Around the year 1500, people suddenly began to create globes to explain the actual shape of the earth anew. What had happened here? Here we find the beginnings of what we now call globalization.

Let us take a brief look at the fundamental philosophical theses of the German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk, who in his work 'In The World Interior of Capitalism', which I would like to recommend everyone to read at this point, explores the historical and psychodynamic reasons for our present.

In the intricate tapestry of human consciousness, the creation of the globe by Martin Beheim in 1492 marks a seminal stitch, weaving together threads of inquiry, discovery, and existential reorientation. Beheim's cartographic endeavor was not merely an act of geographical representation but a philosophical manifesto, challenging the flat, insular worldview with a vision of an interconnected, spherical cosmos.

The voyage of Christopher Columbus, initially envisioned not just as a quest for the Orient, harbored a more profound ambition - to finance and launch a crusade against the Ottoman blockade of the Levant. This dual purpose of his journey underscores a dual transformation: one geographical, the other ideological. Columbus's accidental encounter with the New World shattered the medieval conviction of a planar Earth, while his underlying intent revealed the religious and geopolitical tensions of his time. This encounter, according to Peter Sloterdijk's philosophical narrative, signifies the onset of what he describes as the "terrestrial globalization" phase, where the world begins its journey from being a collection of isolated territories to an interconnected "world system".

The psycho-dynamic significance of this discovery should not be underestimated, as it practically eclipsed the Copernican revolution that took place at the same time and turned it into a kind of clerical debate in the back rooms of the Vatican.

Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation, completed in 1522, was not merely a testament to navigational prowess but a profound existential journey. By encircling the globe, Magellan's expedition provided empirical evidence for Earth's sphericity, yet it also inscribed a deeper narrative into human philosophy: the return to the point of origin, symbolizing the cyclical nature of existence, knowledge, and truth. Sloterdijk would argue this as the moment when the "morphic globalization" - the conceptual realization of the Earth as a globe - was fully realized, shifting from theoretical to experiential understanding.

The Copernican heliocentric model further revolutionized this narrative in the academic world, placing Earth not at the center of the universe but in a dynamic, subordinate role to the sun. This paradigm shift precipitated a crisis in the ecclesiastical and philosophical arenas, as it demanded a reevaluation of human significance and the divine order. The debate it sparked was not merely scientific but deeply theological and existential, questioning the very essence of man's place in the cosmos.

Sloterdijk's conceptualization of globalization extends beyond these historical markers into what he terms the "capitalist interior space" or "Weltinnenraum des Kapitals", where the globe's inhabitants experience a comfort zone with invisible yet impenetrable boundaries, echoing the colonial enclosures of the past but now in an economic and cultural context. This phase of globalization, according to Sloterdijk, reflects the endgame of a process that began with the first circumnavigation, where capital now circulates freely, creating a new form of imperial reach, not through conquest but through market integration and cultural influence.

From a philosophical standpoint, living on a globe has invited humanity to ponder the implications of our spherical existence on our moral, ethical, and metaphysical frameworks. It compels us to consider the interconnectedness of our actions, the shared responsibility for the planetary commons, and the philosophical implications of borders in a world where everything circles back to its origin. Sloterdijk's critique of globalization as a return to the primal unity of existence challenges us to see beyond the immediate, to recognize the psychodynamic impact of understanding our planet as a globe, where the Copernican shift was not just about astronomy but about redefining human identity in a cosmos where we are but a minor part.

Thus, the globe is not merely a physical artifact but a profound philosophical icon, urging us to transcend parochialism, embrace the universal, and navigate the complex waters of our shared human narrative in an ever-expanding universe.

For further exploration of these themes, consider watching Peter Sloterdijk's discussion on globalization You can start with this YouTube video: https://youtu.be/T1aJjskCkJE?si=E_SUHBiS8NPeRo39