Conclusions (3)

Postmodernism is starting to shape in front of our eyes as a global "open society" that will unleash the resuscitation of visual arts and will lead humanity into the age of CoGaH: Cosmos, Gaia, Humanity.

Scientific knowings and their imagings will be confronted with the holistic approach of philosophy. The risks related to our passing the threshold of singularity are simply not acceptable any longer and from all the corners of our earth voices are growing louder asking for accountability. We are accountable to the future generations and indeed obligated to leave them a livable environment.

• The knowings and imagings of science are concentrated on the understanding of the particular, the specific. Science, left on itself, is thus incapable at understanding the global picture which is indeed what philosophy is all about. Our hope is thus that science and philosophy will confront each other for their eventual combination could indeed result in a jump of understanding that would eventually reduce the gap between humanity and wisdom.

• From this confrontation real knowledge emerges gradually that imposes itself on all cultures and individuals. This process will be long and chaotic but it is inevitable that the incremental gain in knowledge will somehow bring about the unification of mankind.

• The reinforcement of knowledge unifies the worldviews which in turn allows for the establishing of a hegemonic world culture based on the comprehension and the respect of the real complexity of the principle of change that, in final instance, is our inescapable reality.

Under the weight of the absolute reign of the rationality imposed by the logic of capital borders have been opened for capital to go invest where it pleases and goods to be sold where there is demand for. The old 19^th century theory of free markets and open borders has today gained acceptance around the world and this new reality has been coined globalization. But capital and goods are an affair between humans and when humans come together they socialize and culture starts to form.

• To work as smoothly as possible globalization will have to integrate the principle of the diversity of cultures which in turn will impose the recognition of the principle of philosophic variety.

• For reason of its working functionality at the contact of scientific knowings, while other systems flounder under their contradictions with scientific knowings, Chinese traditional philosophy (1) gains wide acceptance worldwide and gradually becomes hegemonic.

Postmodernism shapes a global "open society" model that establishes the recognition by all of some basic rules. The question here is not a question of voluntarist legal decision making but of the emergence of a changing "air of the time" that necessitates changes in the rules of the societal game.

• From the confrontation and combination of Chinese philosophy with scientific knowings and imaging emerges a universal knowledge. By universal knowledge I mean a knowledge that is scientifically valid and also philosophically consistent.

• The universal knowledge founds "harmony in change" as the general principle of life and societies take to establish systems functioning in self-sustainability on Gaia.

• Humanity in its entirety participates in the building of a global systemic societal "machinery". Basically the models of relationship between individuals and societies are converging establishing individual rights for individuals and social obligations by the individuals towards their society. Morality and righteousness are established once again as the code of conduct that each individual strives to attain.

The visual arts will re-established their historical functionality in society and artists will thus rediscover the sense of the act of creation and create sense in their works out the principles of life and reality.

• Under the impact of the recognition by all of the new and truly global worldview the art market will unmistakably mature and discard greed as the sole principle of artistic recognition. The quality of the visual signs of an artist at representing the shaping worldview of his time will be re-established as the central most important factor in artistic recognition.

• The artists will focus on the creation of visual signs about the knowledge of the day that is bound tomorrow to reflect the worldview of all.

• As a tool easing the comprehension by the individuals of what reality is all about, visual art finds universal recognition and praise. In a sense art recuperates its traditional popular nature.

Humanity explores the cosmos and enters an age of great discoveries without precedent. The truly enormous investments required by that task are bringing nations together. NASA, ESA, Russia, China, India, Brazil and other national space agencies are pulling their scientific and financial resources in a common pot in order to undertake the exploration of far space

(1) What I call the traditional Chinese philosophy is the resulting belief system that emerged out of the interaction over time between Yi-Ching + philosophic Taoism + Confucianism + Buddhism + ...