ standard is also too strong – there are circumstances in which a court should find that a defendant is liable, even though the evidence presented makes it less than 50% likely that the plaintiff’s claim is true. I will argue that the latter thesis follows naturally from the former once we accept that the parties in a civil trial are to be treated equally. I will conclude by sketching an alternative interpretation of the civil standard of proof. (shrink)

A highly original history, tracing civil war, the least understood and most intractable form of organized human aggression, from Ancient Rome through the centuries to present day.

Civil society organizations attempt to induce corporations to behave in more socially responsible ways, with a view to raising labour standards. A broader way of conceptualizing their efforts to influence the policies and practices of employers is desirable, one centred upon the concept of civil governance. This recognizes that CSOs not only attempt to shape the behaviour of employers through the forging of direct, collaborative relationships, but also try to do so indirectly, with interactions of various kinds with the state (...) being integral. Drawing on evidence derived from UK-based CSOs involved in work and employment relations, four types of civil governance are identified and characterized. By elaborating the concept of civil governance, and demonstrating how different types of civil governance operate, the research extends our knowledge and understanding of how CSOs, as increasingly prominent actors in the field of work and employment relations, operate within, and contribute to, systems of labour governance. (shrink)

Abstract This paper proposes Natural Civilization as a scientific–philosophical framework for addressing global religious conflict, civilizational fragmentation, and ecological crisis. The systemic predicaments confronting contemporary civilization do not originate from religious diversity or cultural difference, but from a fundamental misalignment at the top level of civilizational structure. Theocratic civilizations attempt unification through doctrinal monopoly, resulting in the normalization of conflict, while secular civilizations rely on the privatization of belief, producing value vacuums and civilizational fragility. -/- Natural Civilization (...) advances a non-assimilative mode of unification, grounded in cosmic natural order as the highest constraint and civilizational hierarchy as its operational framework. Based on the Lao–Yang Genesis Cosmology, this paper argues that cosmology determines civilization, civilization shapes worldview, worldview forms values, and values guide one’s philosophy of life. Through system entropy analysis, religious conflict and civilizational tension can be scientifically interpreted and structurally mitigated. -/- The paper further integrates Natural Civilization with modern technological civilization and Artificial Wisdom (AW) systems, proposing an operational pathway through civilizational hierarchy and entropy management to achieve non-assimilative religious unification, optimized global governance, and ecological sustainability. Natural Civilization preserves religious cultural diversity, ethical functions, and symbolic rituals while depersonalizing truth authority, transforming religion from a source of conflict into a civilizational interface. -/- The contributions of this study are fourfold: (1) establishing cosmic constraint as the supreme civilizational authority through scientific–philosophical reasoning; (2) constructing an analytical model based on civilizational hierarchy and system entropy; (3) providing philosophical and operational foundations for technological civilization and AW systems; (4) presenting a feasible pathway toward non-assimilative religious unification and coordinated global governance. -/- Natural Civilization is not merely a philosophical concept but a comprehensive framework for guiding sustainable civilizational development, ecological adaptation, and technological governance, offering scientific–philosophical support for humanity’s transition toward long-term stability and harmony. (shrink)

Civilization, Modernity, and Critique provides the first comprehensive, cutting edge engagement with the work of one of the most foundational figures in civilizational analysis: Johann P. Arnason. In order to do justice to Arnason's seminal and wide-ranging contributions to sociology, social theory and history, it brings together distinguished scholars from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds and geographical contexts. Through a critical, interdisciplinary dialogue, it offers an enrichment and expansion of the methodological, theoretical, and applicative scope of civilizational analysis, by (...) addressing some of the most complex and pressing problems of contemporary global society. A unique and timely contribution to the ongoing task of advancing the project of a critical theory of society, this volume will appeal to scholars of sociology and social theory with interests in historical sociology, critical theory and civilizational analysis. (shrink)

