The three levels of civilization

1. Entity type Lemma
2. Original titleΤα τρία ἐπίπεδα τοῦ πολιτισμοῦ
3. Language term Greek, Modern (1453-)
4. lemma author Koutalis, Vangelis
5. lemma category Modes of interaction > Conflict - Concepts of knowledge and modes of reasoning > Sources of knowledge (empiricism/rationalism)
6. Publication date 1995
7. lemma work Malevitsis, Christos [Author]. Τα τρία ἐπίπεδα τοῦ πολιτισμοῦ
8. lemma manifestations Ευθύνη
9. Keywords culture - existential passion - civilization
10. Citations
    1. <p>Malevitsis, Ch. [Μαλεβίτσης Χ.] (1995). Τα τρία ἐπίπεδα τοῦ πολιτισμοῦ. <em>Εὐθύνη</em>, <em>280</em>, 207-209</p>
11. Lemma body

    1. The author makes a distinction between the different significations of the term ‘civilization’. Firstly, there is the level of ‘culture’ which corresponds to the utilization of the forms of civilization in an instrumental way, lacking spirituality. This is the distinctive feature of our era, and the preponderance of this signification paves the way for a dark spiritual future. Secondly, there is the level of the civilization proper, consisting of spiritual undertakings that have been somehow ‘tamed’, objectified in collectible and accumulated pieces, divested of the existential passion which made them, in the first place, possible. And thirdly, there is the level of the limit-consciousness of the spirit, which becomes accessible only when civilization is conceived as what it actually is: an existential solitude in the world, destined to fade away and perish. These limit-conceptions of the spirit do not aim at producing works for the civilization. What they seek for, is the grounding of the empirical soul on the super-empirical truth. Culturalism offers baseness, civilization offers edification, and limit-consciousness offers illumination.