ethics (ethical dynamics) chapter 8

January 2011 © Abraham Chiasson 1

Chapter 8

Growing an Ecology of Mind and Community

Step 3:

Harnassing our Socio-Political Energies

Chapter 8Step 3: Harnessing our Socio-Political EnergiesTowards more ‘Open, Shared and Responsible Ethical Dynamics’

Premise:

Growing an ecology of mind and community via more open, shared and responsible ethical dynamics, will be dependent on the landscape’s socio-political dynamics i.e., those authority and power dynamics that give life to our socio-political energies.

Socio-political energies give us the ability to bring about those realities – social qualities and social goods - that will grow our human potentialities say, for individuals, their degree of consciousness and personal identity and, their social potentialities e.g., for contribution.

An ecology of social qualities and social goods is one capable of creating sustainable socio-political landscape dynamics.



With this in mind, the Chapter will acknowledge that:

We exist only as a component of a network of production processes where the function of each ‘component e.g., each individual, institution and society, is to participate in the production or transformation of other components in their network.

What are social qualities and social goods for e.g., an individual, – those capable of growing his/her human and social potentialities - are often not the same for other individuals, institutions, or societies.

Important social qualities and social goods for an individual are often in competition or conflict with those of important institutions say the family or the church.



Before proceeding, it will be useful to keep in mind that:

Our human potentialities e.g., as individuals, institutions and societies, are also the forces through which our ‘becoming’ takes place... via our social qualities and social goods.


SocialQualities

SocialGoods

Human Potentialities

HopeVision

Personal IdentitySense of Self

Conscious WillConsciousnes


And, that an ecology of mind and community begins with an ‘ecology’ of core human potentialities i.e., where the function of our social qualities and social goods is to grow our human potentialities as a whole…


Social

Qualities

Social

Goods

Vision /

Hope

Personal

Identity

Consciousness /

Conscious Will

Sense of

Self


And, that ethical dynamics grow an ecology of mind and community via the sophistication of our social potentialities in bringing about ‘sustainable’ social qualities and social goods ...


SocialQualities

SocialGoods

Social Potentialities

Accountability / Destiny Connection / Synergy

Capacity / Contribution Empathy / Belonging



... and, that our social potentialities ‘live and act’ as a whole - social qualities and social goods leading to an ecology of mind and community will be the product of an increasing ‘ecology’ of social potentialities.


Chapter 8 will examine:

1. The conditions for an ecology of social qualities and social goods: those leading to an ecology of mind and community,

2. The nature and characteristics of socio-political energies leading to an ecology of mind and community, and,

3. How can we mediate / negotiate – create a synergy between - our need for growth with the need for growth of others towards an ecology of mind and community.



1- The conditions for an ecology of social qualities and social goods - those leading to an ecology of mind and community –

An ‘ecology’ of social qualities and social goods is one that is:

Capable of creating and growing sustainable landscape dynamics where individuals, institutions, and societies, can ultimately grow their human potentialities say for consciousness and a sense of hope and, their social potentialities say for belonging and contribution -

On the basis of harnessing their socio-political energies via more open, shared and responsible ethical dynamics.



1- The conditions for an ecology of social qualities and social goods –

‘In summary’, an ecology of social qualities and social goods is dependent on and, brings about, socio-political energies capable of creating a constructive or ‘ecological’ synergy of human and social potentialities via the ethics embodied in our social functions.


Human Potentialities

Social Qualities

/SocialGoods

Social Potentialities

Cognitive(Social)

Structures &Potentialities

Socio-Political

Structures

Socio-Political

Dynamics

InstitutionalDimensions

/InstitutionalFramework

Ethics

Stewardship / Governance / Management



In this pursuit, it will be useful to keep in mind that 1) social qualities, 2) social goods, and 3) ethics can sometimes be perceived as one and the same, as an example – equity -:

1) As a social quality driving our social potentiality for synergy in the context of a family or company and,

2) As a goal of government policy, equity can be viewed as a social good, the result of the state’s mediation of myriad domain contributions and,

3) As a core value of our ethical structure ‘guiding’ us via related principles and norms and, specific relationship commitments and qualities.




a) Towards an ‘ecology’ of social qualities – Overall ...

