The Cosmological Conception of Culture
Examines "sixteen focal points of cultural analysis" related to culture, cultures and Canadian
culture as worldviews or ordered wholes.
The Cultural Personality
Examines the context, concept, characteristics, cultivation and conduct of a new prototype
of the human personality called "the cultural personality."
The Character of Canadian Culture
Examines many different concepts and definitions of Canada's culture and makes the case for
a holistic understanding of Canadian culture.
In this remarkable book, noted cultural scholar D. Paul Schafer examines the great cultural awakening that is taking place all across the world—an awakening that is opening the doors to a cultural age. Schafer begins by considering the importance of culture, as well as discussing how culture has been defined by a variety of thinkers. He then turns to an examination of the vast constellation of cultures that exist in the world before moving progressively “up the ladder,” from the cultures of individuals, children, parents, homes, families, communities, and schools to those of towns, cities, regions, countries, the entire human world, and finally the cultures of other species. This is followed by an assessment of several foundational requirements for the creation of a cultural age, such as the cultural interpretation of history and the centrality of cultural development and policy. The author concludes by discussing various ways of opening the doors to a cultural age, strategies to harmonize crucial relationships and cultivate spirituality and compassion, the prerequisites for living in a cultural age, and, finally, an exploration of why it is so essential to make the transition from the present economic age to a future cultural age.
The Great Cultural Awakening represents the culmination of a lifetime of research, analysis, and advocacy in the cultural field. In the words of the reviewers, it is truly a “masterpiece” as well as a “beacon of light,” urging us on toward a better future.
A case is made in this book that culture is the real foundation of existence and the key to
dealing with the life-threatening problems of the present and creating more harmony,
happiness, equality, order, and inclusion in the world of the future. In order to make this
case, the evolution of culture as an idea and a reality is traced from Cicero's belief that
"culture is the philosophy or cultivation of the soul" in classical times to contemporary
cosmology and the concept of the "cosmic whole" very recently. Many quotations are
provided from the writings, ideas, insights, and ideals of cultural scholars, historians, and
practitioners over the centuries to strengthen and confirm this case. The book ends with a
chapter on the leadership role the diverse cultural communities in the world, governments,
politics, and world leaders, and the public at large can play in bringing the world as culture
into existence and enabling it to flourish in the years and decades ahead.
In this book, D. Paul Schafer examines the powerful role the arts can play, both in helping people
to live more fulfilling and healthy lives as well as enabling humanity to enter a new period in its
history - what Schafer calls a “cultural age.” He sheds light on this necessary transformation by
weaving together a number of articles he has written on the arts over the years, updating them in
terms of present developments and future problems and needs. The book commences with an
examination of the arts as the foundation for life, and concludes by considering why the transition
to a cultural age is so important, what it is designed to accomplish, and how it can be achieved. It
is dedicated to artists and arts organizations for bringing so much beauty, happiness, creativity,
and spirituality in the world.
THE TRUE NORTH: How Canadian Creativity Changed the World explores the
incredible legacy of generations of Canadian artists, inventors, scientists, politicians, activists, and others—a legacy of creativity that has not only shaped Canadian development over the centuries but has also had a powerful impact on the world as a whole. A great deal of detail is provided on how all the creative achievements selected for this book came into existence originally, spread throughout the world over a long period of time, and are affecting most if not all people and countries in the world today.
With the many dynamic changes going on in the world today, a new prototype of the human personality is needed to guide people's future actions, behaviour, lifestyles, and overall development. This new prototype is the cultural personality. It is grounded in the belief that people should be holistic, centered, creative, altruistic, and humane if they are to achieve more happiness, fulfillment, and spirituality in life as well as live in harmony with other people, cultures, species, and the natural environment as a whole.
In this enlighting book, D. Paul Schafer explores the context, concept, characteristics, cultivation, and conduct of the cultural personality.
In this thought-provoking book, D. Paul Schafer makes the case that Canada possesses the potential to play a crucial role in the world. After taking stock of the country's history, geography, and two of its greatest assets-creativity and diversity-he sets his sights on the rapidly-changing global and Canadian landscape. Schafer contends that by applying a cultural and chronological approach to Canadian development and focusing attention on the public sector and the responsibilities of governments and especially the federal government, it will be possible to achieve sustainable development, improve the well-being of Canadians and people in other parts of the world, and realize Wilfrid Laurier's famous prediction that a century will "belong to Canada"--albeit the twenty-first century rather than the twentieth. Schafer ends the book with a rallying cry for all Canadians--"It's time to lead!"
Celebrating Canadian Creativity documents the fact that Canadians are incredibly creative people and have been throughout their history in virtually all sectors of Canadian cultural life, from food, clothing, shelter, transportation, communications, and health care to the arts, sports, sciences, recreation, and the natural environment.
