Beyond War: Building Wisdom Civilization to Rescue Humanity

Authors

Andrew Targowski, Western Michigan University

Keywords

comparative civilizations, wisdom civilization, Toynbee, Sorokin, Quigley, Huntington, peace, war system, human evolution

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative civilizational analysis of humanity’s transition from a War Civilization to the emerging Wisdom Civilization. Drawing on the works of Toynbee, Sorokin, Quigley, Huntington, Spengler, and Koneczny, it interprets the present global disorder — marked by the tension between Western, Chinese, Russian, and Muslim civilizations — as a transformative moment in human history. War and militarism, once adaptive mechanisms of civilizational growth, have become self-destructive in an era of technological interdependence. It is proposed that the next evolutionary stage of civilization must integrate knowledge with conscience to form a Wisdom Civilization founded on empathy, sustainability, and ethical governance. The article concludes with a five-pillar framework for constructing a Wisdom or Peace Civilization grounded in dialogical education, ethical technology, global governance of conscience, a wisdom-based economy, and a culture of “enoughness.” Humanity’s survival depends not on the accumulation of power but on the cultivation of wisdom.

Recommended Citation

Targowski, Andrew (2026) "Beyond War: Building Wisdom Civilization to Rescue Humanity," Comparative Civilizations Review: Vol. 94: No. 94, Article 4.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/ccr/vol94/iss94/4