| by Flemming Funch|
Andrius reminded me of a conversation we had on Key Concepts. The idea being that if one is clear on what one's key concept in life is, it is easier to align one's activities and stay focused. What we had arrived at at that time was that my key concept, what I'm seeking, is:
Creative Intelligence Through Synergetic DiversityAlong with that went an investigatory question, i.e. a major project, a major question one is seeking to answer. Mine became:
What are the generative patterns that would allow the global brain to wire itself?That's a great reminder. So, first, about that key concept there... Most things I'm interested in have something to do with getting something useful out of diversity. Finding a mix of things that is synergetic, i.e. where the sum becomes more than the parts. An eco-system kind of thing, where different diverse parts somehow work together to make a bigger system work. Something generative happens. Smaller holons make a bigger holon. And this is in contrast to the kind of diversity where one mixes different things together and they just become a mix, or a confused mess. There are ways of mixing things together where something great happens that wouldn't be possible by the ingredients alone. And what is interesting to seek to create or discover is an intelligence. A smart system. If we're talking a group of people, it is collective intelligence. A group of people that together is smarter than the individuals in it. But it doesn't have to be a group, which is why I just termed it creative intelligence. Putting things together so that something new, better, creative and intelligent happens. Negative entropy. Creating life, rather than submitting to decay. Looking for signs of life.
And the investigatory question there... Looking for patterns, ways of arranging things, which foster self-organization. Preferably, ideally, hopefully patterns that make wonderfully positive things happen "by themselves", i.e. naturally, with little friction. Memes, contagion of ideas. Bucky Fuller's "Design Science Revolution". Design stuff that is compelling to use, without need for persuasion, which just happens to inspire more sustainable and harmonious patterns of behavior.
The global brain, well, we seem to really need it. As it is right now, humankind is a schizophrenic moron. Or manic-depressive, maybe. Sometimes brilliant and productive, mostly lethargic, largely criminally destructive. Despite that many members of the human race are well-meaning, knowledgeable and resourceful. We desperately need to be connected in a manner that is constructively complex, so as to awaken our collective intelligence. Maybe that is something we can do on the internet, maybe it is a different way of doing a few key things. It appears that none of us are smart enough to solve the puzzle. But we might be smart enough to discover patterns that allow something bigger to emerge. We might not be clever enough to know exactly how to do it, but we might know how to start something that triggers the emergence of a bigger level of intelligence. Patterns that promote self-organization and collective intelligence, even small scale, are a very likely leverage point. One ingredient is to know when to get out of the way, and let useful things happen.
Does any of that give me a title to put on my business card? Maybe not directly, but it is possible. Of course, any kind of organization could use some of that. The knowledge to arrange things a little differently so that good things happen more by themselves. And of course it would be ideal if I could say I have the answers to exactly how that is done. But we're talking about a quest, rather than an accomplished feat. A bit of knowledge might go a long way, though.