ABSTRACT

Bi-relational development represents the interconnectivity of different dyads and thus warrants some reflection on the relationship between globalisation and cosmic purpose at the cultural interface. This chapter attempts to provide a bi-relational analysis of some of the oppositions that most characterise wicked socio-cultural problems. Many scholars invoke dyads and dyadic relationships to frame what could be conceptualised as wicked socio-cultural problems. Perhaps the most ubiquitous dyad used to explore wicked problems in socio-cultural contexts is individual/collective, though there are many more. The chapter applies a bi-relational approach to help identify and engage some of the defining socio-cultural challenges of the twenty-first century. The same bi-relational principles that apply to the wicked socio-cultural problems of globalisation apply to the wicked socio-ecological problems that confront a species with the increasing capacity to influence its natural environment. Globalisation forces us to reconcile the individual and collective cultural goals.