While social qualities aim to provide for the growth of our human and social potentialities on a particular socio-political landscape say the family,

An ecology of social qualities will aim to provide for an ecological synergy of human and social energies both within specific landscapes but also, increasingly, across our human landscapes as a whole.




a) Towards an ‘ecology’ of social qualities – Specifically, where social qualities…

Related to our social potentiality for belonging are capable of growing those related to synergy and destiny, and those related to destiny are capable of fostering ‘transcendent’ meaning to those related to belonging and those,

Resulting from our social potentiality for accountability in the context of a nation e.g., loyalty and solidarity, do not hinder those related to destiny in the context of the planet as a whole e.g., openness to the realities – social qualities and social goods - of other nations.




a) Towards an ‘ecology’ of social qualities – Some questions:

Do our social qualities as an individual, institution, or society bring about a growing ecology of social qualities -

Where each social quality serves to strengthen the others e.g., where social qualities related to belonging e.g., loyalty, contribute to those related to synergy and destiny e.g., openness, for the individual, and for his/her contribution to the planet?

Capable of bringing about those social qualities and, ultimately, those social goods, reflective of our ethical aspirations e.g., for social justice or, simply, safer automobiles (as a social good)?




a) Towards an ‘ecology’ of social qualities – Some questions… :

Since institutional social qualities aim to be in a constructive synergy with the institution’s ethical structure, we could also ask, to what extent:

Is the current matrix of institutional social qualities in synergy with the institution’s ethical structure re its internal dynamics and, in its network of institutional relationships?

Institutional social qualities help or hinder the enactment of those social qualities reflective of the institution’s ethical aspirations and those of relevant others e.g., such as its institutional partners.




a) Towards an ‘ecology’ of social qualities – Some questions… :

In summary, we could also ask:

Are our individual, institutional, and societal, social qualities – their social energies - helping us to become all that we are capable of becoming as individuals, institutions, and societies and,

From the perspective of harnessing our socio-political energies towards growing an ecology of mind and community, are they the result of ‘open, shared and responsible ethical dynamics’?




b) Towards an ‘ecology’ of social goods – Introduction…

Socio-political landscapes are brought about and given an ongoing existence on the basis of their social goods (and social qualities) via their evolving authority and power characteristics, specifically, their ethical dynamics.

An ecology of social goods would aim to create sustainable landscape dynamics (autopoiesis) where social goods resulting from production institutions e.g., cars or computers, are capable of growing those e.g., social justice, related to the landscape’s state or planetary institutions.




b) Towards an ‘ecology’ of social goods – 1st Step:

Understanding the current synergy of social goods and how they impact their relevant socio-political landscapes, in effect their – social goods - embedded authority and power. As an example:

To what extent does a particular social good say automobiles impact on other social goods say clean air – their relative importance to each other - which one drives the other on their socio-political landscapes e.g., how much of our ‘financial’ resources or otherwise does each one consume relative to the other – their relative authority and power -?




b) Towards an ‘ecology’ of social goods – 2nd Step:

Since a landscape’s structural integrity i.e., its ability to engage in ‘production processes’ essential to its maintenance and growth, is dependent on an ecology of social goods where individuals, institutions, and societies can ultimately grow their human and social potentialities -

Is the ‘socio-political’ landscape open to the possibility of ‘change and development’ re. the relative importance to be given certain social goods versus others e.g., those that foster democratic values versus those that maintain a rigid social hierarchy?




b) Towards an ‘ecology’ of social goods – 3rd Step… :

Since social goods (like social qualities) are in synergy with the institution’s ethics via its social functions, we could also ask:

To what extent is the current matrix of ‘effective’ social goods in synergy with the institution’s ethical structure and,

Are our individual, institutional and societal social goods along with their embedded authority and power realities helping us to become all that we are capable of becoming?




Towards an ‘ecology’ of social qualities and social goods – In summary:

An ecology of mind and community is dependent on growing social qualities and social goods via more open, shared and responsible ethical dynamics.


