We've spent a great deal of time reflecting on Paradigms of Failure, and in the course of our broad reading programs, been inspired by, among others, Will Durant (especially Philosophy and the Social Problem) and Buckminster Fuller (especially Critical Path).
The central problem of our time is the failure of human organization–its failure to scale, to adapt, to assimilate.
We believe the failure stems directly from a rejection of diversity and a falsification of feedback loops–the absence of integrity.
We've come to the conclusion that the discord between politics and intelligence is contrived–there is no inherent opposition between politics (choice of best path for all) and intelligence (presentation of best achievable truth for all) provided ONE condition is met: integrity among the majority of individuals engaged in each.
If intelligence loses its integrity and allows itself to be politicized or worse, ignored, then intelligence fails. Similarly, if politics loses its integrity and overplays the secrecy card while also shutting out the diversity of views that are essential to achieving a sustainable consensus, then politics fails.
In our view, the acme of skill in intelligence has nothing to do with secrecy, and everything to do with integrity in the presentation of the output–the product. Somewhat pevrersely, politics is about the process not the product–politics is how, in the ideal, the polity converts collective intelligence–human minds– into action that is beneficial to the overall group, and sustainable.
INTEGRITY. See also the Twelve Principles adopted from the Santayana Institute. Three in particular bear on this matter: 02 Non-attachment to outcome–trust in the collective intelligence of the group; and 03 Integrity is one's protection, 04 Integrity in means and ends. We can restore the Republic, provided we all reconnect to our Integrity and give up the false Gods of “party discipline” and “silent loyalty” that have displaced our Constitutional Oaths to preserve the Republic against all enemies domestic and foreign. Our domestic failures are vastly more relevant to our demise than are any external threats, actual or perceived…..in our humble opinion.