The Secrets of Culture is based on my conviction that we need to move out of the present economic age and into a future cultural age. In order to do this, it is necessary to unlock and capitalize on all the diverse and dynamic secrets of culture.
The book describes the long and fascinating journey I have had over the course of my life to achieve this objective and make the case for a cultural age. It begins with a project I did in public school on Marco Polo, and ends with my quest to live a cultural life today.
The Age of Culture is concerned with why a cultural age is necessary, how it can be achieved, and what its basic goals and priorities would be. It is divided into three parts: Prerequisites for a Cultural Age; Fundamentals of a Cultural Age; and Glimpses into a Cultural Age.
The book is based on the conviction that culture holds the key to making it possible for all people and all countries in the world to enjoy reasonable standards of living and a decent quality of life with straining the world’s fragile eco-systems, limited resources, and finite carrying capacity to the breaking point.
In order to achieve this, it is necessary to adopt a cultural worldview and model of development, create a new environmental reality, fulfill human needs in all areas of life, create an effective balance between the material and non-material dimensions of life, and realize a great deal more caring, sharing, compassion, and cooperation in the world.
In Revolution or Renaissance: Making the Transition from an Economic Age to a Cultural Age, D. Paul Schafer subjects two of the most powerful forces in the world – economics and culture – to a detailed and historically sensitive analysis. He argues that the economic age has produced a great deal of wealth and unleashed tremendous productive power; however, it is not capable of coming to grips with the problems threatening human and non-human life on this planet. After tracing the evolution of the economic age from the publication of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations in 1776 to the present, he turns his attention to culture, examining it both as a concept and as a reality. What emerges is a portrait of the world system of the future where culture is the central focus of development. According to Schafer, making the transition from an economic age to a cultural age is imperative if global harmony, environmental sustainability, economic viability, and human well-being are to be achieved.
D. Paul Schafer has worked in the cultural field for four decades, taught at York University and the University of Toronto, and undertaken a number of missions for UNESCO. He is the author of many publications on culture and the arts, and is director of the World Culture Project.
Paul Schafer presented the main points in his book, Revolution or Renaissance, to an audience at the University of Guelph. The presentation was also seen live via webscast at the University of Malmo in Sweden. It was recorded on March 14, 2009 during the seminar Media, Conflict and Development organized by Malmo’s Communication for Development Program.
Revolution or Renaissance: Making the Transition from an Economic Age to a Cultural Age has been published in Chinese by the Social Sciences Academic Press in Beijing under the title Economic Revolution or Cultural Renaissance. It makes the case that the present economic age is not capable of coming to grips with the fundamental problems confronting humanity. In order to achieve this, a cultural age is required. This age would make it possible to achieve ecological sustainability, human well-being and international progress by making culture, cultures, and cultural development the centrepiece of world development, developing culture and cultures in breadth and depth, situating culture and cultures effectively in the natural, historical and global environment, and using a cultural model of development to guide public and private decision-making. To acquire information about the book in Chinese, please click dangdang.com.
Culture is central to everything we do and think. Yet, most of us have only a hazy
understanding of culture and do not realize how it affects individual, institutional,
community, regional, national and international affairs.
Culture - Beacon of the Future addresses this problem by delving deeply into the domain
of culture in general and cultures in particular. The author, D. Paul Schafer,
draws on numerous disciplines - the arts,
anthropology, sociology, philosophy, cosmology, ecology, history, politics, economics and the
environment - to make the case that culture and cultures should be accorded a central role in
global development and human affairs.
Culture - Beacon of the Future has just been published in Chinese by the Social Sciences Academic Press in Beijing.
To acquire information about the book in Chinese, please click dangdang.com.
Culture is central to everything we do and think. Yet, most of us have only a hazy
understanding of culture and do not realize how it affects individual, institutional,
community, regional, national and international affairs.
Culture - Beacon of the Future addresses this problem by delving deeply into the domain
of culture in general and cultures in particular. The author, D. Paul Schafer,
draws on numerous disciplines - the arts,
anthropology, sociology, philosophy, cosmology, ecology, history, politics, economics and the
environment - to make the case that culture and cultures should be accorded a central role in
global development and human affairs.
"Towards a New World Order: The Age of Culture,"
Cultures 2(3) (Paris: The UNESCO Press and La Baconnière, 1975), pp. 13-29
"The Age of Culture: Prospects and Implications,"
Cultures 2(4) (Paris: The UNESCO Press and la Baconnière, 1975), pp. 13-34.
"The Culturescape: Self-Awareness of Communities,"
Cultures 5(1) (Paris: The UNESCO Press and la Baconnière, 1978), pp. 33-61.