SocialQualities

SocialGoods

Open, Shared and Responsible Ethical Dynamics

Ecology of Mind and Community


2- The nature and characteristics of socio-political energies leading to an ecology of mind and community –

Socio-political energies are associated with the realities and dynamics of authority and power as they apply to individuals, institutions and, more broadly, to societies as a whole and,

Have their roots in our human potentialities – in those forces that compel us as individuals, institutions, and societies,

To become all that we are capable of becoming, and

More so, to compete for authority and power on all our effective landscapes as a condition to our ‘effective’ survival.



2- The nature and characteristics of socio-political energies leading to an ecology of mind and community - …

Socio-political energies are also those forces driving our cognitive (social) structures and potentialities -:


Human

‘Cognitive’

Potentialities

SelfDomains

of endeavour

Individual

/

Institutions

/

Society

Collective

Psyche



Specifically, the nature of socio-political energies are tied to:

The forces that give life to our human potentialities e.g., the need to grow a sense of conscious will or authorship along with a sense of self in the case of an individual, institution or society and,

The social potentialities that give a specific social energy and substance to ‘institutional’ contributions e.g., our potential for bringing about social relationships that give us a sense of belonging, contribution and accountabity.

...




Specifically, the nature of socio-political energies are tied to ...:

Our cognitive (social) structures and potentialities – the cognitive ‘bringing about our world’ building blocks for our ‘human and social’ realities, are dependent on socio-political energies for the effectiveness e.g., of our institutional contributions to bring about relevant realities and,

For the growth of our cognitive potentialities e.g., their ability to grow as a whole via the sophistication of our domains of contribution either as individuals, institutions or societies.



2- The nature and characteristics of socio-political energies leading to an ecology of mind and community - … issues -

As examples, for the individual’s domain contributions, do the institution’s socio-political dynamics promote the growth of the individual’s socio-political energies, do they:

Foster the growth of the individual’s ability to develop a congruent sense of vision and hope (thereby enriching the individual’s socio-political energies – giving the individual the authority and power to grow his/her human potentialities -);

Allow for the individual to effectively participate in the transformation of as examples, the institution’s ethos and ethics via the individual’s key domain stories and contribution values; …



2- The nature and characteristics of socio-political energies leading to an ecology of mind and community - … issues ... -

Aiming for an evolving ecology of mind and community:

Can an individual, institution or society, effectively participate in shaping the answers to the above questions, say in the context of ‘globalization’ in matters of commerce and culture?

More broadly, we could ask:

Can the nature of their socio-political energies contribute to the development of an ethical structure capable of growing ‘congruently’ their human and social potentialities?




Our ‘individual’ socio-political energies are also driven by the characteristics of our human and social potentialities and, our cognitive (social) structures and potentialities e.g.,

Does my vision and sense of hope give me authority and power on my institutional and societal landscape i.e., does it give me the possibility of shaping a congruent and effective ethical structure for my contributions?

Does my professional competence and social qualities in general e.g., those related to loyalty and accountability, promote the growth of those institutions for which I make a contribution?




Our ‘individual’ socio-political energies are also driven by the characteristics of our human and social potentialities and, our cognitive (social) structures and potentialities e.g., ...

What is the importance given to ‘my’ institution’s products on its landscape, are they viewed e.g., airplanes, as essential to the functionning and growth of the landscape’s institutional framework?

What is the degree of institutional authority and power can my domain theories and contribution values garner of the institution’s authority and power dynamics – its ethical dynamics -?




‘Institutional’ socio-political energies are also driven by the characteristics of their human and social potentialities and, their cognitive (social) structures and potentialities e.g.,

Do institutional ‘human’ potentialities say in the case of its understanding of the world e.g., consciousness and, its institutional identity, give authority and power to its institutional domain contributions in its network of institutional contributions; and,

Do institutional cognitive potentialities in the case of its ethics and ideology influence – have authority and power - with regards to the landscape’s overall ethics and ideology?



2- The nature and characteristics of socio-political energies leading to an ecology of mind and community - … issues –

‘Landscape’ socio-political energies are also driven by the characteristics of their human and social potentialities and, their cognitive (social) structures and potentialities e.g., ...

Does the landscape’s ethical structure foster the growth of the institutional characteristics of its network of institutions, those capable of growing the landscape’s authority and power?

