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We live in tumultuous times. A main purpose of this website is to build bridges and construct links in the context of the present crisis, integrating my work in philosophy and civil society with developments in the global crisis.

The 21st Century: Civilization in Crisis

Over the past few years, a growing number of well-informed people have been sounding the alarm about the state of human civilization, faced with mounting evidence of social, political and environmental deterioration. In her last book, Dark Age Ahead (May 04), Canadian urban theorist, Jane Jacobs (d. 2006), documents a spiraling decline in five different areas of North American society, which she compares to the deterioration leading to the collapse of the ancient Roman empire. In Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed (Dec 04), Jared Diamond examines how the failure to question certain practices can lead to the erosion of sustainability for entire societies. In The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization (Oct 06), Canadian political scientist, Thomas Homer-Dixon, sees in our present civilization evidence of the same kind of systemic weaknesses that led to the collapse of ancient Rome.

In the face of the ongoing financial crisis and its economic fallout and emerging evidence of escalating climate change, the perilous nature of present circumstances is by now widely recognized. In March 2009, the possibility of catastrophe and the consideration of different modalities of response was the focus of a multidisciplinary three-day conference, “The Ethics of Catastrophe”, held at the University of Toronto.

Empires on the Edge of Chaos

A year later – March 2010. If anything, the prospect of collapse is even greater. The most recent warning is contained in an article by financial historian Niall Ferguson in the March/April 2010 edition of Foreign Affairs, “Complexity and Collapse: Empires on the Edge of Chaos” (24feb10, requires subscription or pdf purchase). A synopsis of the article was published in the LA Times in late February: “America, the fragile empire: Here today, gone tomorrow—could the United States fall that fast?” (28feb10). Paul Farrell provides a good summary in his recent column: “Collapse of the American Empire: swift, silent, certain” (09mar10).

Ferguson situates his reflection using “The Course of Empire” – a five painting series by the 19th century American artist Thomas Cole depicting the sequence of phases in the rise and fall of civilization: The Savage State, The Arcadian or Pastoral State, The Consummation of Empire, The Destruction of Empire, and Desolation (1833-36). He observes that our present world is a highly interconnected, complex system operating somewhere between order and disorder. The apparent stability and equilibrium reflects constant adaptation, however, a very small trigger event can initiate a ‘phase transition’ into a critical state. Looking at past historical examples, Ferguson emphasizes that the onset of collapse may occur rapidly despite the fact that historians subsequently explain such events with reference to causes and conditions that precede the collapse by a decade or more. In answer to the crucial question: “what are the implications for the United States today?”, he points out that “most imperial falls are associated with fiscal crises.” In view of the current U.S. deficit figures, he concludes that “Alarm bells should be ringing very loudly, indeed”.

Ferguson points out that a crucial element leading to the decline and fall of an empire is imperialist overextension, as emphasized by British historian Paul Kennedy in his 1987 study, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000:

1. If a state overextends itself strategically ... it runs the risk that the potential benefits from external expansion may be outweighed by the great expense of it all.
   

Farrell adds the confirming observation of political historian, Kevin Phillips, from his book, Wealth and Democracy (2002):

1. Most great nations, at the peak of their economic power, become arrogant and
   

2. wage great world wars at great cost, wasting vast resources, taking on huge debt,
   

3. and ultimately burning themselves out.
   

Where are we now in relation to Cole’s sequence of paintings? Farrell estimates that the peak is now behind us: “We sense the ‘consummation’ of the American Empire occurred with the leadership handoff from Bill Clinton to George W. Bush.”

Environmental Destabilization

As for dealing decisively with the risk of escalating climate change, this seems increasingly unlikely given the shift in public opinion . An article in the Guardian reports the results of a recent Gallup poll that “Public belief in climate science has seen a precipitous slide in the US, according to new polling that suggests fewer Americans are concerned about the threat posed by global warming. Nearly half of Americans – 48% – now believe the threat of globalwarming has been exaggerated, the highest level since polling began 13 years ago” (11mar10). This mirrors a similar result in the UK: “Climate scepticism ‘on the rise’, BBC poll shows” (07feb10).

