Re: [ba-unrev-talk] How? ... by Bootstrapping Social Intelligence,Spreading Acivitism, and Collective Learning Webs
Henry, (01)
Regarding leadership on "how", based on the principles of Bootstrapping
Social Intelligence <http://bruce.edmonds.name/bsi/bsi.html>,
Evolutionary Collective Knowledge <http://bruce.edmonds.name/bsi/>,
Supporting Collective Intelligence on the Web
<http://bruce.edmonds.name/bsi/FET-project.html>, and Learning Webs
<http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/GB/Heylighen2.ppt>, etc., I believe Bruce
Edmonds <http://bruce.edmonds.name/>, and Francis Heylighen
<http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HEYL.html>, et. al., including Anthony Judge
<http://laetusinpraesens.org/contact/index.php> (Director,
Communications and Research) of the Union of International Associations
<http://www.uia.org/> are all possible resources to consider based on
their presentations at the First Global Brain Workshop: From Intelligent
Networks to the Global Brain
<http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/Conf/GB-0-abs.html#Heylighen2> (3-5 July 2001,
Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium ): (02)
Simulating a Global Brain ? Phobias, Delusions, Psychoses and All: using
networks of international organizations, world problems, strategies, and
values <http://www.uia.org/uiadocs/globrain.htm> (03)
"[This] paper reports briefly on the ongoing process of
systematic information collection and web presentation by the
UIA of networks of some 20,000 international organizations,
45,000 perceived world problems, 30,000 advocated action
strategies, and some 3,000 values -- resulting in a total of
500,000 hyperlinks. These different entities are understood to
constitute an interesting focal sub-system of whatever is to be
understood by an emerging global brain ˆ for which the
"problems" might be understood as "neuroses", if not "tumours".
This is followed by a description of implemented features to
improve the way in which organizations can use this facility to
articulate the collaborative networks within which they
collectively develop strategic responses to subsets of the
network of problems (perceived in the light of networks of
partially shared values). The concrete challenge is the manner
in which this network of features can become self-aware via its
web representation, at least to a degree that is less
dysfunctional in partially coordinating world system responses." (04)
Another importatnt leader with 30 years of experience in learning "how"
is Tom Atlee <http://www.co-intelligence.org/tomatleebio.html>, the
founder and co-director of the Co-Intelligence Institute
<http://www.co-intelligence.org/index.html> which exists to catalyze the
sustainability and conscious evolution of human culture. The nonprofit
Co-Intelligence Institute (CII) promotes awareness of co-intelligence
<http://www.co-intelligence.org/CIWhatsCI.html> and of the many existing
tools and ideas that can be used to increase it. The CII embraces all
such ideas and methods, and explores their integrated application to
community problems, organizational development, democratic
revitalization, and global crises and transformation. Ultimately, the
goal of the CII is the conscious evolution of culture in harmony with
nature and with the highest human potentials. If you'd like to be
involved in this effort, click here
<http://www.co-intelligence.org/CIIinvolved.html>. (05)
Since the CII web site has over 600 pages, and because of the urgency
for humanity in coping with global terrorism and the Iraq War, I'm
presenting for your convenience the following excerpts as highlights to
further discuss on the unrev forum, etc. based on: (06)
COPYRIGHT NOTICE <http://www.co-intelligence.org/legal.html>:
All articles in this site are by Tom Atlee
<http://www.co-intelligence.org/tomatleebio.html>, unless
otherwise specified. They are Copyright 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998,
1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Tom Atlee. All rights reserved. (07)
Permission is granted to copy and distribute these documents by
any means, provided that they mention this site
[http://www.co-intelligence.org], and that no fee is charged
other than the actual cost of transmission or reproduction or
the standard connection-time charges on a BBS, on-line service,
or Internet connection. No document on this site may be
distributed for financial gain or included in a commercial
collection or compilation without prior permission from the
copyright owner. Articles noted as written by others are
copyright by them, all rights reserved. Contact the authors for
permission to use. (08)
Articles noted as written by others are copyright by them, all
rights reserved. Contact the authors for permission to use. (09)
Tom Atlee's vision of CO-INTELLIGENCE: (010)
COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE IS THE FORM -- COLLABORATIVE INTELLIGENCE IS THE
FLAVOR (011)
"Co-intelligence
<http://www.co-intelligence.org/I-co-intelligence.html>" refers to a
form intelligence based on wholeness -- bigger than individual
rationality -- an improvable capacity of all living systems,
particularly of human groups, communities and societies. The word
"co-intelligence" also refers to the field of study concerning that
capacity and how to enhance it -- and to the ideas and practices
