Dear everybody,

I’m new to the group, and I’d like to greet this initiative. The idea to make a
press release is very good, and I like Nick’s proposal as well as David’s
reformulation of it. 
It would be important that after the press release has been given, the group
immediately starts planning some concrete actions, so that its work becomes
recognized by the society. 

Best wishes,

Dunja


Quoting Nicholas Maxwell <[log in to unmask]>:

> 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
> 
> -- 
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