European Civilization 15 ( Representative issues in European civilization: Freedom and society1 )

5. Representative issues in European civilization: Freedom and society

 

It may be said that there are four types of European civilization. One is the EU countries,This is the origin. America, Britain, Oceania, Russia, South America. Until recently, the European civilization was extremely powerful, and its influence extended to other civilizations. There are seven characteristics of European civilization: 1. Freedom, democracy, aristocracy, 2. Spirituality and secularity (dualism), 3. Cosmopolitanism and knowledge, 4. Cosmopolitanism and industrialism, 5. Military, 6. Duality and separation, 7. Women's power. How should Japan deal with this European civilization? Also, what are the problems facing modern European civilization, and what contributions can it make to world civilization in the future?

 

However, European civilization is still powerful, and there are various elements, and there are internal conflicts, but in the long term, if the Chinese and Indian civilizations become relatively powerful, the tendency to become one will increase. Conversely, North and South America may gradually lose the elements of European civilization. There is a possibility that they will follow the same process as the Seleucid Empire, a Greek state. In the case of North America, it will first become South Americanized (there may be an aspect of North America returning to its origins as a reaction to this - perhaps the Trump administration), but it will not leave the framework of the Christian civilization. However, America has a different environment from Europe, so it will be influenced by it. As a new continent, I think Oceania also has such an aspect.

 

Russia, on the other hand, will also be influenced by Central Asia and China. In this case, it will also be removed from the framework of the Christian civilization. As long as China aims to be a maritime nation, Russia, Central Asia and China can cooperate, but in the meantime, mutual dependence will increase, and Russia will become more dependent on China, which will remove it from the Christian civilization and eventually be psychologically eroded (which will be the beginning of China's influence expansion). China's strategy to the south seems to have meaning in the north as well. However, in response to such movements, Russia will pursue the framework of the former Soviet Union (Eurasia Concept) so as not to be eroded by Chinese civilization, but it is likely that it will eventually realize that its honeymoon with China is only buying time, and will steer toward the EU (and Indian civilization).

 

It depends on how the Ukraine issue and the Xinjiang issue are resolved, but the big flow is what the residents there want. Ukraine faces the EU (European civilization), and Xinjiang faces Islamic civilization, so if they can no longer be suppressed by force, they will have no choice but to follow the natural flow through conditioning. That way, Russia can protect its territory and culture, and it would be more beneficial for China to peacefully hand over Xinjiang to Islamic civilization. This is because, as we discussed in the section on Islamic civilization, Islamic civilization is likely to be linked to Chinese civilization. That is, unless European civilization and Islamic civilization are connected behind the scenes.

 

Over-expanded nations (America, Russia, China) may be eroded by the force of the fourth principle (reaction), as was the case with Britain after the war, and eventually their centripetal force may gather around the EU, the center of European civilization that was the mother of these nations. It seems that the groundwork for this is now being laid in Europe.

 

Now, are the elements that made Europe the mother of civilization (the mother of North and South America, Oceania, and Russia) still present in the present day?

 

1) Freedom, democracy, and aristocracy - these are the original values and are thought to remain to this day. It is a civilization that continues to have these cultures in a mature form.

 

2. Spirituality and secularity (dualism) - this unfortunately seems to have weakened. The sense of adventure in the intellectual world has also decreased (decline of spirituality). Because of the long period of material abundance, the energy for pursuit of it may not be as strong as in Asia (decline of secularity). Therefore, the driving force for the development of this civilization is inevitably weaker than that of China and India.

 

3. Cosmopolitanism and knowledge: Today's Europe is moving from cosmopolitanism to integration. Loose cosmopolitanism and division have given birth to competition and evolution, but modern European civilization seems to be moving from looseness to strong unity. This comes from the lessons learned from the loss of so much in the world war, but this may not be the image of the former European civilization that always gave birth to innovation. It may also be said that a situation without division is less beneficial for cosmopolitan merchants and capital who profit from differences.

 

4. Regarding being cosmopolitan and industrialist, European civilization is no longer the only capitalist civilization based on industrialism.

 

5. Regarding being militaristic, it seems that the values of European civilization have not changed much even after the end of the world wars.

 

6. Regarding dualism and separation, the competition of values that was the driving force of evolution, arising from the conflict between spirituality and secularity, seems to have become a stable competition based on "unity (monism) and separation" at present. This may be a competition of values with historical significance, just as sovereign states gradually emerged from alliances of feudal lords. Separability also seems to be inclined to be rejected due to the lessons of the world wars. At the same time, we are entering an era in which the uniqueness of various regions is emphasized rather than that of countries, but a certain degree of universality is also required, so the theme of unity and separation may be said to be more of an institutional rather than a value-based theme compared to the themes of Protestantism and Catholicism, absolute monarchy and civil revolution, and capitalism and socialism. In fact, the path from Protestantism to Catholicism, or from absolute monarchy to the civil revolution, was also the path from feudal territorial rule to sovereign states, and values and institutional theory were inseparably linked, but in the current situation where no new value theories have emerged regarding the EU, it may be thought that the EU is like France or Britain at a time of transition (transition to sovereign states), but the time has passed when the EU's value opponents were America or Russia, and they are now other civilizations. There may also be a view that one should try to forge one's own civilization through tension with other civilizations.

 

7. The power of women may also be a new power that has emerged in the human rights ideas of European civilization. There may be good and bad things about women, but it seems that there are many women who have made great achievements in European civilization.

 

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