Social Science

What to do about the Persistence of Inequality? Get Full Text in PDF Abstract The focus of this paper is income inequality and, more pointedly, its persistence throughout generations. In the spirit of Atkinson (2014, 2015) and Roemer (1998), we take a normative stand and make concrete proposals to combat the persistence of inequality. In the view presented here, those inequalities derive, to an... Read more

The Ubiquity of Machines: Will Machines Overcome Human Beings? Get Full Text in PDF Abstract The article discusses the ubiquity of machines in human societies and whether machines will overcome humans. It notes that societies find order through systems of values, resource management and allocation, which are both social constructs and technological representations of their environment. Any... Read more

Catalyzing Transformation: A Process Framework for Transformative System Change Sandra Waddock* Get Full Text in PDF Abstract This article offers a synthesized perspective on a future-oriented process for transformational change makers, here called transformation catalysts, to catalyze systemic change through processes of connecting, cohering, and amplifying the transformational change work of... Read more

Principles of Social Development Get Full Text in PDF Abstract The efforts to evolve a comprehensive, integrated theory of social development have proved to be so difficult that many have concluded it is unattainable. On the surface, it appears that each field of social science is governed by different and often unrelated or contradictory assumptions, concepts and principles that would render a... Read more

Get Full Text in PDF Abstract To manage complexity in the modern world requires large-scale visual language diagrams that are called “information murals.” These murals present the science involved in major global and local issues; describe the policies that may respond to these challenges; and integrate the communication using the arts of diagramming and illustration on a wall-size scale. ... Read more

Get Full Text in PDF In February 2021, the World Academy of Art and Science hosted an expert panel on societal transformation as part of its 60th anniversary conference. From this, a working group was formed for the purpose of identifying, developing, promoting and implementing practical, catalytic strategies for addressing major challenges and evolving human society into sustainable form. The... Read more

Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Individualism and collectivism are two competing philosophical and social movements that have divided the world for centuries. Their origins can be traced back to ancient times. They are founded on different interpretations of the value and place of freedom and equality in society. While their rivalry is ancient, it is also evolving and taking on ever new forms.... Read more

Get Full Text in PDF Abstract A silent revolution occurs per definition outside our views. The present silent revolution is the unprecedented shift of focus away from numbers towards values. At a time of crisis where all numbers fail us, the future of the world is opened, directed, and saved through values. Numbers represent the inhuman side of life, whereas values represent the human quality of... Read more

Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Every institution of higher education and every government is trying to overcome the problems it faces and improve the reach, relevance, financial viability and effectivity of education. But no one is thinking globally for solutions that will be optimal from the perspective of humanity as a whole. The enormous challenges we face in education today can best... Read more

Get Full Text in PDF Abstract There is an imperative need to reconceptualize the role of the firm in modern society based on a holistic perspective in order to correct the imbalances and excesses generated by a too narrow conception of purpose and the inadequacies of current theory to explain and reveal the underlying process by which firms, stakeholders and society at large grow, develop and... Read more

Get Full Text in PDF Abstract The concept of modernization refers to the transition of societies through industrialization, urbanization, and technological sophistication. It is a visible manifestation of the underlying process of global social evolution. Social evolution has a direction. Its cardinal characteristic and driving force is the progressive recognition and enforcement of an... Read more

Get Full Text in PDF Abstract The narrative ‘sweeps through’ history, starting with the Treaties of Westphalia in 1648, on to the Congress of Vienna of 1814-15, to the current terminology of ‘modern multilateralism’ with its lineage from the Versailles Treaty of 1919 and the League of Nations, to the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference at Bretton Woods in 1944, the European Coal and... Read more

 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract This paper addresses the problem of how to identify a small and parsimonious set of principles or “postulates” that may help us understand the great theoretical foundations of the social sciences. From a philosophical point of view, it presents ten premises that are perhaps essential for any attempt at elaborating a social theory. When one tries to elaborate... Read more

 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract As society evolves in consciousness, the character of its leadership evolves as well. The physical stage of human development is characterized by the rule of physical strength and directed by military leaders with the capacity to mobilize and exercise physical force through violence. In the vital-social stage, leadership shifts to the authority of custom and... Read more

