The ABCs of Human Survival
288 pages, 5 1/2 x 9
Paperback
Release Date:01 Apr 2010
ISBN:9781897425688
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The ABCs of Human Survival

A Paradigm for Global Citizenship

Athabasca University Press
The ABCs of Human Survival examines the effect of militantnationalism and the lawlessness of powerful states on the well-being ofindividuals, local communities, and global citizenship. Based on theanalysis of world events, Dr. Arthur Clark presents militantnationalism as a pathological pattern of thinking that threatens oursecurity, while emphasizing effective democracy and international lawas indispensable frameworks for human protection.

Within the contexts of history, sociology, philosophy, andspirituality, The ABCs of Human Survival calls into questionthe assumptions of consumer culture and offers, as an alternative,strategies to improve overall well-being through the important choiceswe make as individuals.

Dr. Arthur Clark is a Professor of Neuropathology andClinical Neurosciences at the University of Calgary, and an activestaff neuropathologist at the Foothills Hospital in Calgary. He carrieslifelong experience with militant nationalist culture, having come ofage during the Vietnam War and serving two years as Captain in theUnited States Army Medical Corps. In 1995, in honour of his late wife,he established the Dr. Irma M. Parhad Programmes at the University ofCalgary, which focus on ways to improve worldwide health and well-beingwithin the framework of international law. He is also currentlyinvolved in a project to establish a Calgary Centre for GlobalCommunity, to be based on the values and vision that informed TheABCs of Human Survival.

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Introduction and Overview

The pathology of nationalism

Choosing the future

The necessity of democracy and law

The personal is political

War is a disease: The case of Vietnam

The practice of medicine and the practice of citizenship

A personal journey

About this book

Principles of global community and global citizenship: Asynopsis

CHAPTER ONE: Choosing the Future

Where are we going?

Where do we want to go?

The practice of medicine and the practice of global citizenship

Pathogenesis: Why are we so self-destructive?

Pathogenesis: Nationalism and warfare

Democracy and international law

The rabbi’s son from Krakow

Choosing the future: Summary

CHAPTER TWO: Axioms

First Axiom: The map is not the territory

Second Axiom: The map changes the territory

Third Axiom: We choose our maps

Fourth Axiom: Good, bad, evil, important, and unimportant are in theeye of the beholder

Fifth Axiom: Political leaders are not competent to determine thevalue of a human life

CHAPTER THREE: Paradigm Shift

Who are we?

Pathology of the old paradigm

The new paradigm and human options

CHAPTER FOUR: Principles of Global Community

Principle 1

Principle 2

Principle 3

Principle 4

Principle 5

Principle 6

Principle 7

Principle 8

Principle 9

Principle 10

Principle 11

Principle 12

Principle 13

Principle 14

Principle 15

Principle 16

Principle 17

Principle 18

Principle 19

Principle 20

CHAPTER FIVE: The Case of Iraq

Saddam Hussein and the U.S. government before and after August1990

The U.S. invasion of Panama, Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, andthe 1991 Gulf War

Communication, scholars, the media, and propaganda for war

Economic sanctions and weapons of mass destruction

The U.S.-UK invasion of Iraq, March 2003

Democracy, the occupation, and the ongoing violence in Iraq

Terrorism and the destruction of Iraq

Responsibility for the destruction of Iraq

A way forward

Conclusion

CHAPTER SIX: Principles of Global Citizenship

Principle 21

Principle 22

Principle 23

Principle 24

Principle 25

Principle 26

Principle 27

Principle 28

Principle 29

Principle 30

Winds of change

The power of one

Civil disobedience

CHAPTER SEVEN: Practicing Citizenship

The global citizen as hero for our time

Awareness

Imagination and knowledge

A 35 percent solution and the game of global citizenship

The basic building block of democracy

The Parkhill Pulse

The city as microcosm of the global community

A Calgary Centre for Global Community

The genius of citizenship

Chapter Eight: Prognosis

Your choice

Bibliography
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