which collectively make up that field." (012)
(Note: There is no one definition
<http://www.co-intelligence.org/I-moreCIdefs.html>, no one right
concept. There are dozens of very co-intelligent approaches
<http://www.co-intelligence.org/CIinOwnLives.html#approaches> and
resources <http://www.co-intelligence.org/CIbooks.html>. We're all
feeling our way. ... But the word carries our efforts out to an
ever-wider sphere of people. The more people use it, the more
co-intelligence will start to emerge. Share information about
co-intelligence with friends and share your thoughts about it.) (013)
Five Dimensions of Co-Intelligence
<http://www.co-intelligence.org/I-fivedimensions.html> (014)
"The five-dimensional world of co-intelligence consists of these very
special phenomena - multi-modal intelligence, collaborative
intelligence, wisdom, collective intelligence and universal intelligence
- all mixing and matching in a thousand ways." (015)
"[ ...] All of these are needed by each of us, at least to some
degree, in order to have a successful life. Some people are blessed
with great endowments of one or more of these. Some have very little
of one or more of these. Some situations require one particular kind
of intelligence or combination of intelligences not needed in other
situations. This is a very powerful aspect of our diversity." (016)
"[ ...] As research in multi-modal intelligence progresses, perhaps
we will gain more understanding about which cognitive modes are best
for which sorts of situations and how we can use each one to
clarify, support or constrain the others in ways that enhance our
overall co-intelligence capabilities. (017)
The collective intelligence we build should nurture these and other
differences among us as resources, as gifts that grow in power as we
support and share them. The creative use of diversity is a hallmark
of co-intelligence, and nowhere is it clearer than in how we
synergize the diverse modes of intelligence available to address our
shared situations." (018)
1) There is more to intelligence than brains and logic. Many varieties
of intelligence are available to us. (019)
"Multi-modal intelligence
<http://www.co-intelligence.org/multiIntelligence.html> means there
are many ways to learn, know and engage with the world. Our bodies,
minds, hearts and spirits contain a full palette of intelligences --
emotional, analytic, intuitive, kinesthetic, narrative, moral... We
can use more of these and integrate them better -- especially in
synergy with other people, since we're all capable in such different
ways." (020)
* PRACTICAL INTELLIGENCE is the ability to think in concrete
examples and solve daily problems directly without necessarily
being able to explain how; the tendency to survive or succeed
through taking straightforward, responsive, concrete action.
(Also called marketing, strategic or political intelligence --
since it focuses on "the art of the possible" -- or just
common sense or simple effectiveness.)
* VERBAL INTELLIGENCE is the ability to think and communicate
effectively and creatively with words; and to recognize, use
and appreciate linguistic patterns.
* LOGICAL INTELLIGENCE is the ability to think in terms of (and
to appreciate) abstract parts, symbols and sequential
relationships, conceptual regularities or numerical patterns,
and to reach conclusions or construct things in an orderly
way. (Also called rational, analytic or mathematical
intelligence.)
* ASSOCIATIVE INTELLIGENCE is the ability to think in
non-sequential associations -- similarities, differences,
resonances, meanings, relationships, etc. -- and to create
(and appreciate) totally new patterns and meanings out of old
ones.
* SPATIAL INTELLIGENCE is the ability to visualize, appreciate
and think in terms of pictures and images; to graphically
imagine possibilities; and to observe, understand, transform
and orient oneself in visual reality. (Also called pictorial
or imaginative intelligence.)
* INTUITIVE INTELLIGENCE is the ability to know directly, to
perceive and appreciate whole or hidden patterns beyond (or
faster than) logic.
* MUSICAL INTELLIGENCE is the capacity to perceive, appreciate,
resonate with, produce and productively use rhythms, melodies,
and other sounds.
* AESTHETIC INTELLIGENCE is the ability to produce, express,
communicate and appreciate in a compelling way inner,
spiritual, natural and cultural realities and meanings. (This
can include aspects of verbal, musical and spatial
intelligences.)
* BODY INTELLIGENCE is the ability to sense, appreciate, and
utilize one's own body -- movement, manual dexterity, tactile
sensitivity, physical responsiveness and constraints; to
create and think in terms of physiological patterns; to
maintain physical health; and to relate to or meet the needs
of others' bodies. (Also called kinesthetic or somatic
intelligence.)
* INTERPERSONAL INTELLIGENCE is the ability to perceive,
understand, think about, relate to and utilize other people's
subjective states, and to estimate their likely behavior. This
includes, especially, empathy.
* SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE is the ability to work with others and
find identity and meaning in social engagement; to perceive,
think, and deal in terms of multi-person patterns, group
dynamics and needs, and human communities; it includes a
tendency towards cooperation and service. (Also called team
intelligence.)
