Worlds in Transition - 9781843762263

Camilleri (La Trobe U., Australia) and Falk (U. of Melbourne, Australia) hypothesize that the organization of human affairs is undergoing a transition away from the characteristics of the Modern era, a transition that is "as momentous in its significance and possible ramifications for governance as many of the preceding transitions in human evolution." They argue that governance in the Modern era is characterized by a reductionist and compartmentalizing approach to the social and natural order, of which the idea of sovereignty played a key part. Their aim here is to identify the theoretical and practical limits of this approach to governance through examination of the complexities of interactions in the rapidly evolving flows associated with economic activity, atmospheric pollution, climate change, the information revolution, communicable diseases, and security threats, as well as emerging normative, legal, and institutional governance responses to these issues, which they suggest could be pointing the way toward a "new stage in human evolution" that will involve a higher degree of reflexivity. They propose the term "holoreflexivity" (a portmanteau combining holism and reflexivity) to define the needed temporal and spatial frame of reference that can more effectively monitor and diagnostically integrate the rising volume, speed, and intensity of flows that characterize wide-ranging aspects of human life. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)