Inside this Issue

Part 2 of this issue focuses on social power—the invisible elephant in the room that which energizes, directs, shapes and determines the results of all human activities. For decades the effort to formulate universal, positivistic, value-free principles in the social sciences led to neglect of this all-pervasive, all-important issue. Social power is the underlying source of humanity’s creative social energies and unlimited potential, which social organization channels and converts into myriad different forms of effective power. The patterns of distribution of that power politically, economically, socially, intellectually and culturally determine the overall vibrancy and creativity of society and its capacity to generate freedom, security, welfare and well-being for its members. This issue contains a selection of articles prepared for the upcoming WAAS-WUC colloquium and PG level course on Social Power to be held at the Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik and live online from October 31 to November 2, 2016. Garry Jacobs traces the historical evolution of diplomacy from military and political negotiations to mutually beneficial economic, social and cultural relations and calls for establishment of an international institution on human security for further thinking and policy formation from the new perspective. Emil Constantinescu explains how time warp is affecting our lives at the level of values and how a change in the way we think is necessary so humanity may march forward without the unnecessary stumbles that usually accompany ignorance. Human connectivity is the main theme of Janani Harish’s paper. She looks to history as a guide to trace historical precedents and explains how effective logistics can accelerate human progress. Herwig Schopper emphasizes the necessity for the common citizen to be aware of scientific knowledge and raises an important question: What role can international scientific institutions like WAAS play in addressing global issues? Murugesan Chandrasekaran makes an insightful remark on the nature of reality and the mind’s tendency for dualistic thinking and explains that the subjective and objective dimensions of reality are interdependent and inseparable. Saulo Casali Bahia questions the origin of social power and how legal power is generated by the society.

We hope you enjoy this part.

The Editors