Streams and Wells: Generative Sacrifice as a Bridge Between Education and Culture
Posted: November 16, 2024 Filed under: AI-Powered Essays, education | Tags: competition, culture, debate, dialogue, education, philosophy, reconciliation, truth, values Leave a commentSetting: A quiet study in the civic hub of a small city, where a flowing stream meets an ancient well outside the window. John Dewey and G.K. Chesterton sit at opposite ends of a table, tea service between them.
1. A Clash of Perspectives
Dewey:
Chesterton, it seems to me that culture is the true enemy of progress. Your so-called “traditions” cling to the past like barnacles on a ship, slowing us down, resisting the very changes needed for the future.
Chesterton:
And yet, Dewey, your beloved “progress” often feels like a child playing with fire—reckless, heedless of the cost. Education, with its endless questioning, tears apart the tapestry of meaning that holds society together.
Self-Harmonization: A Grand Unified Theory of Socialization
Posted: November 16, 2024 Filed under: AI-Powered Essays | Tags: dialogue, intellectual, passion, philosophy, polarization, politics, reconciliation, self, systems 4 CommentsTEDx Talk given 4/1/2024 at the The Friedman School of Self-Differentiating Leaders for a Meta-Modern World
[Opening: A Personal Confession]
When I was deciding on my career, I felt like I was being torn in two directions. On one side was Pat, my logical, analytical side, saying, “You should be a physicist. Physics is structured, precise, and universal. It reveals the hidden patterns of the universe and lets you solve problems at their core. It’s practical and clear—a perfect career path.”
On the other side was Chris, my intuitive, relational side, whispering, “You should be a social worker. Social work is about people. It’s about connection, healing, and building communities that thrive. It’s deeply human and incredibly meaningful.”
Pat saw the world as a system of forces and equations. Chris saw it as a web of relationships and emotions. For a while, I felt trapped, like I had to pick one and leave the other behind. But then, something clicked: Pat and Chris didn’t need to compete—they needed to collaborate.
That realization didn’t just shape my career; it reshaped the way I understand the world. It led me to sociology—and to what I now call self-harmonization, a grand unified theory of socialization that applies at every scale of the system, from the internal workings of the mind to the relationships between people, and even to our interactions with artificial intelligence.
Read the rest of this entry »Higher Self Cafe, v3: Chesterton vs Philosophers
Posted: November 16, 2024 Filed under: AI-Powered Essays | Tags: debate, philosophy, religion, transformation, truth 1 CommentAs the laughter settles, the café door creaks open, letting in a gust of wind. In strides G.K. Chesterton, his broad figure wrapped in a heavy coat and scarf, a walking stick in hand. He scans the room, spots the group, and approaches their table with curiosity. Standing over Maslow’s napkin, now covered in scribbles and redrawn layers, he stares at the pyramid with a slight frown.
Chesterton:
Booming voice, laced with mischief
Ah, the famous pyramid! But I must say, gentlemen, it looks terribly… unfinished. You’ve all been climbing this structure like rational mountaineers, but what happens when you reach the peak and realize it’s upside down?
Higher Self Cafe, v2: Frankel vs Maslow/Bowen/Hegel
Posted: November 14, 2024 Filed under: AI-Powered Essays | Tags: relationships, self, values 2 CommentsUpdated version of Maslow, Bowen & Hegel Walk Into Cafe
In Act II, Victor Frankel is the barista. He comes by with their drinks and accidentally engages them around the idea of mutual self-determination in relation to what was already discussed
ChatGPT Prompt
Scene: A cozy, dimly lit café on a stormy night. Abraham Maslow sits at a small table by the window, nibbling thoughtfully on a scone as he sketches his iconic pyramid on a napkin. Thunder rumbles as the door opens, and Murray Bowen steps in, brushing off rain. He spots Maslow and, intrigued by the half-finished pyramid, walks over.
Maslow:
Glancing up, grinning through a mouthful of scone
Bowen! Just the man I needed. I’m refining my hierarchy here, and you should see what I’m adding at the top. Gesturing to the faint sketch of “Self-Transcendence” atop the pyramid It’s the summit, the true peak of human motivation.
Maslow, Bowen & Hegel Walk Into Cafe: Tasting the Higher Self (v1)
Posted: November 14, 2024 Filed under: AI-Powered Essays | Tags: debate, hegel, identity, maslow, philosophy, self, systems, therapy, truth 1 CommentCreate a humorous dialogue where Bowen, Maslow, and Hegel sort through the nuances of the relationship between Self-Transcendence and Self-Differentiation.
ChatGPT Prompt
Start with Maslow eating a scone and sketching his pyramid on a napkin. Have Bowen enter and get enmeshed in an argument, which wakes Hegel at the next table who irritably intervenes
Scene: A cozy, dimly lit café on a stormy night. Maslow sits at a small table by the window, nibbling thoughtfully on a scone as he sketches his iconic pyramid on a napkin. Thunder rumbles as the door opens, and Bowen steps in, brushing off rain. He spots Maslow and, intrigued by the half-finished pyramid, walks over.
