ABSTRACT
Th e Role of Dialogue in an Age of Interdependence As a contemporary of Ikeda and as one who has engaged in dialogue with
him, we fi nd in the words of Majid Tehranian an insightful and thoughtful contribution to our refl ections and continuing investigation into the role of
dialogue in conjunction with an explication of the true meaning of the word “civilization.” From the perspective of Tehranian, it is vitally important to avoid the ideological uses of the term “civilization.” Rather, he strongly advocates that we work to “. . . reconstruct it as a normative concept aiming at the pacifi c methods of settling human confl icts” (Tehranian 2007, 8). He argues that
[t]he need for this re-conceptualization is compelling. Th e human family stands at a crucial juncture. Th e technological advances of the past ten thousand years have created a global village, but the village is in a deepening state of terror. Unless civilized methods of governance are pursued and perfected, terrorism as a method of warfare between states and oppositions will continue . Prejudice and hatred rather than compassion and love will rule the world (Tehranian 2007, 8; italics added).
