Modus vivendi Modus vivendi Modus vivendi is a Latin phrase that means "mode of living" or “way of life”. It often is used to mean an arrangement or agreement that allows conflicting parties to coexist in peace. In science it is used to describe lifestyles. "Modus" means "mode", "way", "method", or "manner". "Vivendi" means "of living". The phrase is often used to describe informal and temporary arrangements in political affairs. For example, if two sides reach a "modus vivendi" regarding disputed territories, despite political, historical or cultural incompatibilities, an accommodation of their respective differences is established for the sake of contingency. In
The Meaning of the City this point. The city has grown to the size foretold by Ellul and Charbonneau, who were witnessing the urbanization of the world, the universalization of technique, and the standardization of all civilizations. Indeed, in 2008, the world's urban population surpassed its rural population. Where Charbonneau applied the symbol of Babylon, Ellul focuses on Ninevah. The big city is a mass which cannot survive without sacrificing liberty. "This, then, is what separates the two men: against the catastrophism of Charbonneau, Ellul presents a Christian hope, which leads from the Garden of Eden to the New Jerusalem foretold in Revelations.". The Meaning