* AFFECTIONAL INTELLIGENCE is the ability to be affected by,
connected to or resonant with people, ideas, experiences,
aesthetics, or any other aspect of life; to experience one's
liking or disliking of these things; and to use one's
affinities in decision-making and life.
* MOOD INTELLIGENCE is the ability to fully experience any mood
as it happens (without having to judge it or do anything about
it), to learn from it, and to move out of it at will --
especially to generate resilience.
* MOTIVATIONAL INTELLIGENCE is the ability to know and to work
with what moves you; to sense, think and initiate in terms of
needs, wants, will, courage, responsibility and action --
one's own and others. (This can include that aspect of mood
intelligence that can marshal emotions in the service of a goal.)
* INTRAPERSONAL INTELLIGENCE is the ability to recognize, access
and deal with one's own subjective (or inner) world. (This can
include aspects of affectional, mood, motivational and body
intelligences.)
* EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE is the ability to experience, think and
deal with emotional patterns in oneself and others. (This can
include aspects of interpersonal, intrapersonal, affectional,
mood and motivational intelligences.)
* BASIC INTELLIGENCE is the ability to move toward what is
healthy and desirable and away from what is unhealthy or
undesirable. (This can use affectional and practical
intelligences, or be almost automatic and instinctual.)
* BEHAVIORAL PATTERN INTELLIGENCE is the ability to recognize,
form and change one's own behavioral patterns, including
compulsions, inhibitions and habits.
* PARAMETER INTELLIGENCE is the ability to create and sustain
order and predictability -- to recognize, establish, sustain,
and change rhythms, routines/rituals, boundaries, guiding
principles/values/beliefs, etc., in one's own life.
* HABIT INTELLIGENCE is the ability to recognize, form and
change one's habits (which naturally embraces many aspects of
behavioral and parameter intelligence).
* ORGANIZING INTELLIGENCE is the ability to create order in
one's own life and in other lives/groups/systems. (This can
include aspects of parameter, team/social, and logical
intelligences)
* SPIRITUAL INTELLIGENCE is the ability to sense, appreciate and
think with spiritual and moral realities and patterns -- to
operate from an awareness of ultimate common ground
(consciousness, spirit, nature, or some other sacred
dimension). (This is usually dependent on intrapersonal
intelligence.) (Also called moral or transcendental
intelligence.)
* NARRATIVE INTELLIGENCE is the ability to perceive, know,
think, feel, explain one's experience and influence reality
through the use of stories and narrative forms (characters,
history, myth, dreams, scenarios, etc.).
* ECO-INTELLIGENCE is the ability to recognize, appreciate,
think and feel with, and utilize natural patterns and one's
place in nature, and to empathize with and sustain healthy
relationships with animals, plants and natural systems. (021)
All of these are needed by each of us, at least to some degree, in
order to have a successful life. Some people are blessed with great
endowments of one or more of these. Some have very little of one or
more of these. Some situations require one particular kind of
intelligence or combination of intelligences not needed in other
situations. This is a very powerful aspect of our diversity. (022)
2) There is more to intelligence than successfully predicting and
controlling things. We can creatively respond to life. We can
collaborate with the world around us. (023)
"Collaborative intelligence means finding and working with all the
available allies and cooperative forces around us - and there are
many. There are always energies we can fruitfully align with, both
existing and potential - even within the heart of adversaries and
problems. Working with each other, with nature, and with the natural
tendencies in us and the world, we can accomplish more with less,
and enjoy it more". (024)
3) There's more to intelligence than solving the problems in front of
our faces. There's wisdom
<http://www.co-intelligence.org/wisdomsurvey.html> - the big picture,
the long term. (025)
Wisdom means seeing beyond immediate appearances and acting with
greater understanding to affirm the life and development of all
involved. It involves balance, mystery and tolerance of ambiguity
and change. The expanded perspective that accompanies wisdom fosters
wonder, humility, compassion and humor. (026)
4) There is more to intelligence than individual intelligence. There is
collective intelligence, the intelligence we generate together. (027)
Collective intelligence means that families, groups, organizations,
communities and entire societies can act intelligently as whole,
living systems. What we believe, what we do, and how we organize our
collective affairs can make or break our collective intelligence. We
could improve our collective intelligence to a point where humanity
not only survives and flourishes into the foreseeable future, but
consciously evolves. (028)
5) There is more to intelligence than human intelligence. Intelligence
is a property of the universe and of all that's in it. (029)
Universal intelligence is the intrinsic tendency for things to
self-organize and co-evolve into ever more complex, intricately
interwoven and mutually compatible forms. Our human intelligence is but
one manifestation of that universal dynamic. The more we are conscious
of universal intelligence and connect ourselves to it, the more
intelligence (and wisdom) we'll have to work with. (030)
So IMHO, as Tom Atlee suggests, an ultimate solution to this problem may
require integrated or hybrid systems that involve some kind of
well-designed synergy between small and large groups. Here is one
ambitous hypothetical design, just for illustration. It would be
applicable to any important public concern: (031)
STEP 1) Use small consensus-oriented groups to work through the
most difficult issues involved with the topic, and to create
innovative and wise options for dealing with it. Give these
groups extremely high-quality access to information, expertise
and process facilitation. (They might look like consensus
conferences or consensus-based planning cells.) (032)
STEP 2) Have those options -- and their pros and cons --
discussed in larger and/or more widespread public dialogues.
