Document Type
Presentation
Publication Date
9-2015
Abstract
Why should we be hopeful? Indeed, what are the reasons for us to have hope for the future of humanity? When we look at the world today, what is most visible to us is a process of collapse and disintegration reflected in the news we hear about violence, racial and religious prejudice, extremist movements, and terrorism.
It is from such an environment that we have come to this conference, which depicts for us the vision of a world in which all forms of racial, religious, and national prejudice have been eliminated and the human dignity of all people has been recognized; A world in which all nations collaborate with each other based on a body of international law; And, a world in which peace and unity of humankind has been realized.
Given the apparent contrast between these two visions— one of disintegration and collapse, and the other of advancement toward an ideal civilization – a question arises that must be answered: Is this vision of a peaceful world merely a utopia and a result of our pious hopes and dreams, or is it an achievable goal? And if we are saying that it is, indeed, an achievable goal, what are the empirical and scientific evidences and logical arguments that can provide us with a foundation for hope?
Recommended Citation
Akhavan, Roya, "Reasons for Hope: A Progress Report on Achieving World Peace" (2015). Mass Communication Faculty Publications. 13.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/comm_facpubs/13
Comments
This document was presented at the 25th Annual Conference of the Association of the Friends of Persian Culture, held in Chicago, IL, on 3-6 September 2015. The conference is sponsored by The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States.