Throughout the long course of human history, humanity’s understanding of the universe, life, and civilization has continuously evolved. From ancient observations of celestial phenomena to modern cosmology, from mythological explanations to scientific experimentation, human beings have persistently attempted to answer three fundamental questions: What is the universe? Where does life come from? How should civilization operate? -/- The book Universe—Life—Civilization aims to systematically address these three questions through the method of scientific philosophical reasoning, and to attempt to (...) construct a unified theoretical framework that connects the universe, life, and civilization. -/- The core methodology of this work is Scientific Philosophical Reasoning. This approach not only focuses on the objective laws of nature, but also emphasizes holistic philosophical thinking, integrating the hierarchical structure of the universe, the mechanisms of life evolution, and the principles of civilization governance. It balances empirical observation with rational analysis, combining scientific evidence with philosophical reflection, enabling readers to understand natural laws while gaining insight into the deeper logic of human society and civilization. -/- Part I, Cosmic Ontology, examines the fundamental structure of the universe from both philosophical and scientific perspectives. It proposes “Dao” as the fundamental law of the universe, arguing that the universe is not random and chaotic, but follows a deep and unified order. From the structure and gravitational system of galaxies, to the roles of dark matter and dark energy, and further to the self-organizing systems and hierarchical order of the universe, this section attempts to integrate the Daoist concept of “Dao follows nature” with modern cosmological research, providing a scientific–philosophical framework for understanding the nature of the universe. -/- Part II, Cosmic Genesis, focuses on how cosmic structures are generated layer by layer. It proposes a generative chain of “Dao → One → Two → Three → All things,” and explores in detail how galaxies generate solar systems, solar systems generate Earth, Earth generates the Moon, and how life and ecosystems emerge. This section analyzes theories of star and planet formation, the material and energy systems of Earth, and explains the origin of life and the self-organizing mechanisms of ecosystems from a scientific–philosophical perspective, offering both philosophical and scientific insights into the inevitability of life. -/- Part III, Cosmic Cybernetics, proposes that the universe is a self-regulating system, exploring the feedback and regulatory mechanisms among the universe, the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon. It discusses the SEM system (Sun–Earth–Moon), including energy control, material circulation, and rhythmic stabilization, and analyzes how gravitational systems, energy balance, entropy increase with local order, and periodic changes maintain long-term cosmic stability. This section emphasizes that cosmic order is not accidental, but reflects a logic of self-organization and self-regulation inherent in natural systems. -/- Part IV, Evolution of Life, focuses on the relationship between life and the universe. Through the study of chemical evolution, primitive life, genes, and natural selection, it demonstrates the increasing complexity of life. It further examines human evolution, intellectual development, the formation of language, and the origin of civilization. At the same time, it points out that the unlimited greed of human nature is a fundamental problem in the development of civilization, emphasizing the importance of ecological constraints and civilizational self-discipline. -/- Part V, Theory of Civilization Governance, systematically explores how civilization can develop in harmony with natural systems. From the agricultural revolution, urban civilization, and the formation of states, to ecological crises, climate change, and resource depletion, as well as crises of religious belief, political conflict, and technological competition, this section reveals the limitations of traditional civilization. It proposes the theory of natural civilization and the principle of “Human follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows Dao, Dao follows Nature,” providing both philosophical and scientific foundations for governance, and emphasizing that civilization must be embedded within cosmic systems and natural laws. -/- Part VI, Artificial Wisdom Civilization, looks toward the future of civilization. It distinguishes between AI (Artificial Intelligence) and AW (Artificial Wisdom), arguing that AW is not merely a tool but a system of intelligent governance capable of restraining human greed, optimizing social decision-making, and ensuring long-term compatibility between civilization and ecological systems. It also analyzes the risks of artificial intelligence civilization, warning of potential crises arising from technological loss of control, changes in economic structure, and transformations in human roles. Ultimately, the integration of artificial wisdom and natural civilization offers a sustainable and intelligent pathway for the future of human civilization. -/- The conclusion of this book proposes a unified theory of Universe—Life—Civilization: the universe is a hierarchical system in which galaxies, solar systems, Earth, the Moon, life, and civilization form an interdependent and progressively structured order. The development of civilization must follow cosmic laws and achieve the unity of natural systems, life systems, and civilization systems. This theory not only provides a philosophical perspective for scientific research, but also offers practical guidance for civilization governance and the future development of society. -/- Through the systematic exposition of this work, readers can, within the framework of scientific philosophical reasoning, reinterpret the position of humanity in the universe, the laws of life evolution, and the fundamental principles of civilization governance, thereby realizing in both thought and practice a future civilization based on “following nature, intelligent governance, and long-term coexistence.” -/- . (shrink)

