Sustainable History and Human Dignity: A Neurophilosophy of History and the Future of Civilisation
In Sustainable History and Human Dignity, Professor Nayef Al-Rodhan shows that it is the human quest for sustainable governance, balancing the ever-present tension between nine human dignity needs and three human nature attributes (emotionality, amorality & egoism), that has and will most profoundly shape the course of history. Beginning with an ‘Ocean Model’ of a single collective human civilisation, Al-Rodhan constructs a common human story comprised of multiple geo-cultural domains and sub-cultures with a history of mutual borrowing and synergies. If humanity as a whole is to flourish, all of these diverse geo-cultural domains must succeed. Only thus can lasting peace and prosperity be achieved for all, especially in the face of ‘Civilisational Frontier Risks’ and highly disruptive technologies in the twenty-first century.
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Sustainable History and Human Dignity
Description
In Sustainable History and Human Dignity, Professor Nayef Al-Rodhan shows that it is the human quest for sustainable governance, balancing the ever-present tension between nine human dignity needs and three human nature attributes (emotionality, amorality & egoism), that has and will most profoundly shape the course of history. Beginning with an ‘Ocean Model’ of a single collective human civilisation, Al-Rodhan constructs a common human story comprised of multiple geo-cultural domains and sub-cultures with a history of mutual borrowing and synergies. If humanity as a whole is to flourish, all of these diverse geo-cultural domains must succeed. Only thus can lasting peace and prosperity be achieved for all, especially in the face of ‘Civilisational Frontier Risks’ and highly disruptive technologies in the twenty-first century.
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Endorsements and Reviews
Professor Al-Rodhan is both a distinguished neuroscientist and profound philosopher, straddling the disciplinary divide. Here he offers not just an illuminating survey of previous writing on the philosophy of history by the likes of Ibn Khaldun, Hegel, Marx, Toynbee, and Fukuyama, but also a roadmap to a better future based on good governance, social justice, inclusiveness, trans-cultural dialogue, human rights, and human dignity. A remarkable book by a remarkable author.
Avi Shlaim FBA, Emeritus Professor of International Relations, University of Oxford
A pioneering work that puts neuroscience to the service of history, and uses history as a guide to the future. A profound and important book.
Eugene Rogan, Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History, University of Oxford
Nayef Al-Rodhan, one of the world’s leading intellectuals, has produced an epic book that navigates beyond the monocultural/Eurocentric approaches of the likes of Fukuyama and Huntington. This is a book for our times. It offers an enriching philosophy of history and historical progress that informs his brilliant diagnosis and inclusive analysis of the world together with a highly appealing but realistic set of prescriptions that can create a genuinely brighter future for global humanity.
John M. Hobson, Professor of Politics & International Relations, University of Sheffield
Dr. Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan challenges us to grapple with the meaning of history and how it could lead to the improvement of the human condition. This book presents his views on how a sustainable history based on human dignity could be achieved. In his opinion, this requires good governance, based on ‘reason, security, human rights, accountability, transparency, justice, opportunity, innovation and inclusiveness.’ I agree, and I hope that the path laid out in this book attracts many followers.
President Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States
No-one seeking to understand the modern condition can afford to ignore Dr Al-Rodhan’s inspiring book, a profound analysis of the core values around which effective global governance can be built and sustained.
Lord Anthony Giddens, Former President of LSE, UK
(…) Although he probably would not follow Immanuel Kant in thinking that there exists an intrinsic moral law to ‘fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe’ (Critique of Practical Reason, 1788), the author has, in this remarkable and persuasive work, offered us a new subject for those attitudes: humanity itself, the reasoned analysis of which may contribute to a better future for all.
Sustainable History and Human Dignity demonstrates that to truly unleash the best in human behaviour we must break away from exploitative and binary zero-sum paradigms with narrow, shortsighted geopolitical goals. The way forward, he contends, is the triumph of all geo-cultural domains as the most certain route for achieving collective and national peace, security, and prosperity in a sustainable way. It is a must-read for any individual, institution, or government who is serious about global sustainability and the challenges ahead.
Philosophy in Review
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