Would you like to participate in a RallyPoint book club?

CPT Jack Durish — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 14:02:56 -0400

Rather than anything formal, I'm simply going to invite you to join me in reading a book, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order by Samuel Huntington. When the Cold War ended, most people envisioned an era of peace founded on a One World Order. Some even hoped for a Global Government (indeed, some still cling to that notion). However, Huntington envisioned something vastly different. It was controversial when his article on the subject appeared in Foreign Policy magazine. The book expands on his original premise. He foresaw a world fragmented by culture/civilization, and it well may be argued that is what we have. It's a mighty tome and will take some time to read, especially if we pause to discuss the many issues it raises. For example, what is "civilization"? Surprisingly, there are many opinions. Is civilization more likely to divide us, more likely than ideology? Given the pervasiveness of political debate these days, it hardly seems possible, but if politics is downstream of culture, it may be that focusing on politics is shortsighted. What say you?

Response by 1SG Steven Imerman made Jun 12 at 2020 3:10 PM

1SG Steven Imerman — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 15:10:00 -0400

Count me in. I checked, the library doesn't have a copy, but I can have one quite reasonably from Amazon in 3-4 days, so let me know if it is really going to happen, and I'll get a copy.

Response by SFC Maricela Hargrove made Jun 12 at 2020 3:27 PM

SFC Maricela Hargrove — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 15:27:56 -0400

I will get a copy and read it. Thanks! It ya a great discussion topic.

Response by Lt Col Charlie Brown made Jun 13 at 2020 12:48 PM

Lt Col Charlie Brown — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 12:48:59 -0400

Interesting concept

Response by COL Mikel J. Burroughs made Jun 13 at 2020 4:50 PM

COL Mikel J. Burroughs — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 16:50:51 -0400

Great idea CPT Jack Durish

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Jun 14 at 2020 1:02 PM

CPT Jack Durish — Sun, 14 Jun 2020 13:02:42 -0400

Those of us who grew up in the time of the Cold War had it easy. It was US vs THEM. Free World vs Evil Empire. It was, as the author proclaims, a bipolar world. And many thought that the demise of one would result in a fusion of the two into one world, free or enslaved, with one world government. It’s easy to see how they scoffed at Huntington’s vision of a world fragmented into multiple civilizations in conflict.
It’s obvious that his premise rests on the definition of “civilization” and that’s where he begins. I don’t know about you but I thought I knew the definition until I began reading his first couple of chapters. Now, I’m not so sure. Obviously, we must accept his or the remainder of his book falls apart.
In one of his brief videos, Dennis Prager posited that “civilization,” sharing the same linguistic root as “citizen,” is a society ruled by civilians as opposed to military. If we are going to deconstruct the word, I prefer to compare it to “civil,” as in courteous and polite. In other words, those belonging to a society that, for whatever reason, citizens are courteous and polite with one another. These are not shared with those belonging to another civilization. Obviously, deconstruction will satisfy the need to define civilization for the purposes of understanding this book.
To be fair, I haven’t had to consider the meaning of civilization in a long time. I vaguely remember studying literature and other aspects of Western Civilization in college. I also studied living religions of the world which exposed me to other civilizations. And, as an amateur historian, I have visited other civilizations in antiquity, but without pausing to consider what constituted a civilization.
Thus, before we continue, we must reach agreement with Hawthorne on the meaning of civilization or give up.
BTW, I know that I may be getting ahead of you inasmuch as you may not have yet procured the book, but I wanted to share these thoughts before they fled my mind. I am, after all, at the age where I am focused on the “hereafter,” as in whenever I enter a room I wonder, “What the hell am I hereafter.”

Response by SFC Maricela Hargrove made Jun 15 at 2020 11:47 AM

SFC Maricela Hargrove — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 11:47:01 -0400

I read the introduction of The Clash of Civilizations and made me wonder how it compares to La raza cósmica (The Cosmic Race) by Mexican philosopher and writer José Vasconcelos. I guess I'll find out as I keep reading.