More than ever before, our conflict-ridden, drifting planet needsthe qualities that Europe, unique among the continents, hasdeveloped in more than two millennia of history: itsself-criticism, its urge to self-transcendence, exploration andexperiment, its conviction that alternative and better forms ofhuman togetherness can be achieved, as well as its dedication tothe cause of seeking and promoting this improvement in practice.But today Europe is unsure of itself and its place in afast-changing world; it is devoid of vision, limited in resourcesand lacking the will to pursue its vocation. It is also strugglingwith the consequences of a one-sided process of globalization whichis divorcing power from politics, inciting the shift from thesocial state to security-focused governance and piling up thecasualties of uncontrolled market expansion and the ethically blindcommercialization of human life.
Bauman argues that despite the odds Europe still has much tooffer in dealing with the great challenges that face us in thetwenty-first century. Through sharing its own hard-won historicallessons, Europe can play a vital role in moving from theHobbesian-like world in which we find ourselves today towards thekind of peaceful unification of humanity that was once envisionedby Kant.