The Age of Universality
Abstract
The argument advanced in this article is the view that humanity is entering upon an age of universality. The term ‘universality’ is not used in the sense of all the circumstances of humanity being universal in every respect; this is of course an impossibility given the great diversity of the human race in terms of culture, language, nationality, religion and belief, etc. And humanity is still divided into membership of different national institutional arrangements and forms of governance, although increasingly these are being transcended by cross-border connections, institutions and laws. The argument accepts that all humanity is one human species and hence are members of one race and are increasingly seen as such. But more than that, it argues that that one human race is now participating in a process that is entering upon a new age in which the many factors that go to make up that one race are experiencing ever increasing degrees of connections and commonalities. These connections and commonalities have now reached a stage such that the interdependence of that one race is becoming an established fact[1]. Increasingly there is an emerging universality of factors applicable to all humanity despite the differences already mentioned. It is not uncommonly observed that the world of humanity is becoming a global village[2]. And that universality is increasingly being reflected in a consciousness on the part of many people of the depth of these connections and commonalities. Despite a resurgence of national consciousness and some rise of opposition to globalization, which as Zakaria points out produces its discontents and the possibility of revolutions[1], it is argued that the overall trend towards universality is now set in place.
References
“The world is, in truth, moving on towards its destiny. The interdependence of the peoples and nations of the earth, whatever the leaders of the divisive forces of the world may say or do, is already an accomplished fact.” (Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day Has Come, 122.)
“There is a coming together. The power of community is asserting itself. We are realising how fragile are our frontiers in the face of the world's new challenges. Today conflicts rarely stay within national boundaries. Today a tremor in one financial market is repeated in the markets of the world. Today confidence is global; either its presence or its absence….I have long believed this interdependence defines the new world we live in.”- Tony Blair, Labour Party Conference speech,
This term was coined by Marshall McLuhan in the 1960s to describe the world’s increasing interconnection – Jakaria, Age of Revolutions, Allen Lane, (2024), 221.
Zakaria, Age of Revolutions, Allen Lane (2024).
This approach is described by Arnold J Toynbee, A Study of History, in 12 volumes, 1934-1961. It is a general approach that reflects much earlier notions of history, not in terms of any progressive linear developments, but rather in terms of continuous cycles of life.
The idea of human progress is examined in Sidney Pollard, The Idea of Progress: History and Society, (London, C A Watts, 1968); Ronald Wright, A Short History of Progress, (Melbourne, Text Publishing, 2004). Wright argues that only by understanding the patterns of repeated human behavior in its continuing cycles can humanity learn to change its ways and with luck and wisdom avoid the repeat of disastrous outcomes that have characterised past cycles. Some writers are strongly against the idea of human progress towards global integration in recent centuries, for example. Alain Touraine in his comments in One World,
The idea of progress took somewhat of a battering in the 20th century, when belief in the wonders of scientific materialism was hit by the mass brutalities of two World Wars and numerous other hideous conflicts. This might suggest that humanity has in fact reversed its “progress” in this century. But viewed from another perspective, such brutalities have indicated the shortcomings of a world divided, and in themselves provide further strong grounds for a shift to universality. The risk of further such global conflict cannot be dismissed as humanity deals with the demands of its increasingly global nature. In fact such severe trials may well yet provide the impetus for a more unified global approach.
Francis Fukuyama, The End of History and the Last Man (New York, Free Press, 1992).
The history of now extinct hominids other than homo sapiens is illustrative in this respect.
The concept of progress may have a basis in evolutionary theory. Thus Richard Leakey stated_ “It appears that the evolutionary process promotes its own progress: learning about the environment (which demands a certain intelligence) means living in a stable social milieu (which demands at least an equal and possibly a greater intelligence); as social intelligence increases, so too will the ability to learn; this in turn encourages an even longer social apprenticeship; and longer group living leads to more social intelligence” (Origins, 1977)
Reminiscent of the “hybrid” or “mixed” system described by P Sorokin in Social and Cultural Dynamics: A Study of Change in Major Systems of Art, Truth, Ethics, Law and Social Relationships.
Alternatively the development of global unity may be seen as part of a Divine plan.
The scientific evidence now points strongly to the view that all humans share a common inheritance under the “out.of Africa” theory.
This is in itself a term of uncertain meaning and application. It is now usually seen as being something more than economic globalization and the global economy. The concept of globalization can be seen as a subset of universality.
Philip Arnott, Eunomia, (OUP, 1990).
The source and authenticity of this quote is being investigated.
D Langness, The Progressive Baha’i Concept of Human History, < https://bahaiteachings.org/progressive-bahai-concept-of-human-history/>.
The Epic of Humanity, George Townshend, Bahá’í World, Volume VI (1934-1936)
John Lennon in the song "Imagine" (1971).
This may be increasingly recognized, for example, in the debate on climate change, where it is becoming obvious to many that solely state based solutions are not going to achieve the desired global results.
Thus Dahl states “The conflicts between these integrative forces on the one hand, and the resistance of traditional concepts and institutions on the other are growing fiercer” – One World One People, Baha’i Publishing, (2007), 51. It is not correct, it is argued, to ascribe the increase in fanatical violence and terrorism in recent times to just East-West competitive issues, or to Christian-Muslim religious divisions, or to a lack of democracy, demands of individual freedom, economic inequality or other such causes. It is arguably and fundamentally a prejudiced reaction to the increasing forces of universality in an emerging age of universality – an age that must be characterized by the demand for global justice, unity and other universal values.
See the Global Ethic that emerged from the World Parliament of Religions in 1993. See A Global Ethic, (Continuum, New York,1993),
In one sense, universality of religion and belief is already partly achieved by the various human rights guarantees of freedom of religion and belief, in the sense that all are protected in terms of universal human rights law. But there is another sense in which religion may be universal, in the belief that all the great religions originally stemmed from the same Divine source through selected individuals as part of the universal human quest for transcendence.
Baha'i World, Volume 12, p. 873.
The Science Matrix: The Journey, Travails, Triumphs (1992, 2012), 86.
The two modern global institutional arrangements, the League of Nations and the United Nations, both arose out of global conflict.
Perhaps contributed to by clerical self interest.
Baha’i World Faith, Baha’i Publishing Trust, 445.
G.W.F. Hegel (1770–1831)
Dahl, The Baha’i Faith - A Future-Oriented Religion, Future Generations Journal, No. 22, Issue 1, p. 15-17 (1997)
Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, 120.
Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, 169.
Baha'i World, Volume 4, 412.
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