Great Turning

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article refers to both the 2006 book The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community- written by David Korten, as well as the The Great Turning Initiative based on that book. The term Great Turning is also used by Joanna Macy to describe a change from an industrial growth society to a more life-sustaining civilization.

Contents

[edit] The Book by David Korten

In The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community, Korten makes a number of primary arguments:

  • "Empire" - a form of social organization based on hierarchies, chauvinism, and domination through violence, started developing about 5,000 years ago. A chief characteristics of empires is a significantly unequal distribution of power and benefits, with a relatively small portion of the population receiving a disproportionately large share of the wealth.
  • Corporate consolidation of power represent a modern version of empire.
  • The rise of powerful modern technology combined with the control of empires is becoming increasingly destructive to communities and the environment.
  • We are about to face a perfect storm of converging crises including climate change, Peak oil, and a Financial crisis caused by an unbalanced economy. This will cause major changes to the current economic and social structure.
  • This crises presents and opportunity, if we so chose, for significant changes that replace the paradigm of Empire with one of Earth Community. The vision of Earth Community is based on sustainable, just, and caring communities which incorporate mutual responsibility and accountability. These values, which are shared by most of the world's people, are eloquently described in the Earth Charter.

[edit] The initiative

David Korten has been traveling throughout the US and Canada giving interviews [1] and presentations on the ideas of The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community. Additional commentary, information and resources are available at The Great Turning web site,[2] and in various articles.[3][4] At a Great Turning conference in Columbus Ohio (March 30-April 1, 2007), a community of individuals interested in Great Turning issues was established which now maintains a Great Turning wiki.[5] Members of this community are sometimes referred to as Great Turning Navigators.

Author Joanna Macy has also been promoting a similar vision in lectures and workshops that she also calls The Great Turning. Her key theme is that we are living during a transformation from an industrial growth society, which is causing both a social and ecological crisis, to a more life-sustaining civilization. She refers to this is as "the essential adventure of our time".[6] Joanna Macy and David Korten occasionally collaborate, sometimes presenting Great Turning talks at the same conference.

The Great Turning ideas have grown a following in some religious communities and have been the subject of occasional sermons [7]. At least on religious organization, the Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community, has taken on this as a major focus item[8].

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Everybody Wants To Rule The World - and interview with David Korten on the Great Turning by Arnie Cooper published in The Sun magazine
  2. ^ The Great Turning – A resource website for the Great Turning initiative
  3. ^ Can we grow our wings in time? by Ron Williams published in Shared Visions
  4. ^ Will Future Generations Remember Us with Blessing or Curse? by Stephen Scharper published in the Toronto Star on Sept 30, 2006
  5. ^ The Great Turning Navigators' Wiki
  6. ^ The Great Turning – Joanna Macy's web site about the Great Turning
  7. ^ List of sermons based on the Great Turning
  8. ^ Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community - information on their Great Turning program

[edit] External links