Leveraging transformation with a polyarchy of learning edges

摘要: Socio-cultural paradigms deeply influence the development of worldviews and resulting behavior of individuals. Groups of individuals, in turn, develop and perpetuate a social paradigm (Freire, 1970/1996; Kuhn, 1996; Morin, 2001). In this paper, a worldview is a set of belief systems held by an individual, whereas a paradigm is the collective sets of similar beliefs-inaction. This mutually constitutive relationship between individuals and society–worldviews and paradigms–and the practical expression of the inherent meaning systems (primarily ontology, epistemology and axiology) within both paradigms and worldviews, can lead to more, or less, resilient societies (De Witt, de Boer, Hedlund, & Osseweijer, 2016). For example, many philosophers and theorists assert that the dominant Cartesian-Newtonian (Western) paradigm, and its beliefs of reality, knowledge and values, seriously impede humanity’s ability to be sustainable (Capra, 2002; Jantsch, 1980; Morin, 2008; Nicolescu, 2002). Most of these philosophers characterize the Western paradigm as simple (hierarchical, reductionist, monist), and fixed (mechanic, static, substance-focused) with a propensity for dualistic (mutually exclusive, binary, opposites, exclusionary) thinking, doing, being. In contrast, there are many other paradigms, which offer additional ways of thinking, doing, and being, that are arguably more aligned with and supportive of sustainable futures. It is beyond the scope of this paper to compare these paradigms, so this paper focuses on a relational interpretation of the cosmos. The relational paradigm is often described as embedded within Eastern philosophies (Capra, 1982 …