Published by Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Press, “Medeniyet Krizi ve Evrensel Bilinç / Civilizational Crisis and Universal Consciousness”, the latest book by painter, poet, and author Ümit İnatçı, offers a multilayered intellectual exploration of the cultural, ethical, digital, and existential ruptures of our time. The work presents a broad spectrum of thought-provoking discussions, ranging from fragmented identities in the age of social media and the suspension of truth to debates on transhumanism, the phenomenon of loneliness, cultural heritage, and the search for universal consciousness.
In this work, Ümit İnatçı argues that modern humanity is experiencing not only a political or economic crisis, but also an ontological one. Examining the emergence of a new human condition shaped by the visibility regimes of the digital age, artificial forms of belonging, a culture of selective indifference, and mechanisms of “manufacturing consent,” the book invites readers to reconsider the relationship between individual self-awareness and civilization.
The chapters in the book examine some of the defining issues of the contemporary world through an interdisciplinary lens. These include social media and the loss of identity, the tension between progress and loneliness, the new psychological and cultural disorders emerging in the digital age, secularization, the relationship between aesthetics and ethics, transformation in the concept of leadership, cultural heritage, citizenship, and the notion of the “clash of civilizations.”
One of the notions standing out in the book, “Mezotopia,” explores the suspension of truth in the age of digital communication and examines how humanity’s relationship with reality is increasingly being shaped by simulations. Rather than merely diagnosing the crises of the contemporary world, the book also proposes a search for new intellectual possibilities grounded in universal consciousness, creative action, compassion, and ethical responsibility.
Combining perspectives from the sociology of everyday life, philosophy, cultural criticism, and social inquiry, Civilizational Crisis and Universal Consciousness book presents a compelling examination of the intellectual and spiritual status of contemporary society. As one of the defining works in Ümit İnatçı’s extensive artistic and intellectual journey, the book goes beyond identifying the civilizational dilemmas of the modern age, inviting readers to reflect on humanity’s enduring capacity to reconstruct meaning.