Are the landscape’s e.g., vision and sense of hope, capable of competing successfully with the vision and sense of hope of other lanscapes.



2- The nature and characteristics of socio-political energies leading to an ecology of mind and community - … In summary:

Growing ecology of mind and community is dependent on the socio-political energies bringing about our social qualities and social goods being driven by increasingly ‘open, shared and responsible ethical dynamics’.


SocialQualities

SocialGoods



Socio-PoliticalEnergies


3- How can we mediate / negotiate – create a synergy between - our need for growth with the need for growth of others towards an ecology of mind and community?

Or – How can we:

Bring about those ‘collective’ social qualities e.g., those associated with synergy and destiny, and ‘collective’ social goods e.g., those related to community and nation, so that they become the springboard for the enactment of ever more appropriate ethical manifestations?

Create an increasingly relevant synergy between our social qualities and social goods, and an ethical structure conducive to the growth and sophistication of our individual and collective socio-political energies?




The context –… in summary:


SocialQualities

SocialGoods



Socio-PoliticalEnergies



Our ultimate goal –

Metaphorically - a ‘progressive spiral’ of social qualities and social goods driven by a similar ‘progressive’ synergy of socio-political energies - those capable of giving us ever more sophisticated ethical manifestations.




Core realities / issues in this quest -

a) Social qualities and social goods and our domain contributions,

b) Social qualities and social goods and the landscape’s authority and power dynamics – ethical dynamics -, specifically, its socio-political energies, and

c) Social qualities and social goods and related socio-political energies, and the landscape’s social functions: stewardship, governance, and management.




a) Social qualities and social goods and our domain contributions - realities:

Our domain driven social qualities and social goods will be relevant to the creation of an ecology of social qualities and social goods inasmuch as their cognitive characteristics e.g., domain theories and institutional knowledge are relevant to the growth of the landscape’s other domain driven institutional products and,

…




a) Social qualities and social goods and our domain contributions – realities … :

Our domain and institutional cognitive characteristics will grow inasmuch as their ‘products’ - social qualities and social goods – are relevant to their landscape, more specifically, help it grow its overall human potentialities say for vision and hope, and its social potentialities say for social qualities related to a sense of accountability and destiny.




a) Social qualities and social goods and our domain contributions – realities … in summary:

The ability of domain driven institutional social qualities and social goods to be the springboard for more sophisticated ethical manifestations will be determined by:

the pertinence of their cognitive characteristics relative to their overall landscape and,

their ability to contribute to what we described as a progressive spiral of social qualities and social goods (and, socio-politial energies).




a) Social qualities and social goods and our domain contributions - issues:

Are the cognitive characteristics of my domain contributions e.g., the quality of my domain stories and theories producing social qualities and social goods conducive to the growth of the domain and to the landscape’s socio-political energies?

To what extent are the landscape’s overall cognitive characteristics e.g., its aesthetics and ideology, conducive to the growth of my domain’s cognitive characteristics, in effect to my socio-political energies?




b) Social qualities and social goods and the landscape’s authority and power dynamics, specifically, its socio-political energies – realities:

Social qualities and social goods in their capacity to become the springboard for ever more sophisticated ethical manifestations and socio-political energies embody both a capacity to inspire – authority - and a means for achievement – power -.

Such dynamics being at the source of what we have described as a ‘progressive spiral of social qualities and social goods’.





b) Social qualities and social goods and the landscape’s authority and power dynamics, specifically, its socio-political energies – realities:

In summary:

Social Qualities

/

Social Goods

Authority

/

Power

Dynamics

Progressive

Spiral:

Social Qualities

/

Social Goods



b) Social qualities and social goods and the landscape’s authority and power dynamics, specifically, its socio-political energies – realities … :

An ecology of social qualities and social goods is therefore a dynamic phenomenon, one involving a progressive spiral of social qualities and social goods giving life to and sustaining, ever more sophisticated authority and power dynamics along with an ever evolving ethical structure and,

Provides the landscape with its evolving socio-political energies (+ or -).



