A POSTCAPITALIST PARADIGM: THE COMMON GOOD OF ...

order to exist, cultures must have material bases and means, like territorial
reference points (in various forms) and educational and communications
media, as well as various opportunities to express culture like
fetes, pilgrimages, rituals, religious agents, buildings, etc.
This brings us to the practical aspects of designing the organization of a
multicultural State. In countries like Bolivia and Ecuador, the concept has
been specifically translated into constitutions by the establishement of
multinational States, although not without difficulties when it comes to
putting them into practice. The central idea is the obligation for the State
to guarantee the basics of cultural activity for different peoples and, in particular,
to defend them from the assaults of economic modernity and the
dominant culture. For this purpose, bilingual education is an important instrument.
However the notion of interculturalism must also have an influence
on general education, like the teaching of history and the
re shaping of an education philosophy at present guided by the logic of
the market. The publication of inexpensive books, the organization of book
fairs, artisanal centres, inter-active museums, etc. are useful tools. Communications
media are important as they transmit not only information
but also values, provided that they do not go against pluralism or democracy.
This problem must be tackled as a whole, to promote local cultures,
to counteract monopolies and to destroy the dominance of a handful of
international agencies. Ethical bodies, such as associations for the defence
of human rights, watchdog groups of various kinds, religious institutions,
must also have the opportunity to express themselves.
Culture includes a spiritual dimension, which is a characteristic of human
beings, raising them above the concerns of everyday life. This is a central
theme in a period when civilization is in crisis. All over the world
there is a search after meaning, for the need to redefine the very aims
of life. Spirituality is the force that transcends the material world and
gives it a meaning. The sources of spirituality are many and are always
to be found within a social context: they cannot exist without a physical
and biological base. The human being is indivisible: spirituality presupposes
matter that, on the other hand, has no sense without the spirit. A
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