Yet, the potential for an abrupt shift into a crisis scenario continues, for one, with the ongoing rise in methane. In January, the Guardian reported the result of a new study published in Science showing that “methane emissions from the Arctic increased by 31% from 2003-07.” This is consistent with the fact that “Global levels [of methane] have risen steadily since 2007, after a decade or so holding steady” (14jan10). ScienceDaily recently reported on another study published in Science in early March, which shows that “the permafrost under the East Siberian Arctic Shelf, long thought to be an impermeable barrier sealing in methane, is perforated and is leaking large amounts of methane into the atmosphere” (05mar10). The outcome of these emissions is clearly evident in the methane (CH4) chart of the Global Monitoring Division of NOAA’s Earth System Research Lab (06mar10).

Philosophy in an Age of Decay

The above considerations relate to the financial and physical aspects of the global Earth system, which indicate a situation of significant peril. Those with a philosophical and religious focus have been aware of the moral deterioration in our society for some time as per the quote from Vittorio Hösle above.

A very similar perspective is expressed by US philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre in his 1981 book, After Virtue. In his concluding thoughts, he acknowledges the view our own age, at least in Europe and North America, contains parallels to “the epoch in which the Roman empire declined into the Dark Ages.” He notes that “a crucial turning point” in that earlier era occurred “when men and women of good will turned aside from the task of shoring up the Roman imperium.” While “often not recognizing fully what they were doing” they undertook the construction of “new forms of community within which the moral life could be sustained so that both morality and civility might survive the coming age of barbarism and darkness”:

1. What matters at this stage is the construction of local forms of community with which civility and the intellectual and moral life can be sustained through the new dark ages which are already upon us. And if the tradition of the virtues was able to survive the horrors of the last dark ages, we are not entirely without grounds for hope. This time however the barbarians are not waiting beyond the frontiers; they have already been governing us from quite some time. And it is our lack of consciousness of this that constitutes part of our predicament.
   

On the latter point, I would recommend Henry Giroux’s recent Op-Ed, “Winter in America: Democracy Gone Rogue” at truthout (07mar10).

Philosophy has traditionally probed the deepest issues and sought the most comprehensive explanations for the human predicament. This kind of thinking has an important role to play in these critical times, given the dramatic nature of the changes now underway. Despite the grim nature of the era that is undoubtedly ahead, I see this also as an opportunity for profound advancement, i.e. given that the required changes will originate from a much deeper level than would otherwise be the case if the human situation were less dire. This is currently a main focus in my philosophical research, involving the consideration of issues in fundamental ontology – how reality is constituted at a primordial level – and our openness to that reality.

Citizen Engagement for Truth and Justice

Academic research and writing, even if it achieves the most profound insights, is generally insufficient to bring about the transition to a just society. Plato effectively recognizes this in the Republic, written in the 4th century BCE. While acknowledging the superiority of the happiness of the contemplative life, he argued that it is not the intent of a constitution that governs a just society to make any one particular group or class outstandingly happy. Its aim is to establish the common good: bringing the citizens into harmony in a way that ensures the distribution of happiness in the city as a whole. To foster this, Plato insists that the philosopher must become politically involved – as presented in his famous Allegory of the Cave in Republic VII.

In allegorical terms, the general problematic of the Cave is that we are “prisoners” in thrall to appearances, which we take to be the way things really are, but which (in reality) are the projections of players behind the scenes. One of the best visual depictions of the allegory is by Norman Schultz (here). The political dimension of the allegory is often not developed by scholars, yet there are several contemporary parallels, which suggest its relevance.

In the context of our present culture and social circumstances, there is a need to initiate a movement from being in thrall to appearances to recognizing their reality. Certain passages in Republic VII suggest that the philosopher would make use of ‘summoners’, pointing out inconsistencies and contradictions in the appearances and thereby awakening thought to further inquiry.

