ABSTRACT
As mentioned at the start of Chapter 2, philosophy as the art of living encompasses reflections on what has often been called the human condition. One feature of this condition that forces itself to the front today is the sheer speed of globalization. This acceleration (cf. Halevy, 1948; Piel, 1972; Scheuerman, 2004) began, in earnest, some two hundred years ago with the economic upheaval known as the Industrial Revolution, and with the simultaneous political earthquakes known as the American and French Revolutions. Their positive and negative effects can be seen everywhere today. Values such as respect for the individual and for the distinctiveness of human cultures have endured, despite the fact that they continue to be trampled upon in various parts of the globe. Democratic practices come and go, but not the democratic impulse. Countless economic initiatives arise and then collapse, but not the spirit of economic innovation. Cultural styles and products bloom and then wither, but behind them abides a passion to create.