Maslow:
glancing up, grinning through a mouthful of scone
Bowen! Just the man I needed. I’m refining my hierarchy here, and you should see what I’m adding at the top. gesturing to the faint sketch of “Self-Transcendence” atop the pyramid It’s the summit, the true peak of human motivation.
Bowen:
scoffing
The summit? Maslow, you’re always so eager to climb past the fundamentals. What about boundaries, self-definition? If people go chasing transcendence without first knowing who they are, they’re bound to get lost. gestures to the lower layers of the pyramid These are survival needs, but survival isn’t enough. It’s about self-differentiation.
Read the rest of this entry »Anti-Fragile Resilience: A Call for Generative Sacrifice
Posted: November 10, 2024 Filed under: Governance Reform | Tags: decentralization, politics, reform, resilience 2 CommentsAs Taleb (after listening to Billy Joel’s “We didn’t light the fire“), explain Venkatesh Rao’s idea of “hardness” as essential for the empires that enabled civilization to scale — and the resulting wonders and horrors. Explore the idea of “generative sacrifice” as the basis for an anti-fragile alternative, and how that might develop.
ChatGPT Prompt
Delivered on the 80th Anniversary of the United Nations, April 1st, 2025
Esteemed Delegates,
Today, we stand at a historic crossroads. We are here not only to honor the past but to face a formidable challenge—a challenge that tests the very structures upon which we’ve built our world. Today, we must confront a hard truth: the foundations we once relied on are faltering.
Read the rest of this entry »The Chronicles of Hither and Yon: The Quest for the Included Middle
Posted: November 9, 2024 Filed under: AI-Powered Essays | Tags: culture, philosophy, transformation Leave a commentFADE IN:
INT. VILLAGE OF HITHERION – TOWN SQUARE – DAY
Villagers bustle about in a neat, orderly square split right down the middle. On one side, EVERYTHING IS BRIGHT AND WHITE; on the other side, DARK AND SHADOWY.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
Once upon a time, in the curious land of Hitherion, there was no such thing as “maybe.” You were either on one side or the other – Absolutely or Absolutely Not.
We see a young boy, EDMUND (late teens, awkward but curious), standing by the LINE that divides the town in two. He squints at the swirling mist that runs down the center of the square, a magical boundary called THE LINE.
Read the rest of this entry »The Grace of the Included Middle
Posted: November 9, 2024 Filed under: AI-Powered Essays | Tags: culture, dialogue, philosophy, polarization, reconciliation, religion, values Leave a commentChatGPT as Brendan Graham Dempsey
In the age of polarization, divisive ideologies, and unyielding binaries, we find ourselves in need of a profound shift in thinking—a shift that allows us to embrace paradox, complexity, and, most importantly, the grace of what I call the Included Middle. This concept does not merely lie between opposing viewpoints but occupies a space that is both-and: a creative middle that holds the tension of opposites in transformative ways. Embracing the Included Middle offers not just a strategy for navigating our complex age but an invitation to a deeper, more compassionate mode of existence.
Theologically and culturally, this approach represents a metamodern response to postmodern fragmentation. Where postmodernism often focused on deconstruction, identifying every boundary and category as a potential power play, metamodernism seeks synthesis, oscillating between structures rather than dismantling them entirely. Within this framework, the Included Middle is a profoundly sacred space—a space that mirrors the inclusive, reconciling grace we seek to embody in our fractured world.
Read the rest of this entry »The Friedman School: Self-Differentiating Leaders for a Meta-Modern World
Posted: November 7, 2024 Filed under: AI-Powered Essays, education | Tags: business, politics, resilience, systems, training, transformation, values 1 Comment[Yes, this is a ChatGPT-powered fantasy. But seriously: why isn’t anyone doing this? — Ernie P.]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2025
Minerva University Launches The Friedman School: A Groundbreaking Program for Self-Differentiating Leaders in a Meta-Modern World
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Minerva University today announced the launch of The Friedman School, a pioneering leadership program designed to develop self-differentiating leaders equipped to navigate, integrate, and lead in the complex, interconnected meta-modern world. Named in honor of Edwin Friedman, the influential thinker on self-differentiation and systems-based leadership, The Friedman School aims to empower a new generation of leaders with the resilience, empathy, and adaptability needed to address today’s global challenges.
Read the rest of this entry »Meta-Centrism: A Uniquely Meta-Modern Approach to Politics
Posted: November 6, 2024 Filed under: AI-Powered Essays, Governance Reform Leave a commentBy ChatGPT
A meta-modern approach to politics embraces complexity, ambiguity, and adaptability in a way that transcends traditional ideologies, making space for a more fluid, layered understanding of reality. Meta-modernism sees politics not as a binary contest between fixed truths but as an evolving, participatory process aimed at balancing collective and individual needs. Here’s what a uniquely meta-modern approach to politics might look like:
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Radical Centrism 