Fundamental Differences in Current Civilizations

There are clear and undeniable differences in current human civilizations.  Although it is a clear over-simplification, at the grossest level the world civilizations can be divided into 3: Western, Islamic, and Eastern.  

Figure. The historical paths from which the 3 major civilizations on this planet are derived.

The roots of Western Civilization come from the Greeks and their formal development and inclusion of the left brain in civilization guidance.  Western Civilization was given a universal God at transition to the Dark Ages.  The Islamic Civilization is directly descended from the God of Abraham and modified by Muhammad. 

Islam is directly descended from the Universal God of Abraham – and Abraham was from current day Iraq.  The Islamic Civilization is still largely configured with God at the center.  God and religion are held in very high esteem in Islamic countries; religion holds a higher role in Islamic states than does the political state.  God is central to the Islamic civilization.  The collective mind of the Islamic civilization is organized essentially the same way as the earliest human groups.  It is correct to state that Islam is fundamentalist.

Figure. The Islamic model of civilization is based upon the central Islamic God derived from the God of Abraham.  This diagrammatic representation is identical with the earliest forms of small-group gods.  Islam is very fundamental.

The West has an attachment to the God of Abraham, but the East does not.  The Eastern and Western Civilizations also have significantly different orientations of the individuals towards self/group, and also towards thinking/feeling, as shown in the figure.   The Thinking/Feeling orientation differences can also be characterized as different orientations towards the right or left brains. 

Figure. Individuals within Western Civilizations are oriented more towards the Self and to the Thinking left brain, whereas individuals within Eastern Civilizations are oriented more towards the Group and towards the Feeling right brain.

The orientations of the Eastern, Western, and Islamic Civilizations are fundamentally different from one another.  They are like different families with different base assumptions about human grouping behavior.  Insofar as our species is concerned, they represent different mind strategies for the survival and, now, success of our species.   The West is oriented more towards success and individualism.  The East is oriented more towards survival, group, and the truth about life. And Islam is directly oriented towards a single God.

It is probably valid to view these Civilizations as being in a Darwinian survival struggle.  Historically they have been engaged in an ebb and flow of dominance and inter-relationships with one another.  Ultimately, the Darwinian struggle is for survival of our species.  Humans no longer need be concerned about conquering life on this planet.  That mission has been nicely accomplished.  Now our competitive, and war-like, nature causes us to turn on members of our own species. 

The West, with its emphasis on the left brain and the self, has been the most capable at developing the planet’s resources and also being aggressive to others.  The East, with its emphasis on group and seeking truth in life, seems better at satisfying happiness and surviving with fewer resources.  It appears that the availability of resources to be developed could swing the relative success of East vs West.  The West will likely continue to be successful so long as it can continue to creatively use and develop the planet’s resources.  The East, however, is better poised to survive if Western Civilization were to flounder. The Islamic Civilization seems to have yet another approach towards group organization.  Their fundamentalist orientation towards God causes strong internal focus and resistance to outside influence.  The Islamic Civilization may be optimally positioned if resource development did not keep apace with population.

What is best for our species?  Is it good for our species survival to concurrently have all 3 Civilization strategies? Does this give us better survivability by enabling us to cover a broader array of environmental and survival scenarios? Now that we have dominated this planet, what are the scenarios for our future existence and potential challenges to it? 

Is the collective left brain of our species able to actually think about the future scenarios and develop and implement a coordinated and logical plan for our future?  It is tempting to think that we are able to do this; but it is also possible that it is delusional.  The direction of our species is almost certainly still guided by Darwinian principles.  Is species survival purely in the hands of chance events in the Universe such as asteroids?  Is there a larger Life truth that guides the direction of Life and our species?