Harry Redner was reader at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia and was visiting professor at Yale University, University of California-Berkeley, USA and Harvard University, USA. He is also author of Totalitarianism, Globalization, Colonialism and many other books.

• PreludePart I: The Past History of Civilization1. An Overview of HistorySection I—Historical Turning PointsSection II—Cultural ConsciousnessSection III—Countering Critics2. The Axial AgeSection I—The Mystery of the Axial AgeSection II—Ethics, Empire, and LiteracySection III—Problems of Literacy3. ModernitySection I—The Rise of the WestSection II—The West and ModernitySection III—In Defense of the West4. Post-CivilizationSection I—The Ambiguities of ModernitySection II—CatalystsSection III— The Events of the Twentieth CenturyPart II: The Present Predicament of Civilization5. The Forces of ModernitySection I—A Brief OverviewSection II—CapitalismSection III—The StateSection IV—Science and TechnologySection V— Post-Industrial or Information Society6. SocietySection I—MegalopolisSection II—Social RankingSection III—Gemeinschaft and GesellschaftSection IV—Friendship, Kinship, and Family7. CultureSection I— A Historical Introduction to Global CultureSection II—Capitalism and CultureSection III—The State and CultureSection IV— Science and Technology and CultureSection V—The Global and the Local8. IndividualismSection I—The Origins of IndividualismSection II—Individualism in the WestSection III— Individualization and AtomizationPart III: The Future Prospects of Civilization9. Catastrophes of Nature and CultureSection I—The Uncertainties of PredictionSection II—Jonas and JonahsSection III—Scenarios of Cultural Disaster10. The Future as it Might BeSection I—Drifting to DisasterSection II—Restoring SocietySection III—Conserving CulturesSection IV—Recovering IndividualismValedictory RemarksEndnotesIndex