Erich Fankhauser, Switzerland President PtC-Switzerland ETHICS versus moral – basis for a spiritual culture While MORAL is a time-related reflection – a structure characterised by certain institutions such as churches, religious communities or similar, which changes appearance with the mentality and may completely differ from country to country – ETHICS is the objective, scientifically based level beyond. To create a widespread common harmony, there has to be an extensive ethically based comprehension of wisdom and action. Ethics versus moral – Ethics, the most essential socially based science    

Professor Theodora Hiou- Maniatopoulou, “Panteion” University of Political and Social Sciences. Athens, Greece Culture in a Globalizing World I feel both pleased and honoured to address the “World Forum of Spiritual Culture”. I would like to address my congratulations to the Organizers, the International Association “Peace for Culture” chaired by His Excellency Senator Mr. Tolegen Mukhamedzhanov and solidly supported by H.E. Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, for this excellent initiative and for the high level of organization. I would also like to express my sincere thanks for their warm hospitality and for the unique experience to visit Astana.

EVANGELOS DENAXAS, Ambassador of Greece to Kazakhstan Some Remarks on the Notion of Culture Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very glad to address the Section 1 of the “World Forum of Spiritual Culture“, which has been placed under the high patronage of H.E. Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and has been arduously organised by the International Association “Peace Through Culture” under the capable chairmanship of H.E. Senator Mr. Tolegen Mukhamedzhanov. The Astana Forum is expected, through a multi-dimensional, a multi-disciplinary approach, to search and delimit solutions to the systemic crisis of modern civilisation by realising the priority of spirituality and culture, prime universal values of humanity whose importance grows more and more nowadays. I look forward to original presentations and to fruitful deliberations among the participants in this Section of the Forum which deals with the very core of spiritual culture.

Klaus-Dieter Buck, Germany PTC Germany, Scientist: field of Astronomy-Astrology Spiritual Culture and Cosmic (scientific) Thinking The cosmological and hierarchical orientation of early high cultures Early high cultures were cosmologically and hierarchically orientated. They had contact to higher spheres, to dimensions of the highest and purest ideas. They naturally envisioned themselves as a part of the world, as a microcosm within macrocosm and felt embedded in the great universal, cosmic order. “The cultures of mankind were always related to higher moral or ethical principles that were believed to be divine”. This means that these principles or laws originate from a higher source which is greater than mankind, planet Earth and the cosmos. Depending on the ideology, this higher source is called “law of nature”, “creation” or “deity”.

Marco Vukovic, Germany, PtC-Europe: Head of central-department IT-technology – scientist futurology Spiritual Culture – elementary Requirement for a modern, progressive Civilization Interpretation of „SPIRITUAL CULTURE“ Nowadays the global problems like continuous military conflicts, environmental destruction and also diverse existential crises do not only concern particular nations and individuals on a more or less large scale, but rather mankind on the whole. We notice that political, economical and social systems as well as denominational programs fail in confronting the current abstruse situation. „SPIRITUAL CULTURE” must permeate the civilization systems and in consequence point to a new direction for the ship of mankind in order to be able to escape from existing and threatening crises and disasters.

Masami Saionji, Japan A Shift Toward Spiritualized Thinking: Promoting the Development of Spiritual Culture In today’s society, the most generally accepted logic relates to surface conditions – objects, substances, and phenomena that we can perceive with our five senses. Up to now, humanity has somehow managed to survive with this limited kind of logic. At present, however, we human beings urgently need to tune in to a higher, expanded form of logic. Whereas conventional logic is based on recognition of the visible world and tangible phenomena, this expanded, supra-conventional logic recognizes principles that exist unconditionally in a realm surpassing the visible one.