← Back to Concept Index
historical-progress
The chapter reviews Enlightenment and modernist narratives of human progress, questioning their assumptions in light of ecological and social crises.
1 chapter across 1 book
Empathic Civilization: The Race to Global Consciousness in a World in Crisis (2009)Jeremy Rifkin
CHAPTER 5: RETHINKING THE MEANING OF THE HUMAN JOURNEY
Chapter 5 critically examines the evolution of human self-understanding from the Middle Ages through modernity, highlighting the shift from a faith-based to a reason-based worldview epitomized by Descartes’ cogito. It challenges the Cartesian separation of reason and emotion by drawing on contemporary neuroscience and philosophy, emphasizing the embodied and plural nature of the self. The chapter also explores the implications of these shifts for rethinking human progress, empathy, and moral consciousness in the context of global crises.