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Civilization on Trial / The World and the West
В книгу вошли два близких по тематике произведения выдающегося британского ученого, философа, публициста и политолога Арнольда Джо-зефа Тойнби — «Цивилизация перед судом истории» и «Мир и Запад», которые посвящены главным образом вопросам столкновения цивилиза-ций в современную эпоху, проблеме мировой экспансии Запада и ответ-ственности Западной цивилизации за нынешнее состояние дел на нашей планете.
- GenresHistory
First published January 1, 1964
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About the author
Arnold J. Toynbee
691 books520 followersNot the same as Arnold Toynbee, economist and nephew of Arnold Joseph Toynbee
British educator Arnold Joseph Toynbee noted cyclical patterns in the growth and decline of civilizations for his 12-volume Study of History (1934-1961).
He went to Winchester college and Balliol college, Oxford.
During both world wars, he worked for the foreign office. He additionally published Nationality and the War (1915), The Armenian Atrocities: The Murder of a Nation (1915), The German Terror in France: An Historical Record (1917), and Turkey, a Past and a Future (1917). He attended the peace conference of Paris in 1919 as a delegate.
From 1919 to 1924, Arnold J. Toynbee served as professor of modern Greek and Byzantine at King's college, London. From 1925, Oxford University Press published The Survey of International Affairs under the auspices of the royal institute of international affairs, and Toynbee, professor, oversaw the publication. From 1925, Toynbee served as research professor and director at the royal institute of international affairs. He published The Conduct of British Empire Foreign Relations since the Peace Settlement (1928).
His first marriage to Rosalind Murray produced three sons and ended in divorce in 1946. Toynbee, professor, then married Veronica M. Boulter, his research assistant. He published Civilization on Trial (1948).
Toynbee served as research professor and director at the royal institute of international affairs until 1955.
People published best known lectures of Toynbee, professor, in memory of Adam Gifford as An Historian's Approach to Religion (1956). His massive work examined development and decay. He presented the rise and fall rather than nation-states or ethnic groups. According to his analysis, the welfare depends on ability to deal successfully with challenges.
He also published Democracy in the Atomic Age (1957), Christianity among the Religions of the World (1958), and Between Niger and Nile (1965).
He died in York, North Yorkshire, England.
British educator Arnold Joseph Toynbee noted cyclical patterns in the growth and decline of civilizations for his 12-volume Study of History (1934-1961).
He went to Winchester college and Balliol college, Oxford.
During both world wars, he worked for the foreign office. He additionally published Nationality and the War (1915), The Armenian Atrocities: The Murder of a Nation (1915), The German Terror in France: An Historical Record (1917), and Turkey, a Past and a Future (1917). He attended the peace conference of Paris in 1919 as a delegate.
From 1919 to 1924, Arnold J. Toynbee served as professor of modern Greek and Byzantine at King's college, London. From 1925, Oxford University Press published The Survey of International Affairs under the auspices of the royal institute of international affairs, and Toynbee, professor, oversaw the publication. From 1925, Toynbee served as research professor and director at the royal institute of international affairs. He published The Conduct of British Empire Foreign Relations since the Peace Settlement (1928).
His first marriage to Rosalind Murray produced three sons and ended in divorce in 1946. Toynbee, professor, then married Veronica M. Boulter, his research assistant. He published Civilization on Trial (1948).
Toynbee served as research professor and director at the royal institute of international affairs until 1955.
People published best known lectures of Toynbee, professor, in memory of Adam Gifford as An Historian's Approach to Religion (1956). His massive work examined development and decay. He presented the rise and fall rather than nation-states or ethnic groups. According to his analysis, the welfare depends on ability to deal successfully with challenges.
He also published Democracy in the Atomic Age (1957), Christianity among the Religions of the World (1958), and Between Niger and Nile (1965).
He died in York, North Yorkshire, England.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 20, 2019
In reading Civilization on Trial and The World and the West, I was especially interested in what Toynbee has to say about Islam. Considering that he wrote more than seventy years ago several his ideas and observations are remarkably prescient. For example, immediately after World War II he warned that the world needs to watch out for the Wahhabis, that they have the potential to cause trouble.
The basic idea he applies to Islam is that any civilization needs to evolve and adapt if it is to survive and thrive over time. Failure to do is a civilizational dead end.
