Resumo de The West And The Rest: Globalization And The Terrorist Threat

In order to understand globalization's complex interplay of business, technology, and culture - Scruton explains - we must first understand the history that has shaped this dynamic. Whether a critic or a proponent of globalization, it is important that we see this paradigm as the formative world system in operation today. Globalization simply is, whether we would wish it so or not. And none of us are beyond its scope. As with any sphere of overarching influence, there are inevitably those who take issue with this powerful transnational force. So-called "Islamic fundamentalists" staunchly resist what many perceive as the Americanization or the "Coca-colonization" of the modern world, and the threat of terrorist attack - as some would argue - has come to be regarded as the new McCarthyism in the Western world today. But why does such widespread adherence to this fear persist in the face of the exceptional information exchange that globalization fosters? Moreover, if globalization links communities and individuals, maintains rapid development in the technologies market, and conduces the flow of capital and commodities, why do these "religious zealots" find it such an objectionable model? Scruton finds the answers to these questions in the nature of the West as having emerged in reaction to religious and political oppression. Freedom from such subjugation is found not in democracy - as many would argue - but, rather, in a more general trend embracing diversity of opinion, religious principles, and the acceptance of educational and employment opportunity. Political models that further these goals may vary on the basis of local cultural and political climate. While many in the West blame Islam for misplaced hostility and general hatred of the new, the progressive, this expeditiousness is itself misplaced. Islam is founded on a sacred text that - though often misapplied - is nonetheless characterized by preaching submission to its powerful theological message. In this light, Scruton contends, we should not necessarily see Islam as at odds with the West, but, rather, we should understand the West as having emerged by virtue of an inherent distaste for the sorts of homogenizing tendencies such theocracies harbor. To understand globalization, we must first look to the systems that preceded it, systems that were riven with conflict even then.

Resumos Relacionados