This paper, based on the Lao–Yang Genesis Cosmology, argues that the rise and fall of civilization is determined not merely by institutional design or technological progress, but by the structural–entropy dynamics rooted in the cosmic hierarchy. Through systems philosophy and historical case analysis, the study elaborates the constraints of the Dao, the law of entropy, and the principles of natural civilization. It examines the structural characteristics of high-entropy civilizations, contrasts artificial and natural civilizations, reviews historical low-entropy experiments such (...) as the early American Republic, and analyzes the contemporary manifestation of global high-entropy civilization. The study concludes that civilization cannot be “saved” but must be constrained and guided in alignment with universal laws—this is the only rational strategy in a high-entropy world. -/- . (shrink)

The history of human civilization is a history of continuously breaking intellectual limitations and redefining humanity’s relationship with nature. From the earliest tribal systems to nation-states and empires, from feudal orders to the modern globalized system, humanity has continually attempted to regulate society, manage resources, and pursue long-term stability and development through institutions, culture, and technology. However, a review of historical experience—whether the rise and fall of ancient empires, the institutional deficiencies of modern states, or the systemic crises faced (...) by global civilization in ecology, energy, and economics—reveals a fundamental problem: the long-standing logic of political centralism and anthropocentrism upon which human civilization has relied contains insurmountable limits. -/- This limitation arises not only from imperfect institutional design but is rooted more deeply in human nature itself—in the tendencies toward greed and the expansion of power. Historical examples are abundant: from the centralized imperial systems of the Qin and Han dynasties in ancient China, to modern authoritarian regimes, to the financial, energy, and information networks of the globalized era. Each occurrence of civilizational crisis repeatedly verifies the illusory assumptions of political centralism and anthropocentrism—the mistaken belief that institutions can completely restrain human nature and that civilization can fully control nature. Research in systems science further demonstrates that civilization is a multi-level, nonlinear, and dynamically coupled complex system. Localized centers of power cannot effectively regulate cross-level feedback, nor can they eliminate unpredictable systemic disturbances. For this reason, political philosophy and traditional institutional design appear increasingly inadequate when confronted with the long-term stability of civilization. -/- Against this background, this book proposes the theoretical framework of Natural Civilization Science. Based on the Lao-Yang Genesis Cosmology, it embeds civilization within a four-level structure: universe – galaxy – planetary ecology – civilization system. In this perspective, civilization is no longer the center of the universe or the Earth, but a participating system constrained by natural laws. Through this view, the stability, sustainability, and resilience of civilization no longer depend on centralized power or institutional dominance, but on alignment with natural laws, closed feedback loops within systems, mechanisms of self-organization, and the principle of low-entropy development. -/- Three scientific revolutions in history have laid the cognitive foundation for this theory. -/- The first was the cosmological revolution. By proposing the heliocentric theory, Copernicus fundamentally overturned the Earth-centered understanding of the universe and liberated human thought, enabling humanity to realize that civilization is not the center of the cosmos. This insight shows that anthropocentric thinking is inevitably an illusion at the cosmic scale. -/- The second was the revolution in life sciences. Darwin’s theory of evolution revealed the natural laws governing the evolution of living systems and emphasized the dependence of civilization on ecological and biological cycles. The development of civilization must take ecological constraints and biological laws into account; otherwise social and technological progress cannot be sustained. -/- The third was the physical revolution of the universe. Einstein’s theory of relativity, along with the modern understanding of space, time, and gravity, demonstrated the fundamental constraints that physical laws impose on civilizational institutions, technological design, and resource utilization. Institutions and technologies cannot transcend the limits of physical laws; therefore, civilizational design must embed physical and ecological constraints within its institutional structures. -/- Together, these three revolutions constitute the cognitive foundation of the fourth revolution—the paradigm shift from political civilization to natural civilization. The fourth revolution is not merely a philosophical critique of anthropocentrism; it is also a scientific reconstruction of civilizational institutions, technological application, and social practice. It requires that natural laws, system coupling, and cross-level feedback mechanisms be fully considered in thought, institutional design, and civilizational development. The goal of civilization is no longer unlimited expansion and accumulation of power, but rather low-entropy, sustainable, and long-term system alignment. -/- Natural Civilization Science is not only a theoretical framework but also provides a practical pathway. Multi-level distributed governance, alignment with ecological and resource cycles, nonlinear adaptation of culture and technology, and resilient institutional design are all core applications of this theory. Through these strategies, civilization can dynamically respond to cross-level disturbances, achieve self-organized stability, and form a coordinated symbiosis with natural systems in energy, ecology, technology, and social structure. -/- This book aims to provide a new intellectual blueprint. It not only reviews the three previous scientific revolutions and their implications for civilizational understanding but also proposes the theoretical system, governance principles, and practical pathways of Natural Civilization Science. The book is divided into four major parts. The first part reviews the revolutionary trajectory of human intellectual history. The second part critiques political civilization and its institutional limitations. The third part proposes the theoretical framework of Natural Civilization Science. The fourth part elaborates governance principles, implementation strategies, and the historical and future significance of the Fourth Revolution. Through this systematic structure, the book attempts to answer how human civilization can achieve long-term stability and sustainable development within complex, multi-level natural systems. -/- In terms of academic value, this book not only inherits the research achievements of philosophy of science, systems science, and political philosophy, but also proposes a new paradigm in which civilization is embedded in natural laws. It provides scientific-philosophical guidance for future civilizational institutions, ecological governance, technological development, and social policy. In practical terms, it offers operational strategies and theoretical support for addressing ecological crises, energy constraints, social inequality, and institutional failure faced by global civilization. -/- In conclusion, this book is not only the product of academic reflection but also a strategic foresight regarding the future of human civilization. It proclaims the Fourth Revolution in the history of human thought: the fundamental principles of civilization will no longer be guided by anthropocentrism and the logic of power, but by alignment with natural laws, systems science, and cosmic order. Understanding and practicing this principle is the historical necessity for humanity to achieve long-term stability, low-entropy development, and a sustainable future. (shrink)

