SYNERGY-NET on http://www.wiredbrain.net/documents/ RE: Beyond Reductionism - New Perspectives in the Life Sciences A suggestion for a second Alpbach Symposium, the first was held in 1968 in the Alpine Resort of that name. Social theory about human organizations, business, economics, governments, sociology, and government were not included. Are social institutions not a life science ? If not what then ? Are humans not a life form ? Are human social interactions not a form of evolution ? I think the feeling then and now is that organizational, social and political theory is mostly ungrounded, only fads and opinion, not science. In the terms of semantics social science has no references, like the law, is sound and fury signifying nothing but habits of mind and social controls and who has the best argument. The fields are not based on fact. Evolution, physics, chemistry, biology are facts. The theories that explain them are fact based. How are any social science or political theory including economics based on facts ? Information but without understanding of the fundamentals. If economics, the hard social science was factual, there would be less disagreement among professionals. You can line up economists from here to the moon and not reach a conclusion. When they almost all did agree, deficits would cause inflation, they were wrong. Without a firm base is life science, social science doesn't really count. See references at the bottom for basic social science as defined here. The participants in the first conference included: Ludwig von Bertalanffy, The founder of General Systems an ecological model of complex interactions. His idea was that a general language of systems could be applied in most fields, sources, sinks, integrations, partners, dependency, centripetal, cooperation, altruism, synergy, adaptability, etc. This was applied by Jay Forester to industrial dynamics at MIT. Peter Senge, at MIT Slone, called general systems the learning organization and the fifth discipline. Jerome S. Bruner, Beyond the information given; how the "mind" works with general systems, a learning theory. Viktor E. Frankl, The meaning of life, Logos theory, as a survivor of the camps his little book is a classic. The life force is a magnificent illusion, a connection to dreams, and a positive attitude. Man's search for meaning ( the title of the book ) gives life force - those without higher goals will die under stress. Abe Maslow was not there, but added transcendence to his hierarchical order of human motivations, in the further reaches of human nature. Arthur Koestler, writer. Jean Piaget, and other psychologist and zoologist. Life is more than the sum of it's parts. It contains synergy as it's core. James Lovelock, the Gaia Theory and Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould's Punctuated Equilibria evolutionary ideas; Richard Leakey, would now be included in such a seminar other members could be of a second meeting let by Bill Moyers of PBS: Callahan, R. (1962) Education and the Cult of Efficiency Chicago University Press Gardner, Howard Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences (New York, Basic Books, 1985) Goldbery, Milton and James Harvey "A Nation at Risk" Phi Delta Kappan 1983 65:14-18 Goodlad, John A Place Called School(New York, McGraw Hill, 1983) Gordon, William J.J. SYNECTICS, (New York, Harper & Row, 1961) Halberstam, David The Reckoning (New York, William Morrow, 1986) Handy, Charles B. The Age of Unreason (Boston, Mass. Harvard Business School Press) 1989 Healey, Jane M. Endangered Minds: Why Children Don't Think and What We Can Do About It A Touchstone Book (Simon & Schuster) 1990 Ouchi, W. G. (1981). Theory Z. New York: Avon Books. Pirsig, R. M. (1974). Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance: An inquiry into values. New York: Bantam Books. Peters, T. Thriving on Chaos(New York, Harper & Row, 1987) Reich, Robert B. The Work of Nations: preparing ourselves for the 21 st Century capitalism (New York, A.A. Knopf 1991) The Next American Frontier(New York, Times Books, 1983) Senge, P.M. The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization (New York, Doubleday 1990) Sternberg, Robert, The Triarchic Mind: A new theory of Human Intelligence (New York, Penguin, 1988) Frames of Mind Heinemann 1983 Other possible authors etc: James Gleick, Chaos, Making a new Science Robert Ornstein, The Evolution of Consciousness Ed Regic, The Great Mambo Chicken and the Transhuman Condition Merlin Donald, The Orgins of the Modern Mind Maxine Hong Kingston, Woman Warrior, Memoirs of a Girlhood among Ghosts Jonathan Kozol, Andrew Hacker - Two Nations Toni Morrison - James Burke Edward T. Hall, The Silent Language - Lewis Thomas - The Fragile Species, Rene DuBos, Marvin Harris, Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches, The Riddle of Culture Classic: Argyris, Chris Personality and Organization (1958) and E. Schon, Theory into Practice, Increasing Professional Effectiveness,(San Francisco, Jossey Bass, 1974) and Schon D. Organizational Learning: A Theory in Action Perspective (Addison-Wesley 1978) Reasoning, Learning and Action,(San Francisco Jossey-Bass 1982) Bennis, Warren G. The Leaning Ivory Tower and Changing Organizations (New York, McGraw-Hill 1966) and Benne, K.D. and Chin, R. The Planning of Change, Reading in the applied Behavioral Sciences (New York, Holt, Rienhart & Winston , 1964) and Nanis, B. Leaders (Harper & Row) 1986 Bernard, Chester I The Functions of the Executive (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1939) Bloom, B.S. Human Characteristics and School Learning(New York, McGraw- Hill, 1976) Taxonomy of educational objectives, Handbook I: Cognitive Domain (New York, David McKay Co. 1956) All our Children Learning (New York, McGraw Hill 1981) Boulding, K.E. (1985) The World as a Total System (Sage, Beverly Hills Calif) Bruner, J. The Process of Education(Cambridge, Mass. Harvard University Press, 1961) and Goodnow, J.J. and Austin, G.A. A study of Thinking(New York Science Editions, 1967) Dewey, John The School and Society(Chicago, The University Press 1956) and Education and Democracy(New York, MacMillian 1916) Democracy and Education (Free Press 1966) Drucker, Peter F. The Practice of Management (McGraw-Hill 1957) Erikson, Erik Childhood and Society(New York, Norton, 1950) Follett, Mary Parker Dynamic Administration, Collected Papers (New York, Harper & Row, 1941, Metcalf and Lyndall Editors) Likert, Rensis The Human Organization (McGraw-Hill, New York 1967) Makarenko, A. S. (1973). The Road to Life: An epic in Education. New York: Oriole Editions. Maslow, Abraham A. Toward a Psychology of Being (New York, Van Nostrand, 1962) McGregor, Douglas M. The Human Side of Enterprise Olson, M The Rise and Decline of Nations (Yale University Press 1982) Rogers, Carl R. Freedom to Learn for the 80s(Columbus, Charles E. Merrill, 1982) Schien, Edgar Organizational Psychology (Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs N.J. 1972) and Bennis, W.G. Personal and Organizational Change through Group Methods(New York, Wiley and Sons, 1965) Schon, D. Educating the Reflective Practitioner (San Francisco, Jossey-Bass) 1987 Simon, Herbert A. Administrative Behavior (the Free Press, New York, 1957) Taylor, Frederick - The Principles of Scientific Management (New York, Harper & Row, 1911) also Fayol, Henri in Gulick and Urwick "Papers on the Science of Administration" 1937 The Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge, P.O. Box 176, Los Altos CA 94023 From WAKING UP by Charles T. Tart, Ph.D. Institute of Noetic Sciences, New Science Library SHAMBHALA (1986) 475 Gate Five Road, #300 Sausalito CA 94965 CC: Box 37, El Cerrito, CA 94530 (From G. I. Gurdjjeff) also Oscar Ichazo, Arica Training Idries Shah - Sufis SYNERGY-NET on http://http://www.wiredbrain.net/documents/ ** Peter E. Pflaum Ph.D. , Headmaster GLOBAL_VILLAGE_SCHOOLHOUSE 225 Robinson Road, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32169-2176 (904) 428-9609 Pflaump@wiredbrain.com pflaump@worldnet.att.net ***************************************************************** ******************