Clash of Civilisations: a prophecy

'The clash of civilisations' has been the main development of the world. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Islamic extremism is gaining ground in the Middle East/South Asia/within West too. The other side is the extreme right/neo-Nazis in the West - in Europe (neo-Nazis) and in USA (extreme fundamentalism).

Terrorism and force is being used: to destroy democracy, individual freedom, cultural freedom, science and social progress. Political (inc. religious) totalitarianism is being promoted by this.

Ideological versus Critical & Creative Thinking

I want to draw the distinction between ideological thinking and critical and creative thinking.

I believe that critical and creative thinking is vital for progress.

Ideological thinking is based on closed minds thinking. Critical and creative thinking is frowned upon. At its worst, ideological thinking leads to physical atrocities.

Progressive capitalism is impossible without critical thinking.

Capitalist minds are critical and creative.

Reactionary or backward capitalism also uses critical and creative thinking - without the humanism and modernity aspect of dynamic progressive capitalism. For instance, they think about how to exploit human labour or resources without references to humanism and modernity.
Child labour is part of this reactionary or backward capitalism. Nationalist racism is part of this side too.

Progressive capitalism is based on critical and creative thinking with reference to humanism and modernity. The critical and creative thinking can be used for all aspects of capitalism: new products, services, knowledge-development, leadership, etc. Critical thinking is used to analyse business activities as well as examining the broader macro-economic climate.

Progressive capitalism rails against ideological thinking. This is because closed minds can close businesses and lead to horrors in the name of business. For instance, free market ideology can under-estimate the functional necessity of a modern state in human welfare. It can overlook the human consequences of poor practices such as child labour in a functioning dynamic capitalism. Equally, progressive capitalism is closely linked to the cosmopolitan character of dynamic capitalism through trade, cultural activity, etc.

The business case for critical and creative thinking in the age of growing almost instant (a few seconds in many cases) global communications.

For instance, many Western companies have had brand contamination through poor labour practices in third world companies. There is an active consumer more alert to instances of human abuse in business. There is also a growing assertiveness in the modern world of personal human rights through the communications revolution.

Progressive capitalism is a mode of thinking too. It has to be both critical and creative - about business and society, the present and the future as well as the past. Ideological thinking is not part of progressive capitalist thinking, although this error has been put forward. For instance, ideological thinking may lead to support extremism (ideological closed mind thinking) - from the Islamic extremism of the Taliban with its backward and reactionary social and economic thinking to the free market purists who want to denigrate the role of the state as an actor in the welfare of human beings - as an advocate or regulator or as a provider in some instances.