One scholar in the area of philosophical theology who has been engaged in this kind of work is David Ray Griffin—for example, in his recent book, The Mysterious Collapse of World Trade Center 7: Why the Official Final Report about 9/11 is Unscientific and False (Sep09). Griffin summarizes his position in an article 14sep09. It seems clear that in a less tolerant society, this type of questioning might well lead to the kind of end that Socrates met in being offered the cup of hemlock. The comparison between Plato’s allegory and 9/11 and the platonic nature of Griffin’s work is indicated in the following striking depiction.

The Financial Crisis

Those not formally trained in philosophy may also perform the important work of disclosing the reality behind appearances. A good example would be the recently released 9-volume report on the downfall of Lehman Brothers by court-appointed bankruptcy examiner, Anton Valukas and colleagues. An important public service is being provided by those able to understand the report who are posting their observations on webites. Washington’sBlog provides a well-documented overview (12mar10). Another helpful discussion at zerohedge contains the Ratigan/Spitzer video illustrating the Repo 105 balance sheet manipulation mechanism (12mar10). In an essay posted at New Economic Perspectives, economics Professor L. Randall Wray considers whether U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner helped hide the Lehman fraud when he was president of the Federal Reserve (15mar10).

The financial crisis has made it especially clear that reform and progressive change cannot be left up to government and regulatory elites. In fact, de-regulation has been identified as one of the conditions that set the stage for the crisis (see discussion in Post-Trust Society). The Lehman bankruptcy report also raises significant questions about the credibility and integrity of the oversight bodies tasked with ensuring institutional stability.

Concern about these issues was forcefully expressed by Senator Ted Kaufman (D/DE) in a speech to the Senate (15mar10):

1. That [Lehman] report has put in sharp relief what many of us have expected all along: that fraud and potential criminal conduct were at the heart of the financial crisis.
   

Monitory Democracy

My public interest advocacy work, which arose from my own setback, began in the summer of 2004 and includes consumer protection policy analysis in various areas.

A recent blog entry, “The Amethyst Room Hearings,” details my efforts to bring about structural change involving the introduction of a new consultation regime in the area of financial services regulation (15mar10). Although these efforts have met with a measure of success, there is also a very evident reluctance among regulatory management elites in Ontario to move forward with prompt and credible reforms that would bring Canada up to date with other jurisdictions on this issue. My commentary on this issue continues in an entry analyzing the OSC’s proposed Investor Advisory Panel (23apr10), which is demonstrably flawed.

The blog section of my site has several functions beyond comment: art, archive, analysis, and intervention. Regarding the latter, the analysis in the entry “Flawed Process / Faulty Product” (08jun09) was was included in further communications with regulatory authorities, which resulted in modifications in the dealer complaint handling policy of IIROC (Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada).

The role of the internet in leveraging democratic participation is discussed by political theorist John Keane in his Griffith Review essay, “Monitory democracy and media-saturated societies” (01may09). Keane introduces the concept of ‘monitory’ democracy in his 2009 book, The Life and Death of Democracy. He claims that a discernible transition from representative/electoral democracy to monitory democracy occurred around 1945 with the end of WW2. The essential function of this new form democracy is that it involves the exercise of “extra-parliamentary, power-scrutinizing mechanisms”:

1. Various watchdogs and guide dogs and barking dogs are constantly on the job, pressing for greater public accountability of those who exercise power.
   

This oversight occurs through various formal and informal mechanisms, both individual and institutional, and involves the assumption of responsibility for monitoring the exercise of power by public authorities and corporations. The work of US advocate Ralph Nader is an excellent example. In a recent comment, Nader mentions the growing signs of decay in American society and recent evidence of government caving in to corporate interests: “When the Banks Own the Congress” (30mar10). The article is partly historical – there’s a trajectory and things are getting worse.

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Photo: Matsumoto Castle, Nagano Prefecture, Japan (16th C.)

Page updated: 26 April 2010