Wow,
Notwithstanding the press-releas idea, Nick's initiative has certainly
sparked off some excellent subjects for discussion.
Thomas you said, quoting Zaki Bedawi "Western culture, although
obsessed with science, [is] terrified of genuine wisdom, and [tends]
to kill off or injure or defame its philosophical martyrs."
This is very much my agenda, and it's wonderfully reassuring to find a
new bunch of intellects discussing it. The obsession with science, in
my book, is an obsession with "scientific" style of thinking and
argumentation in areas beyond the natural domain of science -
"hyper-rationalism" it has been called or "objective-fundamentalism".
Which is not to say that everything cannot ultimately be "reduced" to
natural science, but more to say it's not the wisest answer to every
situation, and "reduction" is not necessarily valuable of itself.
I orginally came across these issues in fairly mundane business
management areas, where just about anything that can be rationalised
in terms of numbers and so-called objective facts can be used to win
any argument or justify any decision, even with hindsight, and even
when all other indicators are screaming "we got it wrong". Of course
there are many "organisational behaviour" - plain anthropological -
theories as to why people are motivated to act this way.
To cut a long story short, I've come to the conclusion that east /
west cultural differences in our basic ontological and epistemological
outlooks, have left the western psyche seduced in this very unwise
"scientific" meme - the post-Aristotelian blind-turn. The worst kind
of "religion".
The main issue I find currently is that the slightest hint of a
seemingly "mystical" alternative leads to accusations of new-ageism,
and a treacherous minefield across which to make any progress :-)
Here's hoping.
Ian
www.psybertron.org
On 3/21/06, Thomas Clough Daffern <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Dear friends of wisdom,
>
> Can I come at this discussion slightly differently....?
>
> Our group has probably spent some hundreds of years, collectively, trying to
> promulgate wisdom, in one form or another, as teachers, academics lecturers,
> authors etc. (not sure how many people are on this group)
>
> Yet the world is still in chaos and madness and increasing downward spirals
> of nescience, emotional and spiritual intelligence seem lacking, science
> gets manipulated by corrupt politicians etc.
>
> So what is going on??
>
> My thinking led me to coin a new word - sophiaphobia - fear of wisdom - as a
> counter force to philosophy (love of wisdom)
>
> I suspect there is a deep seated fear of wisdom in many people, and in
> institutions - maybe an unconscious fear - and maybe going back to religious
> and subtle reasons (too much knowledge gets you into trouble, as it got
> Adam and Eve expelled from the garden etc.
>
> When I taught at the Muslim college the late Dr. Zaki Badawi used to say
> that western culture, although obsessed with science, was terrified of
> genuine wisdom, and tended to kill off or injure or defame its philosophical
> martyrs (Pythagoras, Socrates, Jesus, Abelard etc.) as too threatening to
> the status quo (or to try to silence them with disrepute as in Lord Bacon)
>
> Ok
>
> Now the media is certainly a major part of this sophiaphobic culture - on
> the whole it promulgates shallow ideas, fear, addictions, soaps and
> entertainment and trivia - hardly much wisdom, to be honest... in the UK
> there are maybe two or three TV programmes worth watching per week ; and of
> the 900 new satellite channels - maybe 1 programme per day between them?
> Why?
>
> Because, according to my reasoning, there is an unconscious sophiaphobic
> impulse going on here...
>
> So I wouldn't put much store into press releases... frankly…..
>
> Far more useful would be to
> 1. Research from different angles the causes of the opposition to wisdom -
> the vested interests opposing wisdom and wisdom teaching (i.e genuine
> philosophy) which I call sophiaphobic groups
>
> 2. Maybe do a collective publication on this point and some research on
> sophiaphobic pressures in academia itself (often driven by middle management
> or accountants or anti-academics or pseudo-academics or the problematic
> tribalisation of knowledge that academia suffers from)
>
> 3. Get a working group INSIDE the media to look at what sophiaphobic
> tendencies and pressures exist there and why and how they can be countered
>
> 3. THEN maybe do a further and more powerful joint a press release...
>
>
> A bit like the Power Commission did a series of hearing etc. then went
> public ….
>
>
> Anyway
>
> My longer piece about this is on the web at:
>
> http://www.humiliationstudies.org/documents/DaffernBerlin05meeting.pdf
>
> do have a look and let me know if you think there's any mileage in this
> concept - coming at a working philosophy of wisdom, so to speak, through
> understanding its shadow....
>
> Thanks,
>
> Thomas Daffern
>
>
> Nicholas Maxwell writes:
>
> > Dear David,
> >
> > Thank you for your suggestion for our Press Release (reproduced below). I think it is brilliant. My first reaction is that it is much better than mine. Let's see what others have to say.
> >
> > Best wishes,
> >
> > Nick
> > www.nick-maxwell.demon.co.uk
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: David M
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2006 9:06 PM
> > Subject: Re: Friends of Wisdom
> >
> >
> > Hi Nick
> >
> > As someone who has sought wisdom largely outside of the academic world, I would like to make some comments on your suggestion in the hope that you may find them useful. Your statement calls for change in universities and links it to the need to solve the current problems of the world. If there is any possibility of a relationship between this change and finding better solutions to our problems it will need spelling out.
> >
> > Do you not need to set out why it is that universities do not currently play the role they should in addressing our human problems? Does the group not need to set out the case for change prior to calling for change? Should not the group be calling for an exploration of the role of universities with respect to our human problems?
