{"id":36,"date":"2015-05-30T16:29:15","date_gmt":"2015-05-30T14:29:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kwasniewski.org.pl\/?page_id=36"},"modified":"2025-01-14T21:00:11","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T20:00:11","slug":"ksiazka-cywilizacja-zachodnia-i-czas","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jacek.kwasniewski.org.pl\/en\/ksiazka-cywilizacja-zachodnia-i-czas\/","title":{"rendered":"Western Civilization and Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

jacek9520@gmail.com<\/span><\/p>\n

Book \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Western Civilization and Time
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book advertising on YouTube<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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Content Information
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Time has become one of the most significant values, manifesting in the compulsion and expectation to Act-Ever-Faster and Live-Ever-Longer. These are now civilizational priorities, as they have driven the most significant changes in how we allocate resources\u2014such as raw materials, capital, labor, time, and skills\u2014over the past few decades.<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking back, we can observe clear connections between the current valorization of time and historical processes of secularization and modernization.<\/span><\/p>\n

When we ask about the consequences of transforming time into a value, we see a striking trend increasingly denying the inevitability of death. When we ask what lies at the foundation of the historical transformation of time into a value, we see Christianity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Between 2012 and 2014, the book was downloaded from my website 45,734 times.<\/span><\/p>\n

more information about the content of the book (in Polish)<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/div> <\/span>

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Full text of the book (in Polish), version pdf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span> <\/strong> 12 MB, version 5.8, March 2012
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synopsis – extended version\u00a0\u00a0 pdf in English<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/span>Readers’ Opinions<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

Critics of my book complain that I discuss serious matters in a lighthearted manner. Some of its enthusiasts claim that it is the first postmodern theory of civilization. Neither group is correct.<\/span><\/p>\n

Readers are also divided into those who admire the book\u2019s format and those who, for the same reason, cannot read it at all. Judge for yourself. You can download it in its entirety, in a single file, to your computer or tablet.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the book’s popularity grows, so does the number of opinions about it. I greatly value critical, emotional, and even sarcastic comments (e.g., “a sociological comic book for youth,” “pictorial gibberish,” “a theory of civilization for tabloids”).<\/span><\/p>\n

At the other extreme, I have found reviews linking my analysis to currents of thought such as Science and Technology Studies (STS), Sociology of Scientific Knowledge (SSK), Social Construction of Technology (SCOT), and Social Shaping of Technology (SST).<\/span><\/p>\n

I find such connections very flattering. My intention was to identify the factors that determined the historical direction of development in Western science, technology, and economy. Demonstrating the process that increasingly valued the concept of time and illustrating the civilizational consequences of this valorization fits well within the analyses of SSK, STS, and similar fields.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gr<\/span>aph<\/span>ic For<\/span>m
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The book is a colorful computer presentation. The text is presented in a condensed form, with numerous photos and graphics. It is fully interactive and designed for use on computers and tablets with touch screens.<\/span><\/p>\n

Each page is a slide labeled with the title of a subsection. The title links to the table of contents, which itself is a collection of links to specific sections of the book. From any page, you can navigate to any other section thanks to bookmarks.<\/span><\/p>\n

This design makes the book easy to read on a monitor or tablet. Navigation is simple due to the ubiquitous links. It can also be printed just as effectively. I suggest printing two slides per A4 page, one below the other, ideally double-sided.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Editorial Information
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The file size of the book is 12 MB. Before downloading, you can read a brief description of the book above, next to the cover image, or review the summary. This will help you decide if it interests you. You can assess its graphic design by opening any of the chapters provided below in PDF format (highest quality).<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The ebook, version 5.8 from March 2012, is a slightly revised edition of the ebook initially developed in November 2011. The changes in version 5.8 are mostly technical, focusing on adapting the book for reading on relatively small, 9\u201310-inch touchscreen tablet displays (thanks to readers for pointing this out). The only substantive change is a new version of Appendix 3.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Below: the summary and a chapter-by-chapter breakdown. This is version 5.7 from 2008. All files are available online and in PDF format. An update to the book, primarily to Chapter VII, is planned. I intend to complete it in 2014 or 2015 after finishing work on a book about the European phenomenon.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The text of the book Western Civilization and Time (excluding quotes), as well as its concept and graphic design, were developed by Jacek Kwa\u015bniewski in 2004 and 2008, version 5.7. Version 5.7 is a draft, not intended for publication or distribution. The available files may be used for personal purposes. If the text is cited, please include a reference to my website.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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my email address:<\/span> \"adres-mail-gmail-9520\"<\/strong>

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Chapters\u00a0 (synopsis)
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synopsis extended version (incl. The Main Idea and Chapter VIII)\u00a0 pdf in English<\/span><\/a> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even if you do not speak Polish, look at the online version of some chapter to see its graphic form<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Introduction<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n