Commentary: worthiness of the human race

ABSTRACT

In this think-piece, I explore possible reasons for the current conditions of human existence on Earth and propose some ideas regarding the reasons for the predicament humanity seems to be facing and give some thought to some ways that potential disasters may be averted. I emphasize the usefulness of integrating literature and philosophy with scholarly endeavours. I also propose that methods generally discarded in our disciplines, especially ones that I call grand observation, might be rethought and rejuvenated towards a hopefully more thorough and complete understanding of the contemporary human condition.

KEYWORDS:

• Human condition
• philosophy
• grand observation
• literature

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 I highly recommend all to listen to Chomsky’s speech to the 2022 World Social Forum. It is available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYDkmZAbTx0.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

A. Fuat Fırat

A. Fuat Fırat is a professor of marketing at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. His research interests cover areas such as macro-consumer behaviour and macro-marketing; post-modern culture; trans-modern marketing strategies; gender and consumption; marketing and development; and inter-organizational relations. He has won the Journal of Macromarketing Charles Slater Award for the best article with co-author N. Dholakia, the Journal of Consumer Research best article award with co-author A. Venkatesh, and the Corporate Communications: An International Journal top-ranked paper award with co-authors L.T. Christensen and J. Cornelissen. He has published several books including Consuming People: From Political Economy to Theaters of Consumption, co-authored by N. Dholakia, and is a founding editor of Consumption, Markets and Culture.