In terms of the specific ways in which Islam could positively evolve he, unfortunately, doesn’t have that much to say. He does put Bahá'í forward as an illustration of a positive evolution but, of course, the Bahá'í Faith has been persecuted under Islam virtually since its inception in the late nineteenth century, especially in Iran where it originated. But he does describe three civilizational dead-ends that apply today.
He talks about how simply adopting Western Liberalism wholesale without first thinking about how it fits with, or can be adapted to, basic Islamic principles is guaranteed to fail. He says that while there is much to admire in Kemal Atatürk’s experiments with liberalism in Turkey that they will most likely fail in the long run which, of course, is exactly what has happened under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s reversion to fundamentalism.
He also talks about the undesirability of adopting, in a mechanical way, select aspects of Western civilization such as technology and capitalism without, again, considering how these fit with ideas and values that are specifically Islamic. Adopting high technology and capitalism has led to the development of great wealth associated with the oil industry in many Islamic nations. But it has also led to an even greater intensification of existent socioeconomic inequalities that already characterized Islamic countries and which, ultimately, led to the Arab Spring revolutions.
But some modern writers have noted how the adoption of capitalism has resulted in an erosion of Zakat, one of the five pillars of Islam. Zakat has various rules applied to it, but the general idea is that the rich should give money to support the poor, whereas under the influence of capitalism and neoliberalism we have, instead, seen the creeping introduction of government austerity programs as exist elsewhere in the Western world. This has also had a degenerative effect on social relations, which contributed greatly to the Arab Spring movements.
Finally, Toynbee talks about how reversion to medieval, fundamentalist notions of Islam also lead to a dead end for this civilization. It is stagnant and grows increasingly artificial as the world changes but the civilization itself does not. In talking about this form of zealotry, Toynbee did not foresee the role that terrorism would play.
In general, of course, he does not specifically discuss many of the current developments I’ve described here, but they follow remarkably smoothly from the observations that he does make. This meant, to me, that while you need to adjust his ideas for the passage of time and take other things he says with a grain of salt, there are still important concepts here that are worth bearing in mind.
The basic idea he applies to Islam is that any civilization needs to evolve and adapt if it is to survive and thrive over time. Failure to do is a civilizational dead end.
In terms of the specific ways in which Islam could positively evolve he, unfortunately, doesn’t have that much to say. He does put Bahá'í forward as an illustration of a positive evolution but, of course, the Bahá'í Faith has been persecuted under Islam virtually since its inception in the late nineteenth century, especially in Iran where it originated. But he does describe three civilizational dead-ends that apply today.
He talks about how simply adopting Western Liberalism wholesale without first thinking about how it fits with, or can be adapted to, basic Islamic principles is guaranteed to fail. He says that while there is much to admire in Kemal Atatürk’s experiments with liberalism in Turkey that they will most likely fail in the long run which, of course, is exactly what has happened under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s reversion to fundamentalism.
He also talks about the undesirability of adopting, in a mechanical way, select aspects of Western civilization such as technology and capitalism without, again, considering how these fit with ideas and values that are specifically Islamic. Adopting high technology and capitalism has led to the development of great wealth associated with the oil industry in many Islamic nations. But it has also led to an even greater intensification of existent socioeconomic inequalities that already characterized Islamic countries and which, ultimately, led to the Arab Spring revolutions.
But some modern writers have noted how the adoption of capitalism has resulted in an erosion of Zakat, one of the five pillars of Islam. Zakat has various rules applied to it, but the general idea is that the rich should give money to support the poor, whereas under the influence of capitalism and neoliberalism we have, instead, seen the creeping introduction of government austerity programs as exist elsewhere in the Western world. This has also had a degenerative effect on social relations, which contributed greatly to the Arab Spring movements.
Finally, Toynbee talks about how reversion to medieval, fundamentalist notions of Islam also lead to a dead end for this civilization. It is stagnant and grows increasingly artificial as the world changes but the civilization itself does not. In talking about this form of zealotry, Toynbee did not foresee the role that terrorism would play.
In general, of course, he does not specifically discuss many of the current developments I’ve described here, but they follow remarkably smoothly from the observations that he does make. This meant, to me, that while you need to adjust his ideas for the passage of time and take other things he says with a grain of salt, there are still important concepts here that are worth bearing in mind.
