Introduction [1994]

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book deals with thought-ways of the world's literate civilizations and societies as these had been recorded after the invention of writing, that is, between the fourth millennium B.C. and the fifteenth century A.D. It aims to bring the separate stories down to the critical epoch of their fusion, around A.D. 1500, when the caravels of Portugal and Spain opened the seaways of the new world. The book examines a panoramic view of recorded cultural traditions and invites the conclusion that all history constitutes an internationally shared fund of multifarious human experience. It addresses itself to the intellectual and political crises that have ensued, and continues to ensue, from the close encounter of the greatly different, often antagonistic civilizations of the world. The book explains the norms of political organization on local, regional, and international levels.