The best thinkers about thinking I've run across or who've run across me.
Anyone use these in their communities or relationships in connection with earth care etc?
F.M. Alexander -- thinking is a psychophysical , and not purely a mental and non-physical, activity. Inhibition of habitual, interfering psychophysical reactions allows space for more deliberate responses, allowing more clear, more embodied decision-making (as well as other benefits relevant to permaculturists).
Edward
de Bono, MD -- six thinking hats, creative thinking: thinking can be much more than "I am right, you are wrong," and with the six thinking hats you can reduce a business meeting to as little as 1/10th the amount of time. He's the permculturist genius of thinking systems in my book. The hats take the
ego out of things: instead of squaring off in emotions vs. facts, you all take turns wearing one hat (6 minutes on emotions, say, then 6 minutes on facts, then 6 minutes on alternatives, 6 minutes on what's right about the solutions you've come up with so far, 6 minutes on what's wrong, and time on deciding which hat to revisit or assessing the progress so far.)
Patricia and Kurt Wright -- asking right questions helps liberate emotional
energy and build wisdom and insight. Analysis
should be focused on what's working mostly, then when sufficient appreciation of that is in place you
project forward to figure out what the ideal is. Beyond "appreciative inquiry"--uses the powerful analytical mind as its designed, to serve hte intuitive, not to stifle it or to be stifled. How to bring intuition and inspiration into solid tangible results rather than having them divorced.
Jacob Moreno -- sociometry (not to be confused with sociocracy) -- and psychodrama -- his creations for mobilizing and organizing hte energies of the group most powerfully. Stars and isolates: hte problem is the solution, the isolate (loner, outcast) paired up with the star make a powerful team. Reading the energy of the group through sociometric "voting" rather than linear.
Dr. Victor Baranco -- created the Morehouse, in continuous community for over 45 years now, a pleasurable living community. Decisions informed by the More philosophy--everyone and everything are in the category of perfection and we can have more; the community functions best when it focuses on finding out what the women in the community want and giving that to them; taking care of the less fortunate helps the prosperity of the whole.
Anyone using any of these? anyone want to try one out with your community, or on your own if you're trying to create community and don't seem to have it yet, and report your findings? I can post some of my own experiences too, but felt to start a
thread and see what happens first.
Some obvious overlap with
permie principles in many of the above.
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