Suchergebnisse

A new understanding of the universe is emerging from the sciences: instead of regarding the universe as a nonliving system, evidence increasingly suggests it is a unique kind of living system. This is not to describe our universe as a "biological" system, but rather to say that it is infused with consciousness and seems to have properties we attribute to living systems. In turn, a living systems perspective transforms our sense of identity, purpose, meaning, and ethics. These can be of immeasurable value as we seek to move through a time of profound planetary transition and build a promising species-civilization.

The most difficult challenge facing humanity is not devising solutions to the energy crisis or climate crisis or population crisis; rather, it is bringing stories or narratives of the human journey into our collective awareness that empower us to look beyond a future of great adversity and to see a future of great opportunity. What visions of humanity's journey are sufficiently compelling to transcend age-old differences and bring us together in a common venture of inhabiting the Earth in ways that are sustainable?

AbstractThe universe is creating self‐organizing and self‐referencing systems at every scale. In accord with this dynamic, the human family is working to become consciously self‐organizing at progressively larger scales. We have evolved from awakening hunter‐gatherers to a species that has created a wired world whose actions are changing the face of the planet. Because the impact of humanity is now global, that is the scale at which we are challenged to become reflective if we are to be choiceful about our common future. We are challenged to no longer 'run on automatic', but to pay attention to how we pay attention as entire civilizations. The vehicle of collective attention at a civilizational scale is the mass media—particularly broadcast television. If civilizations are to realize their potential for full reflective consciousness and become self‐guiding in their evolution, then it is vital for the public to mobilize the public's airwaves on behalf of the public interest. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In the past fifty years, the standard of living in most industrialized nations has risen dramatically, but the number of people describing themselves as content has remained steady or fallen. The result has been a growing desire to regain some of the virtues of simpler times, whether by forgoing luxuries, switching careers, or returning to nature. These essays reflect on the different facets of 'voluntary simplicity' and consumer culture, providing an historic view of the movement as well as a social-scientific analysis of its causes and effects