The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community - Softcover

Korten, David C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1887208089 ISBN 13: 9781887208086

Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2007

Synopsis

In his classic international bestseller, When Corporations Rule the World, David Korten exposed the destructive and oppressive nature of the global corporate economy and helped spark a global resistance movement. Now, he shows that the problem runs deeper than corporate domination—with far greater consequences.

Here, Korten argues that corporate consolidation of power is merely one manifestation of what he calls “Empire”: the organization of society through hierarchy and violence that has largely held sway for the past 5,000 years. Empire has always resulted in misery for the many and fortune for the few, but now it threatens the very future of humanity. Korten points to global terrorism, climate change, and rising poverty as just a few of the signs that the burdens of Empire now exceed what people and planet will bear.

The Great Turning traces the roots of Empire to ancient times and charts the long evolution of its favored instruments of control, from monarchies and bureaucracies to the transnational institutions of the global economy. Korten also tells the parallel story of the attempt to develop a democratic alternative to Empire, beginning in Athens and continuing with the founding of the United States of America. But this remains an unfinished project—Korten documents how elitists with an imperial agenda have consistently sought to undermine the bold and inspiring “American experiment,“ beginning in the earliest days of the republic and continuing to the present day.

Empire is not inevitable, not the natural order of things—we can turn away from it. Korten draws on evidence from sources as varied as evolutionary theory, developmental psychology, and religious teachings to make the case that “Earth Community”—a life-centered, egalitarian, sustainable way of ordering human society based on democratic principles of partnership—is indeed possible. And he details a grassroots strategy for beginning the momentous turning toward a future of as-yet-unrealized human potential. The Great Turning illuminates our current predicament, provides a framework for grasping the potential of this historic moment, and shows us how to take action for the future of our planet, our communities, and ourselves.

About this title

From the Publisher:

The Great Turning
From Empire to Earth Community
By David C. Korten

"We stand at a critical moment in Earth's history, a time when humanity must choose its future.... To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth Community with a common destiny."
--The Earth Charter (2000)

David Korten's classic bestseller, When Corporations Rule the World was one of the first books to articulate the destructive and oppressive nature of the global corporate economy. Now, ten years later, Korten shows that the problem runs deeper than corporate domination, and with far greater consequences.

In The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community, Korten argues that corporate consolidation of power is merely a contemporary manifestation of what he defines as "Empire"--the organization of society by hierarchies of domination grounded in violent chauvinisms of race, gender, religion, nationality, language, and class. The result has been the same for 5,000 years--fortune for the few and misery for the many. Now, thanks to modern technologies, the way of Empire is increasingly destructive to children, family, community, and nature itself, rapidly leading us all to the brink of worldwide environmental and social collapse.

Korten makes the case that we are a species with the power of choice, and that at this defining moment in history, humanity faces both the opportunity and the imperative to choose our future in a conscious collective manner. A mounting perfect economic storm is fast approaching. A convergence of climate change, the fast approaching peak and decline in oil production, and the financial instability inherent in an unbalanced global trading system will bring an unraveling of the corporate-led global economy and a dramatic restructuring of every aspect of modern life--whether we like it or not.

This unraveling cannot be avoided. We can, however, turn a potentially terminal crisis into an epic opportunity to bring forth a new era of Earth Community grounded in the life-affirming cultural values shared by most all the world's people and eloquently articulated in the Earth Charter.

The Great Turning is an essential resource for those who understand the need for fundamental change. It cuts through the complexity of our time to illuminate a simple, but elegant truth. We humans live by stories. We are held captive to the ways of Empire by a cultural trance of our own creation--indeed, one need look no further than our popular culture and the way it is magnified in TV, movies, and other mass media to see how this paradigm is reflected back upon us all everyday. Changing our future begins with changing our stories in a way that includes our capacities for compassion, cooperation, responsible self-direction, and self-organizing partnership. This is a work already underway, and to succeed, it ultimately will call for the participation of every person on the planet. In The Great Turning, David Korten points the way to the inspiring outcome within our reach.

