We are living in an open sea, caught up in a continuous wave, with no fixed poin
t and no instrument to measure distance and the direction of travel. Nothing app
ears to be in its place any more, and a great deal appears to have no place at a
ll. The principles that have given substance to the democratic ethos, the system
of rules that has guided the relationships of authority and the ways in which t
hey are legitimized, the shared values and their hierarchy, our behaviour and ou
r life styles, must be radically revised because they no longer seem suited to o
ur experience and understanding of a world in flux, a world that has become both
increasingly interconnected and prone to severe and persistent crises.