"Culture and Cosmos: The Role of Culture in the World of the Future,"
Cultures 7(2) (Paris: The UNESCO Press and la Baconnière, 1980), pp. 35-58.
"The New World Order: A Contribution to the World Decade for Cultural Development"
Major Programme I. Reflection on World Problems and Future-Oriented Studies (Paris: UNESCO Bureau of Studies and Programming, 1988).
"Culture - Beacon of the Future."
Razvoj Development International. Vol. VI. Nos. 2-3,
July-December 1991. Institute for Development and International Relations. Zagreb. (1991).
"Municipalities and Regions: Powerful Forces in a Dynamic World."
Décentralisation,
Régionalisation et Action Culturelle Municipale: Actes du Colloque. November 12-14. 1992.
Chaire De Gestion Des Arts. École Des Hautes Études Commerciales de Montréal. 1992. Montréal (1992).
"The Evolution and Character of the Concept of Culture."
World Futures: The Journal
of General Evolution. Volume 38. Number 4. 1993. Gordon and Breach Science Publishers. Yverdon. (1993).
"Cultures and Economies: Irresistible Forces Encounter Immovable Objects."
Futures: The Journal of Forecasting, Planning and Policy. Volume 26. Number 8. October. 1994.
Butterworth-Heinemann. Oxford. (1994).
"Towards a New World System: A Cultural Perspective."
Futures: The Journal of Forecasting,
Planning And Policy. Volume 28. Number 3. April 1996. Elsevier Science Ltd/Pergamon. Exeter (1996).
"Towards a New World System: A Cultural Perspective."
Article prepared for the First
World Culturelink Conference. Zagreb. June 1995. Published in Biserka Cvjeticanin (editor) Dynamics
of Communication and Cultural Change: The Role of Networks. Institute for International Relations.
Zagreb. (1996).
"The Millennium Challenge: Making the Transition from an "Economic Age" to a "Cultural Age."
World Futures: The Journal of General Evolution. Volume 51. Number 3-4. (1998).
Overseas Publishers Association and Gordon and Breach Publishers. (1998).
"The Context of Cultural Administration and Policy and the Case for Culture."
Culturelink.
No. 24. April 1998. Institute for International Relations. Zagreb. (1998)
"A New Model of Development for the New Millennium."
World Futures: The Journal of
General Evolution. Volume 55, pp.293-328. (2000).
"Culture and Cultures: Key Learning Requirements for the Future"
http://www.creatinglearning communities.org (click on new chapters)
"Diversity and Sustainable Development: Contemporary Concerns or Permanent Realities?"
Special Issue 2002/2003 on Cultural Diversity and Sustainable Development. CULTURELINK/IMO. Zagreb. (2003).
"A New System of Politics: Government, Governance, and Political Decision-making in the Twenty-first Century."
World Futures: The Journal of General Evolution. Volume 61. Number 7. October-November. (2005).
'Foundations for Life,' Collection of Research Materials "Spirituality of a
Personality: Methodology, Theory and Practice," Issue 1 (42), 2011, Scientific
Research Institute of Spiritual Development of Man, Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian
National University, 2012, pp. 178-193.
'Culture and Spirituality: Key to Life and Living in the Twenty-first Century.' Collection
of Research Materials "Spirituality of a Personality: Methodology, Theory and
Practice," Issue 1 (54) 2013, Scientific-Research Institute of Spiritual Development of
Man, Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University, 2013, pp. 3-21.
'Living a Cultural Life.' Collection of Research Materials "Spirituality of a
Personality: Methodology, Theory and Practice," Issue 1 (64) 2015, Scientific
Research Institute of Spiritual Development of Man, Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian
National University in 2015, pp. 283-306.
'Creating a World System Conducive to the Flourishing of Culture and Spirituality'
Collection of Research Materials "Spirituality of a Personality: Methodology, Theory and
Practice," Issue 3 (66) 2015, Scientific Research Institute of Spiritual Development of
Man, Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University, pp. 276 – 288,
'The Arts: Key to a Full and Fulfilling Cultural Life' Collection of Research Materials
"Spirituality of a Personality: Methodology, Theory and Practice," Issue 3 (72) 2016,
Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University, pp. 249-266.
'The Role of Music in the Development of the Human and Cultural Personalities,'
Collection of Research Materials "Spirituality of a Personality: Methodology,
Theory and Practice," Issue 2 (83), 2018, Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National
University, pp. 243-256.
'The Age of Culture: Why, What, and How?,' Collection of Research Materials
"Spirituality of a Personality: Methodology, Theory and Practice, Issue 2 (89), 2019,
Scientific Research Institute of Spiritual Development of Man, Volodymyr Dahl East
Ukrainian National University, pp. 241-253.