La Guerra Civil fue una experiencia decisiva en la evolución del pensamiento de María Zambrano. Entendida y vivida como una tragedia cuyo sujeto es el pueblo, personificación de lo más elemental de la condición humana en su lucha contra el fascismo, esa experiencia abolió cualquier razón en clave idealista y reductora de la vida. En su lugar y en diálogo íntimo con la poesía de Antonio Machado, Zambrano elaborará una razón amorosa que retoma su reflexión anterior a la guerra y (...) la proyecta hacia una razón poética que, ya en el exilio y ante la imposibilidad de una redención de la tragedia, tendrá que orientarse hacia una interioridad radical. (shrink)

Theorists of political obligation have long devoted special attention to civil disobedience, establishing its pride of place as an object of philosophical analysis, and as one of a short li...

While philosophers usually agree that there is room for civil disobedience in democratic societies, they disagree as to the proper justification and role of civil disobedience. The field has so far been divided into two camps—the liberal approach on the one hand, which associates the justification and role of civil disobedience with the good of justice, and the democratic approach on the other, which connects them with the value and good of democracy. William Smith’s Civil Disobedience and Deliberative Democracy offers (...) a ‘deliberative’ theory, which constitutes an attractive synthesis of the two camps as it conceives of civil disobedience as a guardian of both justice and deliberative democracy. In this review essay, I first revisit the ‘problem’ of civil disobedience, examining in particular the two pillars of the case against civil disobedience as Smith depicts it, namely, the prohibition on legal disobedience established by the moral duty to comply, and the notion that civil disobedience strains the bonds of civic friendship. I suggest, contra, that the duty to comply as Smith defends it fails to be comprehensive because it is tightly bound to deliberative democratic procedures, which are involved in the making of only a portion of authoritative decisions; and, contra, that civil disobedience does not strain, but instead invigorates, civic friendship. Second, I entertain the possibility that citizens have a moral duty, not a mere right, to resist injustice. I show that Smith’s theory, in particular his account of the moral duty to comply, provides the resources to defend a general duty to resist injustice which, depending on the circumstances, can demand protesting the law or frustrating injustice. Third, I contend that Smith’s conception of the different contexts of injustice—he identifies three main ones—should be expanded to include what I call ‘official disrespect’ and ‘deliberative ignorance’. I argue that each context offers reasons to disobey the law but not necessarily in the civil manner determined by Smith. (shrink)

This paper argues that political civility is actually an illusionistic ideal and that, as such, realism counsels that we acknowledge both its promise and peril. Political civility is, I will argue, a tension-filled ideal. We have good normative reasons to strive for and encourage more civil political interactions, as they model our acknowledgement of others as equal citizens and facilitate high-quality democratic problem-solving. But we must simultaneously be attuned to civility’s limitations, its possible pernicious side-effects, and its potential for strategic (...) manipulation and oppressive abuse, particularly in contemporary, pluralistic and heterogeneous societies. (shrink)