These might integrate numerous approaches like AmericaSpeaks,
Study Circles, National Issues Forums, Deliberative Polling,
World Cafe and various forms of online dialogue, and could
involve up to hundreds of thousands of people. All this could be
reported in the press ("civic journalism"). The purpose of all
this activity would be to generate widespread, informed public
judgment. (033)
STEP 3) Involve the experts, the legislatures and the nonprofit
community in responding to all this. One would expect this to
produce a higher level of proposals and critiques than existed
in the dialogue prior to Step 1. (Steps 2 and 3 might be woven
together in various productive ways.) (034)
STEP 4) Produce final recommendations by putting the results of
1-3 through a citizens jury, in which leaders from (3) testify
to citizen panelists, and citizens from (2) may participate in a
televote audience. The final results would be submitted for
legislative action or ballot initiative, as well as being
circulated for further action like Steps 2 and 3. (035)
[ ...] "It involves us removing our old spectacles of all the separate
disciplines - economics, sociology, physics, engineering, psychology and
the rest - and composting all these fragments into a holistic view of
the entire human family, now inextricably linked by our globe-girdling
technologies into one emerging planetary culture. (036)
We can view nations and companies as "ripe seedpods," reaching the
maturation of their potential and scattering their knowledge into the
global commons. Global trade will increasingly involve exchange of the
best expressions of different cultures combined with the uniqueness of
their local ecosystems. These quintessential learning expressions of
each culture - whether as computer software, literature, innovations in
governance, or new blueprints for problem solving - will tend to be ever
more unique. As we turn our attention to identifying such "cultural
DNA," we'll value the great spiritual traditions, art and poetry which
all societies have borrowed from each other. (037)
The Earth is a perfectly programmed learning environment to give her
children all the positive and negative feedback loops needed to nudge us
to-ward our fullest development. She's also the preeminent innovator and
experimenter, who excels in sheer artistry as well. (038)
When we use the Earth, the living goddess Gaia, as our frame of
reference, our epistemology, our study guide and curriculum, and when we
learn to interpret her feedback signals responding to our actions, we
can maintain that holistic, open awareness necessary for true learning.
When we, the human family, at last see ourselves a responsible,
conscious part of the living body of the Earth, co-creating the future
in symbiosis, co-evolving with all life forms, we will restructure our
knowledge, our universities and schools and our relationships. (039)
<http://www.co-intelligence.org/CIPol_henderson.html> (040)
Guidelines for co-intelligent social change (041)
* We focus on people and groups who are ready for change.
* We try to prepare for a future where the changes we seek will take
on a life of their own.
* We create usable models of what we want to see, be and have.
* We use whatever happens, to learn and teach needed lessons for
growth and transformation.
* We actively create opportunities in which we can learn together
with others.
* We make change both safe and necessary.
* We learn to respect differences among those who share our values,
goals or circumstances.
* We recognize allies (or tendencies we can ally with) in the camp
of those who resist the changes we seek.
* We try to learn about and connect with diverse stakeholders.
* We create networks and forums which help people make generative*
connections.
* We promote real dialogue.
* We promote and honor many forms of diversity.
* We promote engagement in socially-transformative interaction, even
by our opponents.
* We create situations where people can process their fear and
despair together.
* We use domination and control sparingly and wisely and clean up
the resulting messes.
* We try to use "power-with" early and wisely enough to make
"power-over" unnecessary.
* We create communities of people who understand and use
co-intelligence.
* We try to embrace and integrate multiple viewpoints, multiple
intelligences, big-picture perspectives and long-term vision.
* We clarify for people the difference between conscious and
unconscious participation.
* We help people tap into their own values and goals.
* We promote and use power equity, power decentralization,
answerability to stakeholders, power balance, and/or conversion
from power-over to power-with wherever appropriate.
* We advocate restructuring our educational system to develop
people's co-intelligence.
* We ground ourselves and others in the inclusive embrace of Gaia,
our humanity, our deepest spiritual natures and in fellowships of
universal crisis, hope and transformation.
* We keep ourselves open to appropriate change and evolution.
* We channel our growth towards greater flexibility and openness.