****

"Here's the book we've been waiting for. We are not doomed to domination and suicidal competition. We can choose another story. This is the `Great Turning.'"
--Joanna Macy, author of Coming Back to Life

"An epic work. Exposes the myths that divide us and frames the stories that can bring us together."
--Danny Glover, activist and actor

"The Great Turning is a work of amazing scope and depth. This is a wise and much needed book that shows we can create cultures where our enormous human capacities for joy, caring, and cooperation are realized."
--Riane Eisler, author of The Chalice and the Blade

"Employing history, psychology, economics, spirituality, and common sense, Korten not only critiques the dilemma we are in as a species, he also shows us doable and workable ways out of our morass. This book is a kind of Bible to the 21st century, a revelation of where we might travel if we have the moral imagination and the courage to choose and act wisely. Bravo!"
--Matthew Fox, educator and theologian, author of Original Blessing and A New Reformation

"David Korten has produced a masterpiece! Fascinating, compelling, wonderfully readable, and broad reaching in its arc of history and significance, The Great Turning will keep you up nights reading, fill your notebooks with insights, and give you the ammunition to win the water cooler wars."
--Thom Hartmann, Air America Radio talk show host and author of Screwed: The Undeclared War on the Middle Class

"I love this book! David Korten has done it again--created a masterpiece of big thinking to help us find our way in this death-or-life historical moment."
-- Frances Moore Lappé, author of Hope's Edge and Democracy's Edge

"What a gift David Korten has given us with this prophetic book! This is a must-read for activists, for lovers of contemporary American studies, and for Cultural Creatives."
--Paul H. Ray, co-author of The Cultural Creatives

"A must read for everyone who yearns to create a positive human future. The Great Turning is a wise, profound, and practical book filled with fresh insights and is destined to be even more influential than Korten's previous contributions"
-- Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop

From the Inside Flap:

"Korten cuts through the lies and hypocrisy to show that the rabid right, far from being conservative defenders of family values, is engaged in a war against children, families, communities, democracy, and life. Instead of the self-serving greedheads and boneheads now in charge, imagine a world guided by the deeply held values that most Americans share. The Great Turning has the power to turn our country, and the world, to this more positive course." - Jim Hightower, syndicated columnist and radio host, author of Let's Stop Beating Around the Bush

"David Korten never fails to shake me out of my complacency, and reveal complacencies I didn't even know I had. This work is a stunning and compassionate tour de force, calling on history, science, economics, and our human goodwill to illuminate the fact that we are at a fundamental choice point. I can't stop thinking about the issues he raises, nor what I'm going to do with my awakened consciousness. Thank you, David." - Margaret J. Wheatley, author of the bestsellers Leadership and the New Science and Finding Our Way: Leadership for an Uncertain Time

"The Great Turning is a profound and inspiring masterpiece that illuminates the cultural, social, and political significance of the contrasting worldviews of the classic materialistic-mechanistic Newtonian physics and modern holistic-quantum physics. Korten eloquently points to the necessity of abandoning the dominating power-oriented plutocracy of Empire in favor of a life-enhancing, continuously diversifying, cooperatively integrated Earth." - Prof. Dr.h.c.Hans-Peter Duerr PhD, former Director, Max-Planck-Institute for Physics, Munich; Winner, Alternative Nobel Prize 1987

"With the majesty of a George Lucas movie, Korten's epic tale, which pits Earth Community against Empire, weaves together the great social movements of our time. It inspires us at this crucial point in history to fulfill our destiny as thinking, acting and loving human beings." - Judy Wicks, Proprietress, White Dog Cafe and co-chair Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE)

"The Great Turning is a work of amazing scope and depth. David Korten powerfully addresses the great challenge for humanity at this critical juncture in history: shifting from domination to partnership as the guiding principle for personal, economic, and political relations. Passionately, and with his customary attention to solid evidence, he traces the tension between these two underlying human possibilities. This is a wise and much needed book that shows we can create cultures where our enormous human capacities for joy, caring, and cooperation are realized." -Riane Eisler, author of The Chalice and the Blade