'Making America Great Again: A Canadian's Perspective.' CES Musing, November-
December 2019, Center for Ecozoic Studies, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 2019.
'The Future of Arts Education:' Broaden, Deepen, Diversity, Intensify.' Person of Culture
Education by Means of the Arts. Special Edition, Ministry of Education and Science of
Ukraine. Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University, pp. 31-41.
'International Cultural Relations, Canada and the European Union, Past, Present, Future,'
Biserka Cvjetičanin and Nada Švob-Dokić, (eds.) Cultures in Cooperation: Realities and
Tendencies, Centre of Democracy and Law, Zagreb, in cooperation with the Institute for
Development and International Relations, Culturelink, Zagreb and University of Rijeka,
Rijeka, Croatia, 2021.
'Culture as the Foundation for the Development of Our Personalities and Lives, Collection
of Research Materials Spirituality of a Personality: Methodology, Theory and
Practice, Issue 3 (96). 2020, Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University, pp.
256-268.
'Cultivating Spirituality: A Necessity of Present and Future Generations, Collection of
Research Materials Spirituality of a Personality: Methodology, Theory and Practice,
Issue 2 (101), Part I, 2021, Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University, pp. 270-
283.
O-CITY: THE WORLD OF CULTURESCAPES: D. Paul Schafer, Blog posted on the Internet by the European Commission, Co-funded by Erasmus+Program European Union, March 17, 2021.
'Culture as an Idea and a Reality: Crucial Learning Requirements for the Future.' Article prepared following a verbal presentation at the Webinar organized by Reconnecting With Your Culture to celebrate World Heritage Day and the International Day of Monuments and Sites, April 18, 2021.
'Cultivating Spirituality: A Necessity for Present and Future Generations,' published by the Scientific Research Institute of Spiritual Development of Man and UNESCO Chair “Spiritual and Cultural Values of Upbringing and Education, Collection of Scientific Papers Issue 2 (101). Part 1, Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University, September. 2021.
'Imagining, Entering, and Living in a Cultural Age,' Interview with Mark Riva, Founder of the Imagine Magazine, 2021.
'The Power of Music: What We Can Learn from Music About Ourselves, Our Lives, Our Cultures, Nature, and the World,' Posted on the World Culture Project Website in 2023.
Culture as a Reality: 20 Practical Steps Towards a Cultural Age, 2022. IMAGINE, Volume 1, No. 1. Revised, expanded, and posed by D. Paul Schafer on the World Culture Project Website in 2024.
'The Significance of Symbols in the Cultivation of Cultures as Wholes and Ways of Life,' Special two-volume issue of the International Journal of Engineering and Architecture, January, 2024.
'Cultivating Spirituality and Compassion When and Where It is Needed Most: Children, Parents, Homes, and Families,' 2024.
The Age of Culture is concerned with why a cultural age is necessary, how it can be achieved, and what its basic goals and priorities would be. It is divided into three parts: Prerequisites for a Cultural Age; Fundamentals of a Cultural Age; and Glimpses into a Cultural Age.
In Revolution or Renaissance: Making the Transition from an Economic Age to a Cultural Age, D. Paul Schafer subjects two of the most powerful forces in the world – economics and culture – to a detailed and historically sensitive analysis. He argues that the economic age has produced a great deal of wealth and unleashed tremendous productive power; however, it is not capable of coming to grips with the problems threatening human and non-human life on this planet. After tracing the evolution of the economic age from the publication of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations in 1776 to the present, he turns his attention to culture, examining it both as a concept and as a reality. What emerges is a portrait of the world system of the future where culture is the central focus of development. According to Schafer, making the transition from an economic age to a cultural age is imperative if global harmony, environmental sustainability, economic viability, and human well-being are to be achieved.
Revolution or Renaissance: Making the Transition from an Economic Age to a Cultural Age has been published in Chinese by the Social Sciences Academic Press in Beijing under the title Economic Revolution or Cultural Renaissance. It makes the case that the present economic age is not capable of coming to grips with the fundamental problems confronting humanity. In order to achieve this, a cultural age is required. This age would make it possible to achieve ecological sustainability, human well-being and international progress by making culture, cultures, and cultural development the centrepiece of world development, developing culture and cultures in breadth and depth, situating culture and cultures effectively in the natural, historical and global environment, and using a cultural model of development to guide public and private decision-making. To acquire information about the book in Chinese, please click 
Culture is central to everything we do and think. Yet, most of us have only a hazy
understanding of culture and do not realize how it affects individual, institutional,
community, regional, national and international affairs.
Culture - Beacon of the Future has just been published in Chinese by the Social Sciences Academic Press in Beijing.
To acquire information about the book in Chinese, please click