Approaching Chaos

This book has an original take on the prospects for global civilisation as we face economic, ecological and even spiritual meltdown. By civilisation the author understands city life and urban living, which is highly dependent on outside supplies for its continued existence. Increasingly, people are recognising that business as usual it cannot continue indefinitely and that the notion of progress needs to be reassessed. It is not inevitable, and has been interrupted before in the cycles of rise and decline of previous civilisations. The imperative practised by previous enduring civilisations has been living in harmony with nature, in ma'at or truth, as the Egyptians expressed it. It is clear that we do not have a full understanding of the Egyptian technology, as many other authors also make clear. We need to rediscover the original model for civilisation, whose archetype, according to the author is based on principles of 'order, organisation, accuracy, measurement, and rules, law, mathematics and geometry' as applied to agriculture, political structures, communication and even health. This is an enormously ambitious and interesting book which has much in common with the diagnosis and prescription of the Prince of Wales, whose book on harmony is reviewed elsewhere in this issue. The last paragraph is a quotation from Marcus Aurelius encouraging us to regard the universe as one living being and to act accordingly. The wisdom of the past can genuinely enhance our understanding of the present.