July 22, 2020
Arnold Toynbee is considered to be an influential contemporary world historian. This may certainly be true when he was writing, and it is certainly the case that many of his ideas in ‘Civilization on Trial’ and ‘The World and the West’ are applicable even today. We must remember, of course, that Toynbee’s remarks, ideas, and assertions, perhaps bordered on revolutionary at the time (1948-1953). At the very least, some might say that he inspired some new considerations on the subject matter. There are several remarks that Toynbee makes within this work that seem ultimately racist, sexist, and, particularly in the latter section, completely Western-centric and imperialist. I look back on my experience reading these works today and I do imagine that some of my reactions are not dissimilar at all from someone reading at the time or even shortly after they were published.
It is a good idea to approach these works separately, as they are fundamentally different. ‘Civilisation on Trial’ is something of a very general approach to historiography on a worldwide scale. Toynbee opens with his ‘View of History’, which sets a precedent for the rest of ‘Civilisation...’. His approach in writing is very centred towards his own historical understanding (presuming a great deal of knowledge from the reader), and, at times, his ‘Oxford education’ that this so-called ‘present writer’ alludes to almost immediately, makes way for what feels at times like a very pretentious piece of work, wherein it is clear Arnold Toynbee is unnecessarily switching between languages, regularly citing figures or events (without any explanation or definition), and whilst reading, it feels at times that Toynbee isn’t entirely sure of his own views on the matter. Civilisation on Trial is at times well written, and some interesting remarks are developed, but the difficult, erratic reading structure makes for often unpleasant and inaccessible work. This feels, regularly, more philosophical than historical, and is much too dry at points (even as far as an essay collection is concerned).
The second sub-collection in this work - ‘The World and The West’ - is almost half the size of Civilisation on Trial, but it is much more accessible on the whole to a non-specialist reader (such as myself). In this work, Toynbee lays out four different interactions with the Western world, providing analysis on commonalities between them, and the benefit (or lack thereof) to either party. Like ‘Civilisation’ , it lacks accessibility at times, but, in general, he has done well at creating a much more simplistic, well-explained, and, importantly, concrete view of the world and interactions which he is discussing.
Together, the works don’t flow particularly well together, and Toynbee appears to confuse himself at times.
As other reviews have remarked, one needs to be aware upon reading this book that Toynbee is very impersonal throughout, doesn’t make a great effort to entice his reader, nor attempts to truly encourage any new thoughts or considerations from the reader’s part on the history being written about here. An open mind is imperative, as is a fundamental understanding of the topics that Toynbee discusses.
It is a good idea to approach these works separately, as they are fundamentally different. ‘Civilisation on Trial’ is something of a very general approach to historiography on a worldwide scale. Toynbee opens with his ‘View of History’, which sets a precedent for the rest of ‘Civilisation...’. His approach in writing is very centred towards his own historical understanding (presuming a great deal of knowledge from the reader), and, at times, his ‘Oxford education’ that this so-called ‘present writer’ alludes to almost immediately, makes way for what feels at times like a very pretentious piece of work, wherein it is clear Arnold Toynbee is unnecessarily switching between languages, regularly citing figures or events (without any explanation or definition), and whilst reading, it feels at times that Toynbee isn’t entirely sure of his own views on the matter. Civilisation on Trial is at times well written, and some interesting remarks are developed, but the difficult, erratic reading structure makes for often unpleasant and inaccessible work. This feels, regularly, more philosophical than historical, and is much too dry at points (even as far as an essay collection is concerned).
The second sub-collection in this work - ‘The World and The West’ - is almost half the size of Civilisation on Trial, but it is much more accessible on the whole to a non-specialist reader (such as myself). In this work, Toynbee lays out four different interactions with the Western world, providing analysis on commonalities between them, and the benefit (or lack thereof) to either party. Like ‘Civilisation’ , it lacks accessibility at times, but, in general, he has done well at creating a much more simplistic, well-explained, and, importantly, concrete view of the world and interactions which he is discussing.
Together, the works don’t flow particularly well together, and Toynbee appears to confuse himself at times.
As other reviews have remarked, one needs to be aware upon reading this book that Toynbee is very impersonal throughout, doesn’t make a great effort to entice his reader, nor attempts to truly encourage any new thoughts or considerations from the reader’s part on the history being written about here. An open mind is imperative, as is a fundamental understanding of the topics that Toynbee discusses.
