1.20.01, eight months before 9/11 helped destroy rational linearity in politics.
Java will save us. Not the bean, not [much] the computer thing, nor the shark, chicken or Russian cigarette, but the awesome instrumental song that appears on Hugo Winterhalter‘s The Best of ’64 lounge album, though it wasn’t a “lounge” album then.
In a fit of political cynicism, I hooked up my record player and went immediately to find my Winterhalter collection to accompany the neighbourhood’s invasion of cherry and apple blossoms driving an early spring.
Java will save us because I have such fond memories as a child of this tune. I don’t recall any of the context other than the fact that I have loved it for decades. The linear rational actor in my mind would be frustrated by not remembering, but the systems theorist in my mind revels in the mere presence of an element of meaning.
It is the collection of small things in life that pull us through doldrums. This week the House of Commons slimly passed a motion further delegitimizing selfish prorogation. Also, there are 3 motions in the Speaker’s office pursuing the government on contempt of parliament for not turning over to parliament documents describing how our government participated in torture in Afghanistan.
This is why I like minority parliaments.
But when I think about the paradigm shift in mindsets that is occurring around us while we’re distracted by the political cynicism, we need to look to Canadians Rallying to Unseat Stephen Harper [CRUSH] and Canadians Advocating Political Participation [which came from the massively successful anti-prorogation Facebook group].
These two groups are examples of how linear, modernist thinking–particularly in political parties–is so 20th century. The world is evolving quickly. Evolutions in technology and communication like the interwebs are changing how we exist in society and the nature of relationships we exist in.
Political parties are sooooo far behind, they basically just sent some politicians to CAPP rallies on January 23rd to put in face-time, but they are not on the cusp of the organizing wave.
And this brings me back to Java. Listen to the 2:20 of bliss here.
Stop what you’re doing and do a little jig.
Then if you want to know what is killing linearity of thought and politics and social organization, read about systems theory. My friend asked me for a primer on it last night. I referred him to Fritjof Capra’s Tao of Physics and his Center for Ecoliteracy.
If you dream of social, economic, political or any kind of change, you likely are looking to be a paradigm mechanic: twisting screws, rebuilding the carburetors of our world. You also likely are dabbling in some manifestation of systems theory. If so, read this great review of its paradigm below to see how much you can already check off as your m.o. and then see what other elements of the paradigm can augment your stance today into tomorrow.
Then listen to some more Java, then think about whether the software platform incarnation of Java adds as much to this idea as the mood of the 2:20 in the tune, because it might.
And revel in being a paradigm mechanic, because if not for us, we’re stuck in a 20th century model that seems to long to morph back to the good old days of the 19th century!
From A Systems Perspective | Center for Ecoliteracy.
Systems thinking presents a different lens through which to understand the complexity of the world.
Thinking systemically entails a number of shifts in perception, which lead to different ways to teach, and to different ways to organize institutions and society. These shifts offer opportunities for teachers to present material in more holistic ways, in context rather than as isolated facts, consistent with the way students encounter the natural and social worlds in their own experience.
Systems thinking is one of the consequences of our guiding principle, “Nature Is Our Teacher,” discussed in the Explore section of the website. We note there that a systems approach helps young people understand the complexity of the world around them and encourages them to think in terms of relationships, connectedness, and context. We also highlight the shifts in perception that accompany systems thinking, and discuss their implications for educators.
These shifts are not either/or alternatives, but rather movements along a continuum:
From parts to the whole
With any system, the whole is different from the sum of the individual parts. By shifting focus from the parts to the whole, we can better grasp the connections between the different elements. Instead of asking students to copy pictures of the parts of a honeybee, an art teacher takes her class to the school garden. There they draw bees within the context of their natural setting.
Similarly, the nature and quality of what students learn is strongly affected by the culture of the whole school, not just the individual classroom. This shift can also mean moving from single-subject curricula to integrated curricula.
From objects to relationships
In systems, the relationships between individual parts may be more important than the parts. An ecosystem is not just a collection of species, but includes living things interacting with each other and their nonliving environment.
In the systems view, the “objects” of study are networks of relationships. In the school or classroom, this perspective emphasizes relationship-based processes such as cooperation and consensus.
From objective knowledge to contextual knowledge
Shifting focus from the parts to the whole implies shifting from analytical thinking to contextual thinking. This shift may result in schools focusing on project-based learning instead of prescriptive curricula. It also encourages teachers to be facilitators and fellow learners alongside students, rather than experts dispensing knowledge.
From quantity to quality
Western science has often focused on things that can be measure and quantified. It has sometimes been implied that phenomena that can be measured and quantified are more important—and perhaps even that what cannot be measured and quantified doesn’t exist at all.
Some aspects of systems, however, like the relationships in a food web, cannot be measured. Rather, they must be mapped. In the classroom, this shift can lead to more comprehensive forms of assessment than standardized tests.
From structure to process
Living systems develop and evolve. Understanding these systems requires a shift in focus from structure to processes such as evolution, renewal, and change.
In the classroom, this shift can mean that how students solve a problem is more important than getting the right answer. It may mean that the ways decisions are made is as important as the decisions.
From contents to patterns
Within systems, certain configurations of relationship appear again and again in patterns such as cycles and feedback loops. Understanding how a pattern works in one natural or social system helps us to understand other systems that manifest the same pattern.
For instance, understanding how flows of energy affect a natural ecosystem may illuminate how flows of information affect a social system.