"This is a hugely important book, and hugely impressive! I imagine it reaching far beyond Korten's existing readership." -Raffi Cavoukian, singer, author, ecology advocate, founder of Child Honoring

"In this major work, inspired by a compelling spiritual and ethical vision, The Great Turning argues persuasively that the 21st century presents humanity with a unique opportunity to break with its violent past and to create a just, participatory, sustainable, and peaceful future. David Korten skillfully combines ecological, economic, social, psychological, and cultural analysis in order to issue a powerful summons to local communities and the emerging global civil society to lead the way. " -Steven C. Rockefeller, Co-chair, Earth Charter International Steering Committee

"An epic work. Exposes the myths that divide us and frames the stories that can bring us together." -Danny Glover, Activist and Actor

"David Korten has presented a clear blueprint for a powerful emerging majority. This book will help to change America for the better." -Dennis J. Kucinich, US House of Representatives (D-Ohio)

"David Korten's ideas are tools, like picks and shovels, that help us dig under the surface of our pessimism and fear of change. What we find is a deep core of hope for the Earth as Beloved Community and the ability to embrace the individual and collective kuleana (Hawaiian for responsibility) for our choices and their consequences." - Puanani Burgess, Hawaiian storyteller and poet

"The Great Turning is smooth, brilliantly researched, and gripping. David Korten has constructed a story of hope and insight. Alert the Democrats! Here is a blueprint for a vision they are born to promote to the world. Look for the section on Empire's War on the Family. The ending inspires poetically. Things aren't hopeless, the world is truly turning and all we need do is push ourselves along together." - Dal LaMagna, Founder and former CEO, Tweezerman

"David Korten is a militant for Life, Earth, and Community. This ground-breaking book provides the holistic overview of a 21st Century revolution and evolution that can inspire the ordinary citizen to act and transform the activist into a long-distance runner." - Grace Lee Boggs, Detroit activist, co-author of Revolution and Evolution in the 20th Century

"Throw away the technological fixes of Thomas Friedman and Jeffrey Sachs and enter Korten's world where communities organize to secure their rights and build a better world. I know of no writer who better embraces the wisdom of such a broad spectrum of thinkers to create new understanding, new possibilities, new inspiration, new hope." - John Cavanagh, director, Institute for Policy Studies, board chair, International Forum on Globalization, and co-author of 12 books on the global economy

"This is indeed a spectacular book. The Great Turning supports our most open-hearted evolutionary process. I will buy several cases." - Bill Kauth, co-founder of the ManKind Project and author of A Circle of Men

"Brilliant. Challenging. Inspiring. Practical. Spiritual. Intelligent. Once again David Korten challenges us with his keen analysis, and elegant wisdom-a clear call for sustainable social transformation and a timely invitation to live a different story. Korten gives us exactly what we need to address our paralysis and fear. Read this book and be inspired to make a difference. I look forward to using The Great Turning in my education and public witness work. Korten's voice deserves to be heard far and wide." - The Very Reverend Bill Phipps, moderator United Church of Canada (1997 to 2000)

"Not only are we the ones we have been waiting for, THIS is the book we have been waiting for! It provides the context and stories that have been missing, leaving us with piecemeal analyses and solutions. The framework of the 5,000 year history of the Empire is a powerful eye-opener about the deliberateness of enslavement and oppression. Off and on, I heard in my head the words, the emperor has no clothes..." - Jan Roberts, Director, Earth Charter USA Communities Initiatives

Once you dive into this book, you'll want everyone you know to read it. It is a powerful source of inspiration and guidance for those already turning to Earth Community and it can help those embedded in Empire's institutions see more clearly the choices before them. - Alisa Gravitz, Executive Director, Co-op America

About this edition

• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1887208089
• ISBN 13: 9781887208086
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 424