* We try to generate experiences that are readily understood and
embraced by others, unless challenge will stimulate conscious growth. (042)
Notes on positive, co-intelligent social change actions (043)
We are agents of positive social change (and increase the level of
societal intelligence) whenever we: (044)
* reduce power imbalances
* promote holistic myths, worldviews, understandings, value systems,
standards
* propagate generative* information, images and meanings through the
media and education.
* increase the quantity and quality of dialogue exploring
significant issues
* facilitate the actualization of human potential
* encourage personal spiritual experience
* help free people from poverty (not having enough to meet their
physical needs)
* help free people from addictions (including addiction to material
affluence)
* consciously help process the content of group fields and the
collective unconscious
* increase understanding and positive relationship to the unknown.
Positive relationships with the unknown include curiousity,
humility, openness, tolerance for ambiguity and paradox, and
respect for the ultimate Mystery.
* facilitate synergistic (complementary or cooperative)
relationships among people, among groups and organizations,
between humans and nature, between various academic disciplines
and methodologies, etc.
increase people's (and groups') awareness of their role in larger
contexts, and help them play that role more consciously
* engage all stakeholders in decisions which will affect them
* increase the number of feedback loops in any and all human systems
* make positive use of both unity and diversity, uniqueness and
commonality
* establish or change social infrastructure (the physical and
institutional arrangements within which people operate) to
facilitate self-actualization and positive interactivity
* monitor the amount and kind of openness/closedness,
order/disorder, disturbance/comfort and
unpredictability/predictability to encourage high levels of
personal and collective vitality
* evoke and process latent or emerging tendencies, both "good" and
"bad" (rather than suppressing or ignoring them)
* move individuals, groups, organizations and communities away from
old, dysfunctional patterns of thought, feeling and behavior
toward new, more functional patterns. This begins with awareness
of the need for change and culminates in appropriate transformation.
* create opportunities or establish facilities for conscious
transformation
* create or propagate technologies (from telecommunications to
composting, from healing techniques to group processes) that
facilitate any of the above functions
* provide entertainment and fun activities that serve any of the
above functions. (045)
* Things are "generative" when they stimulate positive awareness, change
or activity. (046)
Some possible characteristics of a co-intelligent society (to
guide our social change efforts) (047)
* Social institutions support people's commitment to lifelong
learning, self-actualization and wholeness.
* People give very high priority to increasing synergy in
relationships among themselves, among groups, and between human
and natural communities.
* Dialogue and a spirit of co-creative inquiry permeate the culture.
* Most social power is exercised collaboratively to pursue shared
goals. Some delegated power is exercised as an intrinsically
rewarding form of service by those competent and interested in
various areas of responsiblity. Control-oriented "power-over" is
rare and fully answerable to the community of stakeholders
involved and concentrates on generating peer participation by
those stakeholders (which then becomes collaborative power).
Special attention is paid to "metabolizing" (processing into
useful form) the negative residues left in the wake of domination.
[Note: Everything said here about power applies equally to
leadership, technology and media, where power resides.]
* The whole population shares a basic understanding of living
systems, natural cycles, feedback loops, and the role that
individuals play in the well-being and conscious evolution of the
communities they occupy.
* Sufficient high quality, generative information is available to
those who need or want it, and that information evolves into
ever-increasing usefulness.
* A facilitative, conflict-metabolizing meta-culture embraces a
network of multi-cultural societies who nurture, respect and enjoy
their diversity and continually harvest its social treasures.
Diversity of age, color, sex, belief, style, opinion, behavior,
etc., are encouraged.
* In education, politics and everyday life, people honor the many
forms of caring, intelligence and creative engagement - from logic
to dance, from engineering to dreaming. The unique powers and
limits of each form are understood and their complementary
contributions are integrated into the life and wisdom of the culture.
* Explicit means exist - such as art, surveys, statistics, stories,
electronic media and, above all, public discourse - for the
collective self to reflect on its own state and circumstances, to
process what it finds, and to adjust what it finds unsatisfactory.
Well-thought-out success criteria let people know how the culture
is doing in living its values, and guide people in evolving both
their culture and their values. (048)
<http://www.co-intelligence.org/CIPol_SocialChngActs.html> (049)
An honest assessment of our current economic system in light of these
questions reveals serious shortcomings. Much could be done to improve
the economic environment for the growth of co-intelligence. (050)
An economically oriented path to restore and enhance co-intelligence might: (051)
* Support a culture of enoughness, simplicity and creative
appreciation, to get beyond our unsustainable obsession with
volume, quality, speed and novelty.
* Use technological and organizational innovations in ways that make
possible a less (not more) hectic economic environment, and
encourage people to use some of the resulting free time for social
dialogue (so that societal feedback can be democratically
processed by collective reflection) and to participate in other
community activities.
