Collective intelligence is not an abstraction. It is a real-world emergent phenomenon — a phenomenon that ranges from collective stupidity to collective brilliance. It arises from interactions among entities in shared situations. Collective intel…
It is so good to celebrate INdependence Days in the United States and the many other countries that have successfully gained and defended their independence from colonial rule. For countries as well as individuals, independence is a dramatic move …
Here’s a truly remarkable piece of news few people seem to have heard about: Iceland is creating its new constitution with mass online participation. These three short articles give the exciting details. Iceland Is Crowdsourcing Its New Constituti…
What is the relationship between transforming ourselves and transforming the world? In my previous essay, I described seven forms of leverage for deep transformation. When I wrote it, I was thinking of social transformation. The seven forms of lev…
I have long been fascinated by efforts to clarify which approaches to change work are most needed and effective. Among my favorite models are: * Donella Meadows’ Twelve Leverage Points to Intervene in a System * Joanna Macy’s Three Dimensions of t…
The personal is political. This is true in so many ways. I am part of my culture and social systems, and they are part of me, embedded in me. They shape how I think and act, how I respond, what I think is right and possible — and I, in turn, play…
Searching through some old emails I ran across a letter I wrote eleven years ago to a friend, Barbara Shipka, about an article she wrote to articulate the transformational potential of a global threat at the turn of the century. I had pointed out …
I’m excited to let you know about an upcoming free teleseminar by colleagues of mine, Michael Dowd and Connie Barlow. This couple is well known for their work in translating the various evolutionary sciences into practical wisdom for meeting the c…
As many of you know, I find the evolutionary perspective to be one of the most meaningful, powerful, and instructive worldviews I’ve ever encountered. I find fascinating efforts to bring science, spirit, and everyday life together into a coherent …
Bill Keller’s New York Times op-ed “What if Sanity Prevails in Washington?” offers a tantalizing vision of what might be possible if we moved beyond partisan politics-as-usual. Sadly, he stops just short of the kind of evolutionary breakthrough we…