> >
> > Could this sort of approach head in the direction you seek:
> >
> > New group calls for a complete re-think of the role played by universities in society. Universities are failing to address the most important problems facing mankind. Their relationships to government, to the media, to business, to students and to the public at large are wholly inadequate and need to be re-thought to tackle the pressing problems of mankind in the near future. Universities and academics need to become fully engaged with the societies in which they exist and to which they should be contributing. Such engagement will transform the activity of universities, connecting the pursuit of knowledge to the task of enabling human beings to flourish and work together to solve human problems, reduce human conflict and live in a sustainable relationship with nature. Universities need to be centres of wisdom, a resource
> > where any individual or organisation can explore and research the problems they face, Universities need to enable the leap in wisdom that humanity can no longer afford to put off, challenging politicians, raising public debate, truly empowering
> > individuals with the real power of the highest quality education, promoting a truly critical debate about what we as human beings value and how we might set about achieving our ends.
> >
> > I hope my suggestions are useful, if not please just ignore me.
> >
> > Regards
> > David Morey
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Nicholas Maxwell
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2006 12:01 PM
> > Subject: Friends of Wisdom
> >
> >
> > Dear Friends of Wisdom,
> >
> > We all hold - I think - that academia ought to seek and promote wisdom. We agree that wisdom is not exactly a priority for academia at present, and that, therefore there is a need for academia to change. Our task is to promote awareness of the need for academia to change, so that it does take up the pursuit of wisdom.
> >
> > So far - I think - we all more or less agree.
> >
> > Lurking below this agreement there are, however, disagreements about what kinds of change ought to be made to academia, how radical these changes need to be, what issues between ourselves need to be clarified, and what role Friends of Wisdom might have in promoting awareness of the need for academia to change.
> >
> > Do we first try to arrive at an agreed overall policy and viewpoint, and then try to convince our colleagues and the rest of the world? Or do we, in our present state of partial agreement, partial disagreement, continue to debate the issues between ourselves and at the same time try to get recruits and publicity for our cause?
> >
> > I think we should do the latter. And as a step in that direction, I suggest that Friends of Wisdom sends off to all and sundry a Press Release, announcing our existence to the world, indicating what we are up to, and inviting people to join. Here is my draft Press Release:-
> > --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > Friends of Wisdom
> >
> >
> >
> > New Pressure group calls for a revolution in our Universities
> >
> >
> >
> > Friends of Wisdom . a group of scientists and academics from countries all over the world . call for universities to take up their proper task of helping humanity learn how to create a better world. The aim of academic inquiry should be, not just to acquire knowledge, but to seek and promote wisdom . wisdom being the capacity to realize what is of value in life, for oneself and others, thus including knowledge and technological know-how, but much else besides.
> >
> >
> >
> > Two great problems of learning confront humanity: learning about the universe, and learning how to live wisely. The first problem was solved with the creation of modern science, but the second problem has not been solved. This combination puts humanity into a situation of unprecedented danger. Modern science enormously increases our power to act, via technology and industrialization which, without wisdom, can lead to as much harm as good. Global warming, the lethal character of modern war and terrorism, the population explosion, extinction of species and destruction of natural habitats such as tropical rain forests, even the AIDS crisis (AIDS being spread by modern travel): all these have come about because we have solved the first problem (by creating modern science) without also solving the second. In order to solve the second problem, and create a better world, we need to learn from our solution to the first problem. This requires that we bring about a revolution in the overall aims and methods of academic inquiry, so that it takes up its proper task of seeking and promoting wisdom.
> >
> >
> >
> > This is the revolution called for by Friends of Wisdom. It affects all branches and aspects of science, academic inquiry and education.
> >
> >
> >
> > Website http://www.knowledgetowisdom.org/
> >
> >
> >
> > To join Friends of Wisdom:-
> >
> > Email [log in to unmask]
> >
> > or go to:-
> >
> > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/FRIENDSOFWISDOM.html
> >
> > --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >
> >
> > My idea is that this, or something like it, might be sent off to as many relevant organizations, institutions and people as we can think of, in the different countries in which Friends of Wisdom live. Granted that I do this for the UK, then I would add my name, email address and telephone number at the bottom of the Press Release, so that, anyone who wishes to, can contact me. And my idea would be that those who do something similar in other countries would add their name and contact details to the Press Release (translated, where required). We need one person per country to do this.
> >
> >
> >
> > Is this a good idea? If it is something that we should do, what comments and suggestions do you have to make about the above draft Press Release? I have been told that a Press Release should only be one page long, so there are limits to what we can say. I wonder, however, whether there should not be some names on this Press Release. Do we need to elect a President and Secretary?
> >
> >
> >
> > My idea would be to send the above, or something similar, to newspapers, magazines, relevant journals, relevant radio and TV news programmes, and other programmes, relevant institutions and organizations such as The Royal Society, The British Academy, Friends of the Earth, and so on. And I would hope that related emailing groups would carry something about Friends of Wisdom - such as HPS discussion, HOPOS, Scientists for Global Responsibility Forum, and CRISIS-FORUM.
> >
> >
> >
> > What do you think?
> >
> >
> >
> > Best wishes,
> >
> >
> >
> > Nick Maxwell
> >
> > www.nick-maxwell.demon.co.uk
> >
> > --
> > This message has been scanned for viruses and
> > dangerous content by the UCL virus scanning system, and is
> > believed to be clean.
> >
>
>
>
> May peace and wisdom and blessings be ours now and always under the
> protection of the Muses
>
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