Summary
Highlights
Edgar Morín's book 'Despertemos,' published in 2022 and translated in 2024, opens with Ortega y Gasset's reflection, seeking to understand the global crisis and propose a way forward. It questions whether humanity is heading towards metamorphosis or destruction, attributing the inertia to a crisis of thought or widespread somnambulism.
Morín defines crisis in a living system as a disturbance to stability, where regulations weaken, and deviations become powerful tendencies. These tendencies can lead to transformations that are progressive or regressive, resolved through reactionary, conservative, reformist, or revolutionary means. Historically, victorious dissidents can either create new systems or repurpose old ones with new regulations, turning former leaders into dissidents.
Modern societies are characterized by evolving regulations and a dependence on continuous growth, particularly technological. This growth has led to a gigantic ecological crisis, creating a paradox: halting growth is necessary to save the planet, but continuous growth is essential for modern societies. Leaders often prioritize immediate, particular interests over long-term general well-being, opting for economic growth.
Morín argues that overcoming this contradiction requires 'intelligent politics' that promotes degrowth in destructive areas and growth in regenerative ones. The problem is that many experts, politicians, and intellectuals are blind to this complexity due to a 'crisis of thought' marked by fragmented knowledge. This leads to unilateral, partial considerations, making people incapable of confronting complexity, uncertainty, and the unexpected.
The prevailing thought relies on limited Aristotelian logic, viewing the universe as separate elements and excluding contradictions. Morín calls for a paradigmatic revolution in thinking to replace simplifying principles with those that allow recognition, distinction, and unification of complementary antagonisms. This involves understanding that the universe, life, and humanity operate on a dialectic of order and disorder, not mechanical determinism.
Scientific progress has a terrifying ambiguity, as seen with the atomic bomb, where human power leads to impotence in controlling its own creations. The 1972 'Limits to Growth' report highlighted environmental degradation, linking it to techno-industrial excess. Morín states that the Anthropocene, an era defined by human impact, is also the 'Thanatocene' (death era), linking the fate of Earth, life, and humanity, implying both mortal danger and potential metamorphosis.
Morín emphasizes that true progress means civilizing the Earth and transforming the human species into humanity. He argues that material progress often masks and prepares for catastrophes, and that human minds, while advanced in the physical world, are underdeveloped in what is uniquely human. He advocates for a fully humanist politics that includes sustainable energy, urban planning, ecological agriculture, economic redistribution, and education that fosters critical thinking.
A politics of civilization aims to rehumanize and resocialize existence, promoting individual autonomy, responsibility, and freedom while combating egoism. It seeks to recognize the full humanity of others and embrace cultural diversity. Morín introduces Lévi-Strauss's concept of 'threshold of tolerance' to discuss how modern multiethnic societies grapple with accepting 'the other.' This threshold often manifests as a psychological intolerance rather than economic or demographic.
While facing virulent conflicts and regressive forces, Morín offers three principles of hope. First, to bet on the improbable, as unexpected salvific events have occurred in history. Second, to leverage human creativity to improve the planet. Third, to recognize that no system that mechanizes society and individuals can last indefinitely. This is not apocalyptic hope, but a courageous hope for initial struggle, inspiring resistance against barbarism and a project for Earth's salvation.