Rifkin contends the European Union could one day become a true economic rival of the United States of America.

The European Dream: How Europe's Vision of the Future Is Quietly Eclipsing the American Dream is a book, by Jeremy Rifkin, published in September 2004. Rifkin describes the emergence and evolution of the European Union over the past five decades, as well as key differences between European and American values. He argues that the European Union, which he describes as the first truly postmodern governing body, has the potential to become a world superpower. Berlaymont, Brussels / 2004-04-17 / selfmade / licence: GNU FDL File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Berlaymont, Brussels / 2004-04-17 / selfmade / licence: GNU FDL File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Jeremy Rifkin (b. ... September 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December See also: September 2004 in sports Events Deaths in September • 27 Tsai Wan-lin • 24 Françoise Sagan • 20 Brian Clough • 18 Russ Meyer • 15 Johnny Ramone • 12 Fred Ebb • 11 Peter VII of Alexandria • 8... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... A superpower is a state with the first rank in the international system and the ability to influence events and project power on a worldwide scale; it is considered a higher level of power than a major power. ...

According to Rifkin, the "European Dream", which champions communalism, sustainability, and human rights over property rights and radical individualism, is better-suited to 21st century challenges than the "American dream" of personal fortune, which may be obsolete. Communalism is a modern term that describes a broad range of social movements and social theories which are in some way centered upon the community. ... Sustainability is a systemic concept, relating to the continuity of economic, social, institutional and environmental aspects of human society. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... This page deals with property as ownership rights. ... Individualism is a moral, political, and social philosophy, which emphasizes individual liberty, the primary importance of the individual, and the virtues of self-reliance and personal independence. It assumes that a person can be socially and culturally free of upbringing: deep-structure language(s), family(s) of origin, and both... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Rifkin explains Europe's opposition to the death penalty in a historical context; after losing so many lives to wars in the early and mid-20th century, Europe is opposed to state-sponsored killing as a matter of principle. He also discusses the European commitment to "deep play" ^[1], a notion which is absent in the United States. Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the State as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offenses. ... For other senses of this word, see history (disambiguation). ... For other uses of War, see War (disambiguation). ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...

Notes

1. ↑  "deep play" is the idea that culture, cultural institutions and community have value in themselves (look at for instance the various historical trusts in European buildings, or the widespread support for the welfare state). In the US it tends to be undervalued in favor of commerce and utilitarianism. Put bluntly, if something "makes no money, it has no value"; incidentally, this is very similar to the "philosophy" of ancient Romans, one of the most important civilizations in the history of Europe, who often quoted cui prodest?, in Latin "what is it for?"

Wiktionary has related dictionary definitions, such as: trust Trust may refer to: Trust (sociology), the willing acceptance of one persons power to affect another Property law Trust law, where ownership and management of property is on behalf of another Escrow, where a thing is held in trust until conditions... It has been suggested that Welfare capitalism be merged into this article or section. ... Commerce is the trading of something of value between two entities. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Philosopher in Meditation (detail), by Rembrandt. ... The Roman Forum was the central area around which ancient Rome developed. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ...

External links

• "The European Dream: The New Europe has its own Cultural Vision—and it may be Better Than Ours", an article on page seventy-six of the September, 2004 – October, 2004 issue of Utne, copied from the book The European Dream: How Europe's Vision of the Future Is Quietly Eclipsing the American Dream by Jeremy Rifkin
• Book review by Stanley Hoffman
• Book review by Kirk McElhearn
• a discussion with Jeremy Rifkin in the European Parliament about the European Dream