* Rebuild local economics, local politics and local culture so that
causes and effects are more closely contained at the local level.
As long as local power is well distributed, local feedback is more
potent and timely than the weak, long-distance feedback typical of
globalized economics. People care about what's happening near
them; they know who's responsible; they act on what they see.
* Re-organize and downsize centralized mass economics, politics and
culture in such a way that whatever's left of them helps close
feedback loops and lends maximum support to networks of
flourishing democratic communities. For example, some legitimate
and creative functions of central governments might be to:
o "Internalize" the full social and environmental costs of
economic activity so that producers and consumers pay all
costs up front in the price of products and services.
Currently such costs are "externalized" -- e.g., car drivers
and oil companies don't have to pay for the toxic wastes and
global warming resulting from their gasoline production and
use; taxpayers and future generations pay. That's why it's
called "externalized" -- it is outside of the market system.
Free market systems only work for the greater good to the
extent that all costs are internalized.
Internalization of costs can be demanded by consumers and
citizens and occasionally initiated by an ethical
corporation, but few companies can afford to increase their
prices to cover such costs unless their competitors do so,
as well. So "full-cost accounting and pricing" can only
succeed broadly if the entire playing field is leveled
through rules-of-the-game applied across-the-boards -- such
as so-called green taxes (taxes on environmentally-damaging
products which are then used to repair environmental damage).
o Re-engineer statistical guidelines to measure quality of
life and not just material standard of living. We can't
sustainably produce and buy more things forever (which is
what statistics like Gross Domestic Product measure). Nor is
more even desirable in many cases. When there's more
expensive operations for cancer, for example, the GDP goes
up; that's not a sign that our quality of life is going up.
We can (and would like to) sustainably live more meaningful,
satisfying, healthy lives. We need new statistics to measure
that, and the will to use them to monitor our political and
economic practices. There's a limit to how far individual
communities can move towards quality of life when the
society around them is firmly grounded in high-volume buying
and selling. Again, national governments need to improve the
society-wide context by switching to quality-of-life
statistics.
o Tax advertising and use the proceeds to advertise for
simpler lifestyles, environmental protection and more
community involvement, and to finance the use of media for
more co-intelligent purposes.
o Reform election laws to reduce the influence of concentrated
wealth. (052)
<http://www.co-intelligence.org/CIPol_SocChAgenda.html#CIeconomics> (053)
STRATEGIES FOR DIALOGUE
<http://www.co-intelligence.org/CIPol_CultrOfDialog.html> (054)
"I find the most useful definition of dialogue
<http://www.co-intelligence.org/P-dialogue.html> is "shared
exploration towards greater understanding, connection and
possibility." I think this form of communication offers us the most
hope for shifting from our collective downward spiral to an upward
spiral. (055)
By definition, dialogue must be two-way or multi-directional
communication where those involved are not trying to limit their --
or each other's -- understanding, connection or options. This
requires a level of peerness which must sometimes be fought for." (056)
E.g.
"[ ...] Many forms of communication fit this definition. And many
forms don't, including arguments, posturing, holding forth,
defensiveness, bantering discussions and other forms of
communication where we don't discover anything new or connect with
each other." (057)
"[ ...] What really interests me is that when I tell people about
co-intelligence, they usually look at me blankly. But then I ask
them if they've ever seen co-stupidity -- and they start to chuckle!
What a commentary on our culture, that people who have never heard
either word can't imagine co-intelligence, but are already familiar
with co-stupidity." (058)
Which gives you a hint of why I think it is important to establish a
field of study so we can learn more about this phenomenon. It could
obviously help us make our homes more peaceful and our companies more
profitable. But even more important, societal intelligence and species
intelligence, in particular, would -- by definition -- enhance our
ability to address social, economic, and environmental problems. Our
collective intelligence -- and we always have more or less of it -- has
a profound effect on our individual lives and on our collective
prospects. In times of collective crisis -- like now -- this is of
paramount importance. (059)
[ ...] A major challenge in all collaboration is the creative use of
diversity. One form of diversity is, interestingly enough, different
cognitive styles or what some call multiple intelligences. Within and
among us, we find analytical intelligence and emotional intelligence,
verbal intelligence and musical intelligence, kinesthetic bodily
intelligence and transcendental intelligence, and many more. How do
analytical, intuitive and kinesthetically-oriented people apply their
diverse intelligences collaboratively to generate a more powerful,
complete collective intelligence? (060)
[ ...] Collective intelligence involves more than collective
problem-solving. We face a complex future that we are all co-creating,
for better and worse. If we had more collective intelligence, we might
be better able to co-create a future that we really wanted. Solving our
social, economic and environmental problems would be one facet of that.
