The Age of Cultural Trauma in Europe and the Chances of the Preservation of Western Civilization

Bodziany, Marek; Gwiazda-Rzepecka, Brygida

The Age of Cultural Trauma in Europe and the Chances of the Preservation of Western Civilization

Abstract

The article is an attempt of the synthesis of extensive issues describing demographic and cultural problems of Western Civilization. To familiarize a reader with the issues of civilization, the authors used the classical theory of Feliks Koneczny – the precursor of the civilization typology and the author of contemporary civilization knowledge. Furthermore, Samuel Huntington’s contribution to the theory of civilization was presented. His typology became an updated version of F. Koneczny’s views. On the ground of theoretical deliberation on civilization, the authors analysed the selected problems of the contemporary world connected with the uncontrollable birth rate in some parts of the world, with mass migrations, which are the effect of political changes and transformations in poor countries, as well as with the paradox of modernity, which led the countries of so-called the old democracy in a vortex of consumption and mass culture, and moved away from fundamental traditions and values. The idea of this article was to show the reader the problems which modern societies face nowadays. This issue underlies the paradox where the fall of western countries population breeds the necessity of accepting “the strangers” – immigrants as a minority, which helps to build prosperity. That acceptance is connected, however, with cultural assimilation, which in consequence leads to the diffusion of cultures as well as creating the mosaic, hybrid and culturally heterogeneous societies.

Keywords

civilization culture population western civilization

Citation

M. Bodziany, B. Gwiazda-Rzepecka, The Age Of Cultural Trauma In Europe And The Chances Of The Preservation Of Western Civilization, Dike kai nomos: Quaderni di cultura politico-giuridica, Anno 3, Nº. 6 (Abr/Sep), 2014