Hi Tom, some good stuff in there,

(I made a separate comment on an additional Charybdis reference.)
Comments inserted below.

On 3/24/07, tom abeles <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> So, what can FOW do to actualize the hopes of Nick and others?
>
> 1) It can cease to be like the kid in the group standing on the edge of the
> high dive trying to find a way to get the others to jump off. In other
> words, show, don't tell. FOW must become a paradigmatic example of what
> could/should be done. Academics are followers for the most part when it
> comes to their safety. But they are like herding cats. Examples and success
> stories become the relevant coin in an institution that is traditionally a
> lagging indicator.

[IG] Just do it (is the corporate slogan). I say process, you say
action, we agree. Herding cats between Scylla and Charybdis, there
will be casualties, so what we need is many "fast failures" many small
projects to learn and evolve from, not one large disaster. So the last
thing we need to be is any kind of "monolithic entity".

>
> 2) Individuals in FOW must identify those project which are significant
> opportunities and examples that are currently in place within The Academy-
> and their are many and the number is growing. FOW can not pretend that this
> idea is new or originates within FOW. In fact, there is a sense within FOW
> that what is being proposed will shake the core of The Academy, when, in
> fact, many of these ideas are extant and while they don't move the entire
> institution, no area of the university has that power with the exception of
> those areas heavily funded, such as biomed and technology.

[IG] Agreed. The last we want to be is a "movement", (we're not really
selling anything original) what we need to do is to inject FOW Values
into already funded initiatives, not compete for their funding.
Stealth - softlee, softlee, catchee, monkee. (Consequently the
marketing message and the operational messages have to be distinct -
marketing is always bullshit, that's the point of it. Bullshit,
movements - detecting a bowel-related theme here ?)

>
> 3) FOW must figure out how to pull those segments of The Academy that are
> actualizing these ideas into FOW. FOW is, at this point in time, a lagging
> indicator itself and that must change.

[IG] As I've said, I think that is actually unfair - new groups always
make negative progress at first. Getting back to what looks like
square one after almost two years, simply re-stating our aims &
objectives as "dreams & hopes" and our methods as "manners" counts as
enormously good progress in my book. This would be the worst moment to
give up.

Onwards and upwards. Let's identify the manner of things to do.
Ian

>
> best
>
> tom
>
>
> >From: ian glendinning <[log in to unmask]>
> >Reply-To: Group concerned that academia should seek and promote wisdom
> >         <[log in to unmask]>
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: Re: Our Dreaming
> >Date: Sat, 24 Mar 2007 08:37:40 -0500
> >
> >alan, nick,
> >
> >when the aims of fow were restated the other day, i said i shared the
> >"hopes" expressed there.
> >
> >my own blog is headed by my own manifesto. my mission to find some
> >alternative to an "exclusively-objective, politically-correct, style
> >of hyper-rationality".
> >my area of interest arose beyond academe, in business, media and
> >politics generally.
> >
> >i saw my dream in fow because i saw nick reclaiming the idea of
> >rationality, with values beyond objectivity, and the idea of
> >"education, education, education" at the root of everything else.
> >
> >ian
> >
> >On 3/24/07, Nicholas Maxwell <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >>Dear Alan,
> >>
> >>                   I can respond wholeheartedly to your dream.  My life
> >>work
> >>- to try to convince my fellow human being of the urgent need to
> >>restructure
> >>academic inquiry so that it becomes rationally devoted to helping people
> >>realize what is of value in life, for themselves and others - is inspired
> >>by
> >>just such a dream.
> >>
> >>                               Best wishes,
> >>
> >>                                       Nick
> >>www.nick-maxwell.demon.co.uk
> >>   ----- Original Message -----
> >>   From: A.D.M.Rayner
> >>   To: [log in to unmask]
> >>   Sent: Saturday, March 24, 2007 9:36 AM
> >>   Subject: Our Dreaming
> >>
> >>
> >>   Dear All,
> >>
> >>   Nick clearly wants Friends of Wisdom to have influence in the world,
> >>especially within the world of the Academy.
> >>
> >>   For the group to have such influence, there needs to be some kind of
> >>common spirit underlying our diverse utterances, which may not necessarily
> >>be a spirit of 'consensus' or 'conformity' - indeed it may be the converse
> >>of conformity.
> >>
> >>   So I think there is a need to try to identify if any such common spirit
> >>does indeed motivate all of us, despite and perhaps because of our outward
> >>diversity of thought and expression. If we can identify this spirit, this
> >>will help to put our disagreements into perspective and allow us to
> >>recognise an underlying intention that may not be immediately apparent in
> >>the language or logic or emotion that we use to convey this intention.
> >>
> >>   This morning I awoke again reflecting on what it is that I am so
> >>passionate about, and how my passion verges on obsession, and why this
> >>passion made me interested in joining a group calling itself 'Friends of
> >>Wisdom' in the first place, and why some of the conversations I have
> >>engaged
> >>in on this list have brought me such profound distress because of their
> >>gross misrepresentation of my intention.
> >>
> >>   I had to admit to myself, grandiose and delusory as it may sound and
> >>may
> >>be, that I do indeed 'have a dream'. I have had this dream all my life,
> >>though the ways I have expressed it have been many and varied, in my
> >>science, in my art, in my poetry, in my role as an educator, as a member
> >>of
> >>my family. Often this dream has got in the way of my everyday
> >>relationships.
> >>Often my everyday relationships have got in the way of this dream. But the
> >>dream itself has everything to do with the question of 'how can I live,
> >>love
> >>and be loved in this world?'
> >>
> >>   Here is my dream, as I might currently express it.
> >>
> >>   "I long to help liberate humanity and myself from oppressive modes of
> >>thought and governance, and so release a deeper spirit of natural
> >>communion
> >>and creativity."
> >>
> >>
> >>   My feeling is that if as many of us on this list as possible could try
> >>briefly to describe their dream (or indeed say that they have no
> >>underlying
> >>dream) in this way, we really could understand one another better, and
> >>perhaps pave the way for friends of wisdom to share real influence in the
> >>world.
> >>
> >>
> >>   Warmest
> >>
> >>   Alan
> >>
> >>
>
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