Envisioning and birthing vibrant communities and new cultures would be
another. (061)
In fact, the outcome of every social and environmental concern and of
all the hopes and dreams we have for our families, our communities, our
nations and the world depends on our having and using sufficient
collective intelligence. This is true whether we're aware of collective
intelligence or not. (062)
Building our capacity for collective intelligence may be a sine qua non
of sustainable social change and collective welfare. Many other issues
find new significance through their role in our collective intelligence.
For example, as fewer and fewer corporations own more and more media, it
becomes harder and harder for a society to collectively reflect on what
is happening to it and to consider an adequately broad range of options
for its future. The impact of this on the collective intelligence of a
society can be (and is) devastating. (063)
[ ...] We could say that intelligence involves excluding factors that
are truly irrelevant and including as many relevant factors as we can
deal with. We don't want to include factors that are clearly irrelevant,
but neither do we want to exclude factors that are clearly -- or even
arguably -- relevant. Our understanding would be impeded if we did. (064)
Collective intelligence increases as it creatively includes relevant
viewpoints, people, information, etc., into collective deliberations.
Although including everyone in every decision is seldom desirable (or
feasible), the history of collective decision-making and problem-solving
reveals a tendency to include increasingly diverse and numerous voices.
Authoritarian systems include just a few voices -- and give those people
the power to enforce their decisions, thus ensuring that the whole
system's intelligence reflects the leaders' intelligence -- or lack
thereof. Democracy, in contrast, includes more voices, ideally
everyone's, with no voice(s) dominating -- thus creating greater
possibilities for collective intelligence. However, practical
considerations dictate that only in small groups can everyone be heard
-- such as at town hall meetings. So representative democracy was
created to provide manageable small groups through which to channel the
voices of whole populations. However, over time, our legislatures,
executives and judges have become both less representative and less
responsive -- a situation that has led many of us to reconsider our
political and governmental arrangements. We have lost a good deal of the
inclusive collective intelligence we managed to gain in the earlier
years of democracy. (065)
[ ...] The renewal and healing of our intelligence begins with this
sense of intelligence as our capacity for creating and discovering
coherence. It continues with the inquiry into what intelligence would
look like if we took wholeness, interconnectedness, and co-creativity
seriously. Whenever I find another answer to this question, I put it in
a box called co-intelligence. In that box are collective intelligence,
collaborative intelligence and plenty of room for whatever else we may
find or create together as we explore our way into a world of fully
co-intelligent cultures capable of solving our collective problems and
evolving creatively for millennia to come. (066)
BRINGING CO-INTELLIGENCE INTO YOUR LIFE AND THE WORLD (067)
What's nice about co-intelligence is that we all already have it,
individually and collectively, to one degree or another. We care. We can
listen. We know something about ourselves and the world. We're willing
to work together. We have ideas, feelings, gut sensibilities. We can
build on what we have. We can start where we are and grow from there. We
can and do all grow differently, developing different resources for our
individual and collective welfare -- and that's great. (068)
All the same, it really is easier and more productive to apply
co-intelligence together with people who know about it and want to use
it to enhance their own lives and the world around them. So find allies.
Initiate gatherings that will attract them -- in your living room, at
work, at church or temple, wherever. And then build long-term
relationships and groups in which you can work at this together. Share
information about co-intelligence with friends and share your thoughts
about it. (069)
A final note on telecommunications
<http://www.co-intelligence.org/CIPol_SocChAgenda.html#CIeconomics> (070)
"The world of telecommunications is developing so rapidly that I
can't keep up with it. At the same time I know it will profoundly
influence the evolution of co-intelligence. (071)
I guess my main concern is the power of the Internet to lure people
out of their communities and real lives (which some now call RL!).
The global networking capabilities of the Internet are most
co-intelligent when linked to in-person engagements of people with
each other and with their local circumstances. If we lose the last
of that engagement, already undermined by the industrial era, then
we will have lost everything. Real-world social and environmental
dysfunctions will not go away no matter how many of us sit in front
of our terminals. Ultimately they will catch up with us. (072)
So let's find ways to link up with each other locally, as well as
nationally and internationally. I hope that by the time this is
published, there will be Web pages for every ZIP code in America,
where those who live in that ZIP code can find each other and share
information and activities. The ZIP codes Web pages can be linked to
those nearby, or even far away, in such a way that we could specify:
"Give me an integrated view of the data for all ZIP codes in a
twenty mile radius of my house." With this kind of system we could
overcome all the fragmentation imposed on us by neighborhoods made
up of little boxes whose inhabitants seldom come outside except to
get into their cars or move to a different neighborhood. (073)
Beyond that, I'll let the experts have at it." (074)
Henry K van Eyken wrote: (075)
>John.
