Sustainability Principles Online Dialogue - Policy & Operational Implications

Biocosm Suggests Learning Is Innate to Existence

Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:35:19 -0400

Just a suggestion here: see http://www.biocosm.org/

Perhaps another time, we can explore the mathematics of morals in game theory and how systems "learn" (see item on "The Evolution of Cooperation" by Robert Axelrod: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Evolution_of_Cooperation). Key point being: intelligence is an inherent property of existence, making universe itself intelligble and producing evolution of higher order complex mind. Moreover, "Prisoners Dilemma" probably operates at quantum levels.

This is a deeper inquiry into the Cosmos that Bucky Fuller explored in works like Synergetics, and explains tendencies like tensegrity to manifest in Nature. Gardner's proposition of Biocosm, that "Intelligent life is the architect of the universe," takes this to a profound level of science. The implications for a discipline of sustainability, however, build on "learning" as a direct expression of inherent properties of existence itself. Our "intelligence" can be said to be seeking to employ its capacity to achieve sustainability as a direct manifestation of reality itself. Some might call this "God," but Nature really is operating through sentient beings who simply manifest the essential reality of being. This is not God of the Master Plan sort, because it is existence that compels us to use our creative intelligence to invent sustainability.

The Fifth Principle and Education

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 04:44:17 -0400

Michael,

This principle is not only well stated but beautifully stated too.

Recently I have been pondering about humanity's dangerous state of hubris being at least partly caused by an inability to grasp the span of time it took evolutionary forces to arrive at the diverse state of symbiotic balance we know as life on spaceship earth.

I wonder if we would be better able to appreciate and respect this balance and come to see ourselves as stewards as opposed to consumers of spaceship earth if we **really learned** how much time and trial and error (currently estimated at 3,600,000,000 years of natural selection)it took to generate and integrate all the complex systems so seamlessly. As part of this seamless system 'Modern' humans evolved some 30,000 years ago -- just eight one thousandnths of one percent of the evolutionary time scale. Its like we were born yesterday.

general comments on Policy and Operational Implications

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 12:09:39 -0400

Are the Policy and Operational Implications inclusive? Could you suggest additional ones? Could you suggest examples of best practices for any?