 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Great achievements of the past hold invaluable lessons for the future. Often we deify the leader and celebrate the outcome, but overlook the underlying principles they reflect. The American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s is a testimony to the combined power of an idea, the catalytic role of dedicated individuals and the power of token actions in... Read more

 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract All values are spiritual in their essence, even those that appear to be physical. For all values seek perfection of the whole. The widest and highest perfection is based on the totality and oneness of reality. Such a perfection is comprehensive and inclusive. It is founded on truths that complete other truths rather than compete with them. Despite their vast... Read more

 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Unequal distribution of societal power is to a large extent responsible for poverty, hunger, the destruction of nature, and inhuman living conditions. From the perspective of its redistribution, we distinguish three basic means of power: The ownership of material and immaterial properties, the kind of organisation and the values according to which properties... Read more

 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Strategic Foresight is usually understood to be a process for exploring possible and plausible futures, or an ability to better anticipate and prepare for what those futures may hold. This perspective may reflect the majority of foresight practice, but, intellectually and in terms of potential value, it is incomplete and unnecessarily constrains the scope and... Read more

 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Over the past 15 years, sustainability has become mainstream in the corporate and financial sectors. But environmental and social conditions are declining rapidly in many regions. Nearly all corporate and financial sector sustainability strategies are focused on company-level activities, such as unilaterally mitigating negative environmental and social... Read more

 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Scientists have an important role not only in avoiding inappropriate and dangerous decisions, but also advising policymakers and other stakeholders about the best and wiser moves to make towards a human-centered society, thereby fomenting scientific knowledge and enhancing cross-cultural connections and joint research. They should also not forget... Read more

 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract This article explores a particular aspect of the role of anticipation in social and legal processes. The program begins by recognizing that social interaction happens within a time-space manifold of events. This means that society functions in terms of events located on the plane of time and the situation of space. This means that social process is a dynamic... Read more

 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Any expression of rationality is based upon premises, many of which cannot be ultimately justified. The role of these presuppositions becomes particularly important in the domains of the social sciences and the humanities. A philosophical reflection on the foundations and methodologies of these disciplines can shed valuable light on how to overcome the... Read more

 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract In this article, a principal place is given to the question of how the ways we conceptualize the use of our mind influence the generation of social power. We define social power as the potency of socially integrated individuals to accomplish specific predetermined values. These values can be related to anything from concrete material prosperity to abstract... Read more

 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Global civilization is the product of diverse cultures, each contributing a unique perspective arising from the development of different mental faculties and powers of mind. The momentous achievements of modern science are the result of the cumulative development of mind’s capacity for analytic thinking, mathematical rendering and experimental validation. The... Read more

 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract The rational mind is the highest evolved status of human consciousness. The evolution of mind and civilization has proceeded hand in hand for millennia. The development of new capacities of mind made possible the development of tools, language, agriculture, permanent settlements, towns, cities, religion, trade, transportation, communication, government, law,... Read more

 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Society unknowingly follows the course of spiritual evolution. Spirituality is the quest for self-existent order and harmonious perfection. The evolution of society is driven by an irrepressible aspiration for the values that are the translation and embodiment of that order. The history of civilization is a record of its progressive emergence. Spirituality is... Read more

 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract This article describes a global governance system that—from the author’s point of view—would lead to sustainability and allow the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which have just been adopted at the UN level. Major elements are (1) the integration of existing international regimes in the area of the UN, WTO and the world financial... Read more

 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Education, together with family and culture, is one of the fundamental building blocks of the social construction of reality. It is more and more evident that we need a paradigm change in the field of education in order to enable people to deal effectively with the mounting challenges facing humanity. This retooling needs to start with our frames of reference.... Read more

 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract This article traces the evolutionary development of human consciousness and its increasingly complex and sophisticated organization as human personality from the instinctive behavior of the animal and the subconscious conformity characteristic of early forms of human civilization through progressive stages of transition from physical to social to mental levels... Read more

 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Society is the source of immense power. Over the past few centuries humanity has record­ed phenomenal growth in its collective capacity for accomplishment, as reflected in the 12-fold growth in global per capita income since 1800. The remarkable achievements in living standards, longevity, science, technology, industry, education, democracy, human rights,... Read more