>
>Gary Richmond forwarded your post to the discussion group PORT-L and
>leading it off with the comment "I would only add to the conclusion of
>this piece: How?"
>
>I didn't realize my reponse went to the POST-L thread, so I am repeating
>it here:
>
>John, Gary.
>
>I know that many of us agree with the contents of John's post. So I'll
>move on to Gary's question, "How?"
>
>To take "that step" we need an increasing awareness of the problems
>pointed to, their ramifications, the potential pathways to overcoming
>them, an understanding of needed tools and the potential to develop them
>and learning to use them. This puts us in the domain of education,
>formal and through the media. Education and media, then, ought to be
>scrutinized for how well they ought serve us in this regard. And this
>brings us to the very large issue of developing and sustaining effective
>in these domains!
>
>&c, &c, &c
>
>Henry
>
>---
>
>On Sun, 2003-03-16 at 17:51, John J. Deneen wrote:
>
>
>>The following excerpts that I've shamelessly copied below are from an
>>intro to a new book that will be released, April 22, 2003: The Tao of
>>Democracy <http://www.taoofdemocracy.com/> by Tom Atlee for $15.95 plus
>>$4.50 shipping.
>>
>> Our predicament <http://www.taoofdemocracy.com/intro.html> ?
>>
>>Daily we watch our government do things which then have dramatic effects
>>on our lives. Does it feel like we have government of the people, by the
>>people, and for the people? Does it feel like our government is making
>>wise decisions? Are we happy with the way our government works? Do we
>>have any choice in the matter?
>>
>>
>>"[Our] democratic innovations are critical at this moment in history to
>>deal with the crisis-generating capacity of twenty-first century
>>civilization:
>>
>> Collectively, we are creating effects in our world beyond our
>> collective ability to comprehend what we are doing, at a speed that
>> surpasses our collective ability to reflect and respond."
>>
>>Stop and think about this for a minute.
>>
>> We cannot individually comprehend the range, depth and detail of the
>> consequences we are collectively generating for ourselves.
>>
>>Billions of dollars are spent each year for researching, developing and
>>practicing the arts of war and profit. Perhaps it is time to demand that
>>billions be invested in researching, developing and practicing the arts
>>of wisdom, citizen deliberation and public judgment. Which expenditure
>>do you think would provide us with greater quality of life and security?
>>
>>It is time for our democracy to outgrow the manipulation of public
>>opinion and start thinking wisely for itself. The troubling consequences
>>of our "collective" decisions are growing more dramatic every day. It is
>>time for us to free the heart, mind and voice of We, the People into its
>>innate power to generate wisdom for the good of all.
>>
>>[In fact,] the greater the crises we face, the greater the need for
>>wisdom. Terrorism, war and other perceived threats often stimulate the
>>engineering of unity -- what Noam Chomsky has rightly called (in a book
>>by that title) "Manufacturing Consent." There is an urge to silence
>>voices that diverge from the united front. Such suppression of diversity
>>deprives us of the grist we need to generate real wisdom, at the very
>>moment when that wisdom is most critical to our survival. The more
>>divisive or dangerous the issue or circumstances, the more vital it is
>>that public judgment be exercised to tap urgently needed wisdom. And
>>public judgment REQUIRES that diversity and conflict be well utilized,
>>not suppressed.
>>
>>Furthermore, we need to apply an unprecedented level of collective
>>wisdom to all the challenges we face. Right now, there is much wisdom on
>>earth, scattered here and there. But our collective actions as societies
>>are clearly not wise. It is far too easy to imagine that the problem is
>>"out there," with all of the various powerholders and interests groups
>>that keep the wise solutions that already exist from being implemented.
>>But if we find ways to work with one another across a wide range of
>>differences, we could then create the broad-based coalitions we need in
>>order to implement the wisdom that we have.
>>
>>As a culture, we have abundant insight and know-how that just need to be
>>pulled together and aligned so our whole society can see and think and
>>feel and dream more effectively together.
>>
>>[Moreover,] we need ways to focus our full capabilities -- heart, mind,
>>soul, and gut -- on our collective situation. We need to be informed by
>>big-picture sensibilities, aware of our potential for both catastrophe
>>and evolution, for both co-stupidity and collective wisdom. We need
>>methods that can help us deepen and expand our thinking, feeling and
>>dreaming, and we need ways to weave it all together, collaboratively,
>>into a shared future. Co-intelligence is the capacity to do that,
>>individually and collectively.
>>
>>When we succeed at that, we will not only be saving ourselves from
>>disaster. When we become fully capable of wisely co-creating a better
>>future, we will be taking a giant step forward into conscious cultural
>>evolution.
>>
>>Doing that one thing would make all the difference in the world.
>>
>>It is time for us to take that step."
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
>
> (076)