January 18, 2012
Borrowed from dad ages ago--Really interesting historical book, but dense (it's hard to read if your historical knowledge is not as sophisticated as Toynbee's). Toynbee has very decided views about religion, which is a refreshing change from more studiously objective works.
October 6, 2023
Прежде чем ответить на вопрос, что такое столкновение цивилизаций, давайте разберемся, что такое цивилизация. А сначала разберемся, что такое "что такое"
February 13, 2017
It is a hard book to read through. The author uses a beautiful, but lengthy explanations.
A few thoughts I learnt, while listening an audio version of the book in Russian:
It is best to study history of civilizations which died long time ago, as we can see the whole picture of what happened and are more dispassionate about the events.
Out of 20 civilizations 19 have died. There is no reason not to believe that the same destiny will hold true for Western Civilization.
Toynbee believed that there is going to be a sort of federal government, presiding over the whole world. It hasn't happened. UN hasn't become what he wished it would become.
Although humanity has made a significant progress in technological sense, it has not advanced its nature or spirituality. Yes, we possess much more powerful tools (either for creation or destruction), but we haven't changed fundamentally.
There is an interesting line of thought, on what constitutes culture. Toynbee gave an example with a Greek coin. It changed throughout ages, became of lesser artistic quality as time went by, but at the same time kept some unique features. Arts also go through a similar evolution, but we can distinguish a Chinese painting, from a Western painting, even if it is centuries apart.
A civilization dies of 2 causes - war between classes or an external war (very relevant today, if we think about vast inequalities produced by technology).
A few thoughts I learnt, while listening an audio version of the book in Russian:
It is best to study history of civilizations which died long time ago, as we can see the whole picture of what happened and are more dispassionate about the events.
Out of 20 civilizations 19 have died. There is no reason not to believe that the same destiny will hold true for Western Civilization.
Toynbee believed that there is going to be a sort of federal government, presiding over the whole world. It hasn't happened. UN hasn't become what he wished it would become.
Although humanity has made a significant progress in technological sense, it has not advanced its nature or spirituality. Yes, we possess much more powerful tools (either for creation or destruction), but we haven't changed fundamentally.
There is an interesting line of thought, on what constitutes culture. Toynbee gave an example with a Greek coin. It changed throughout ages, became of lesser artistic quality as time went by, but at the same time kept some unique features. Arts also go through a similar evolution, but we can distinguish a Chinese painting, from a Western painting, even if it is centuries apart.
A civilization dies of 2 causes - war between classes or an external war (very relevant today, if we think about vast inequalities produced by technology).
October 15, 2017
The book consists of a series of essays and lectures concerning the role of the Western Civilization in the changing, post- WWII, early Cold War world.
The book is written by a self-professed "classically educated" British historian, who is tackling questions of "philosophy of history". According to him, the fact that the Western civilization came to dominate the modern world meant that all of the world's civilizations were forced to change in response to it- all except the West itself, which left it in a position of complacence.
Many of Toynbee's conclusions and predictions seem archaic and dated now (with hindsight of the fall of Communism and the advances in global communications), but many others are eerily accurate (his views on the future of united Europe, as well as his views on the growing wealth disparity in the West). His main point of reference is the Greco-Roman civilization and in studying the reasons for its downfall, as well as the Western, Christian civilization that came to replace it, Toynbee tries to draw parallels with the Western hegemony of his time.
The work is interesting in part precisely of this hindsight a reader has now. Although clearly dated, the work remains thought-provoking.
The book is written by a self-professed "classically educated" British historian, who is tackling questions of "philosophy of history". According to him, the fact that the Western civilization came to dominate the modern world meant that all of the world's civilizations were forced to change in response to it- all except the West itself, which left it in a position of complacence.
Many of Toynbee's conclusions and predictions seem archaic and dated now (with hindsight of the fall of Communism and the advances in global communications), but many others are eerily accurate (his views on the future of united Europe, as well as his views on the growing wealth disparity in the West). His main point of reference is the Greco-Roman civilization and in studying the reasons for its downfall, as well as the Western, Christian civilization that came to replace it, Toynbee tries to draw parallels with the Western hegemony of his time.
The work is interesting in part precisely of this hindsight a reader has now. Although clearly dated, the work remains thought-provoking.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews