Matthew Melko

Publications

Andrew Targowski:

"Matthew Melko, in his book The Nature of Civilizations (1969), defined some elements of a basic model of civilizations, such as their components (outlook, aesthetics, society, economics, government, international) and developmental stages (crystallization, transition, complete disintegration, ossification (a freezing at a crystal stage) and developmental macro-phases of feudal system, state system, imperial system, which he analyzes separately from stages. He thinks that civilizations are large and complex cultures, which can control their environments. Civilizations may have varying levels of different cultures integrated in them, but all of them have a basic pattern (of government, economics, war) that allow them to be distinguished from each other. Melko did not characterize any particular civilization. He recognized the civilization's ability to transform itself through its conflicts. His strong contribution is in providing an interesting model of civilizational development through three macro phases."

(https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1618&context=ccr)