Human beings relate to one another through society, and express that relationship through culture. All of our actions, thoughts, behaviour, attitudes and material or intellectual creations imply a cultural relationship. Even the natural world that we name, describe and analyze may be said to be informed by human culture, to be invested with “inward meaning.” In this fundamental sense, our similarities are more profound than our cultural differences. These differences, moreover, embody a positive potential, for it is through them that we complement one another in devising novel solutions for living together in our social and natural settings. Cultural diversity represents the sum of these solutions, and dialogue is the bridge between them. If we are to respond to the challenges inherent in a culturally diverse world, we must develop new approaches to intercultural dialogue, approaches that go beyond the limitations of the “dialogue among civilizations” paradigm. The prerequisites for such a dialogue include consideration of the ways in which cultures relate to one another, awareness of cultural commonalities and shared goals, and identification of the challenges to be met in reconciling cultural differences and identities.The advent of civilization depended on the ability of some agricultural settlements to consistently produce surplus food, which allowed some people to specialize in non-agricultural work, which in turn allowed for increased production, trade, population, and social stratification.The first civilizations appeared in locations where the geography was favorable to intensive agriculture. Governments and states emerged as rulers gained control over larger areas and more resources, often using writing and religion to maintain social hierarchies and consolidate power over larger areas and populations.Today, almost every city has a supermarket with a wide variety of available foods. We take for granted the fact that people have different types of jobs and that governments exist. But, reliable food sources, specialized work, and governments did not exist for most of human history! They are the products of historical processes that began with the first civilizations several thousand years ago.Some people think civilization is an advanced stage in the progression of human cultural evolution. But, when historians or anthropologists use the term civilization, they mean society has many different, interconnected parts. So, rather than thinking about different forms of social organization as completely separate models, it’s helpful to think in terms of a spectrum of complexity.