In this thought-provoking book, noted cultural scholar D. Paul Schafer makes the case for what he calls the world as culture --- a world in which culture is the central organizing principle of human civilization. For the past two and a half centuries, we have lived in a world in which economics and economic principles reign supreme. Although the world of economics is likely humanity's greatest achievement, Schafer argues that economics and its associated modes of thought is incapable of coming to grips with the enormous problems we face today. Humanity must move toward the world as culture, a world in which cultural modes of knowing and doing play a central role. Schafer considers the various manifestations of culture that have evolved over the centuries, painting a fascinating panorama unique to this book. Those manifestations include culture as cultivation of the soul, which originated with Roman statesman and scholar Marcus Cicero; culture as the arts, the humanities, and the heritage of history; culture in the context of personality development; the anthropological and sociological manifestations of culture; and, most recently, ecological, biological, and cosmological conceptions of culture. Culture's embrace of holism, its attention to the total pattern of human life, and its incorporation of artistic and humanistic modes of thought make it the ideal organizing principle for a brighter and more sustainable future. The author concludes by considering how the world as culture might be brought into existence in the years ahead. The World As Culture is Paul Schafer’s magnum opus. The main theme in all his books is the need to move from an economic to a cultural age, through a renaissance rather than anarchic rebellion and collapse. In this book, Schafer reviews culture’s historic role as cultivation of soul and, with important new clarity, culture as holism, the antidote to the fragmentation and reductionism of late modernity. He details demanding shifts in public policy. Cultural selection more than natural selection will determine the future of Earth’s biosystems and the fate of humankind. There is no better guide than The World As Culture . —Herman Greene, president, The Center for Ecozoic Studies As I read The World As Culture I found myself filled with hope. There is a rightness, a coming back to what is authentically human in this beautifully written and potent book. In a world where there is so much wrong, Paul Schafer offers a path forward, perhaps reminding us of our birthright and revealing what we already know deep down in our hearts---to live in our true nature is to create a culture where we all can thrive. ---Susan Magsamen, Executive Director, International Arts+Mind Lab, Johns Hopkins University An exciting vision... Schafer suggests we shed our dependence on seeing the world through an economic lens and shift to foregrounding culture as the holistic lens through which to understand the world. This book is a remarkable culmination of his work. ---Sascha Priewe, Associate Vice President, Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada The world is bigger than you think! This book provides the evidence. It opens our eyes to the riches of human creativity beyond restrictive social boundaries and economics. Paul Schafer reminds us that we plant, harvest, and nourish our lives from the garden of culture, not in marketplace haggling. We are culture, and we make culture as we seek to sustain ourselves and each other. ---Dr. George F. Simons, Interculturalist, Creator of diversophy Emphasizing culture as a whole or total way of life, Schafer warns that no subject is more important ... than learning about culture and all the many diverse cultures in the world. This is because cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue as a development resource, as a strengthening of the awareness of common values, are the main challenge of our time. The demand for making the world as culture a reality proves this perfectly. ---Biserka Cvjetičanin, Senior Scientific Researcher at the Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO), Croatia The World as Culture is about the benefits of seeing the world from a cultural perspective. If you appreciate visionary writing about the resolution of our current cultural and economic dilemmas, this book is for you. ---Frank Pasquill, Canadian eco-culturalist An enlightening, convincing, and extensively documented invitation to cultivate the soul and harness the potential of culture ... written by an expert in this field, who has dedicated much of his life to this subject. It is time to approach our civilizational crisis in a holistic manner through seeing the "world as culture". A must read! ---Thomas Legrand, author of Politics of Being and advisor to UN agencies, governments, and non-governmental organizations on sustainability Paul Schafer explains why humanity needs to transform its current focus on economics to cultu