In summary:


ProgressiveSpiral



b) Social qualities and social goods and the landscape’s authority and power dynamics, specifically, its socio-political energies – issues:

To what extent are the landscape’s social qualities and social goods, and related socio-political energies, conducive to the growth of the landscape’s authority and power – its ability to inspire and achieve?

To what extent is the landscape’s ethical structure as a reflection of its authority and power dynamics conducive to the growth – progressive spiral - of its social qualities and social goods, and to the growth of its socio-political energies?




c) Social qualities and social goods and related socio-political energies, and the landscape’s social functions: stewardship, governance, and management – realities:

Our social functions provide the conduit via their embedded ethical structure, for the landscape’s evolving authority and power dynamics – those associated with our social qualities and social goods –. (or)

Our social functions bring about our evolving social qualities and social goods and, related socio-political energies, by providing the vehicle for the landscape’s authority and power - ethical – dynamics.




c) Social qualities and social goods and related socio-political energies, and the landscape’s social functions: stewardship, governance, and management – realities ... : Negotiating / mediating will focus on:

Stewardship – what is viewed as having authority both with respect to social qualities and social goods and, their associated core values.

Governance – those principles and norms most apt to give shape via human and social potentialities, to those social qualities and social goods and related socio-political energies in line with the core values of the social context. (and…)




c) Social qualities and social goods and related socio-political energies, and the landscape’s social functions: stewardship, governance, and management – realities ... : Negotiating / mediating will focus on:

Management – those specific relationship commitments (e.g., ‘money’) and qualities (e.g., ‘freedom’) capable of providing the ‘learning and doing’ capabilities – the power – for bringing about relevant social qualities and social goods on an evolving and changing social landscape via -

A progressive spiral of socio-political energies.



In summary: “Stewarship, Governance and Management” and, our Socio-Political Energies


ProgressiveSpiral:

StewardshipGovernanceManagement



c) Social qualities and social goods and related socio-political energies, and the landscape’s social functions: stewardship, governance, and management – issues - Overall:

To what extent are social functions a reflection of a negotiated agreement among relevant social actors i.e., those most apt to benefit or be affected – grow their human and social potentialities – from resultant social qualities and social goods or, benefit from their related socio-political energies?




c) Social qualities and social goods and related socio-political energies, and the landscape’s social functions: stewardship, governance, and management – issues … - More specifically, are:

The landscape’s vital social qualities and social goods and their related core values – those that are the object of stewardship - capable of growing the human and social potentialities of landscape actors e.g., their potential for ‘hope’ and for ‘accountability’ via their socio-political energies?




c) Social qualities and social goods and related socio-political energies, and the landscape’s social functions: stewardship, governance, and management – issues… More specifically, are…:

The landscape’s ethical principals and norms conducive to growing their human and social potentialities in line with the social qualities and social goods and related socio-political energies giving life to their ethical aspirations – stewardship? (and…)




c) Social qualities and social goods and related socio-political energies, and the landscape’s social functions: stewardship, governance, and management – issues… More specifically, are…:

The relationship commitments and qualities (e.g., ‘money and freedom’) afforded to its landscape actors capable in turn of growing via ‘learning and doing’ the landscape’s social qualities and social goods and related socio-political energies – their related ethical aspirations - via more effective ethical principles and norms?




c) Social qualities and social goods and related socio-political energies, and the landscape’s social functions: stewardship, governance, and management – issues…:

Finally, we could ask more broadly:

To what extent are the landscape’s social functions – stewardship, governance, and management – effective in resolving issues of authority and power towards the creation of a progressive spiral of social qualities and social goods, and related socio-political energies via more open, shared and responsible ethical dynamics?




In summary, in Chapter 8, we have described how:

Growing an ecology of mind and community via ‘more open, shared and responsible ethical dynamics’, will be dependent ‘overall’ on authority and power ‘ethical’ dynamics capable of creating ‘sustainable socio-political dynamics’ and, specifically on –

Our individual, institutional and societal ability to ‘harness’ our socio-political energies to bring about an ecology of social qualities and social goods, more so,

Social qualities and social goods that will grow our human potentialities say, for individuals, their degree of consciousness and personal identity and, their social potentialities e.g., for contribution.



Ecology ofMindand

Community

ethics (ethical dynamics) chapter 8

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