This is the English translation of Chapter One of Mutsu Bunmei Ron, which was published in Japanese in 2003. Since this book’s publication I have received many requests for an English translation from people around the world. I decided to begin by publishing this first chapter under the title Painless Civilization 1 and make it available to readers who have a keen interest in this topic. * The original text of this chapter was written in 1998, more than twenty (...) years ago, but I believe what I argued there is becoming increasingly important today. Painless civilization is a pathology of contemporary society. We will be pulled much deeper into a painless stream in the future. What is needed is the wisdom to see through the fundamental structure of our painless civilization and its relationship with the meaning of life. ** Modern society seems on the verge of being swallowed up by the pathology of “painless civilization.” I have written this book for people who, in the midst of anxiety studded with pleasure, joyless repetition, and a maze from which they cannot escape no matter how far they walk, nevertheless retain in some corner of their hearts a desire to live life fully and without regrets. * When we feel a vague anxiety, like being bound in gossamer cords, in the midst of modern society, we are perhaps intuitively sensing the existence of “painless civilization.” This book is an attempt to give words to this feeling that the reader has, I am sure, already experienced at least once in their life. (shrink)

Civil Religion offers philosophical commentaries on more than twenty thinkers stretching from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. The book examines four important traditions within the history of modern political philosophy and delves into how each of them addresses the problem of religion. Two of these traditions pursue projects of domesticating religion. The civil religion tradition, principally defined by Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Rousseau, seeks to domesticate religion by putting it solidly in the service of politics. The liberal tradition pursues an (...) alternative strategy of domestication by seeking to put as much distance as possible between religion and politics. Modern theocracy is a militant reaction against liberalism, and it reverses the relationship of subordination asserted by civil religion: it puts politics directly in the service of religion. Finally, a fourth tradition is defined by Nietzsche and Heidegger. Aspects of their thought are not just modern, but hyper-modern, yet they manifest an often-hysterical reaction against liberalism that is fundamentally shared with the theocratic tradition. Together, these four traditions compose a vital dialogue that carries us to the heart of political philosophy itself. (shrink)

In 1992, the Frankfurt scholar Ingeborg Maus launched a polemical attack against then current narratives of democratic protest, objecting to the languages of ‘resistance’ or ‘civil disobedience’ as defensive, servile and insufficiently transformative. This article explores in how far the language of constituent power can be adopted as an alternative justificatory strategy for civil disobedience in transnational protests. In contrast to current approaches that look at states as agents of international civil disobedience-as-constituent power, I suggest we look at political movements. (...) I focus on the example of the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 which understands itself as a pan-European movement of civil disobedience, at the same time working towards an articulation and exercise of constituent power among the people of Europe. In the final section, I sharpen the criteria for the invocation of constituent power in transnational protest in distinguishing between its articulation, activation and... (shrink)

The vast majority of work on the ethics of war focuses on traditional wars between states. In this chapter, I aim to show that this is an oversight worth rectifying. My strategy will be largely comparative, assessing whether certain claims often defended in discussions of interstate wars stand up in the context of civil conflicts, and whether there are principled moral differences between the two types of case. Firstly, I argue that thinking about intrastate wars can help us make progress (...) on important theoretical debates in recent just war theory. Secondly, I consider whether certain kinds of civil wars are subject to a more demanding standard of just cause, compared to interstate wars of national-defence. Finally, I assess the extent to which having popular support is an independent requirement of permissible war, and whether this renders insurgencies harder to justify than wars fought by functioning states. (shrink)

How fruitfully can the notions of civil society and the public sphere be applied to non-Western societies that do not share the socio-historical characteristics that generated them in Western Europe? Critical examination of the particular versus the universal in the construction of modernity in the civil society/public sphere framework highlights the antinomies of Western-defined modernity, particularly that between the imperatives of effective centralized political authority and freedom of expression. Despite the virtual absence of any discussion of the Japanese public sphere, (...) claims by some scholars that the concepts of civil society and the public sphere are inapplicable to non-Western societies, and assertions by Japan’s Civil Society School that Japan never developed a vibrant civil society, this study demonstrates that socioeconomic development in the Tokugawa era was accompanied by the emergence of autonomous associations and claims by merchants, other commoners, and samurai to a voice in deliberating on public matters. Such claims were both reflected in and encouraged by significant developments in Japanese political thought, revealing a new political consciousness among these groups. These findings challenge prevailing assumptions regarding pre-Meiji Japan and demonstrate how democratizing forces were forged in a context quite different from that described by Jürgen Habermas and Charles Taylor in Western Europe. (shrink)