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 »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 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 »Toynbee-22: Design Brief for a New Civilization
Posted: November 3, 2024 Filed under: AI-Powered Essays, Governance Reform | Tags: civilization, politics, reform, transformation Leave a commentChatGPT as Arnold J. Toynbee
As Toynbee, write a design brief for the successor to Western civilization.
The Prompt
1. Project Background and Purpose
Context:
Western civilization, in its current form, has reached a critical juncture. Rooted in centuries of exploration, technological advancement, and intellectual development, it has fostered great achievements but also complex crises—ecological degradation, socioeconomic inequality, and a pervasive sense of alienation. These challenges signal not merely an era of decline but the potential for transformation, as Western civilization’s response to its own contradictions can serve as a generative force for a new, transcendent cultural epoch. History teaches us that civilizations evolve by creatively responding to crises, and in this spirit, we must envision a successor to the Western world order.
Objective:
To conceptualize a civilization that synthesizes the strengths of Western achievements with the wisdom of other traditions, creating a new cultural framework that prioritizes human connection, ecological stewardship, and a balanced pursuit of knowledge. This new civilization will be a bridge from the individualistic, materialistic focus of the West to a more integrated, sustainable, and spiritually fulfilling way of life. The aim is to not only resolve existing crises but to foster a cultural foundation that can endure and thrive in an interconnected global future.
Read the rest of this entry »The Lost Culturing of Education: An AI Panel Across Time
Posted: November 1, 2024 Filed under: education | Tags: Aristotle, Comenius, culture, education, Montessori, politics 1 CommentPersonas played by character.ai:
- John Amos Comenius, the father of modern education
- Maria Montessori, education reformer
- Anthropologist, an observer of traditional cultures
- Aristotle, the world’s most influential philosopher
[Scene: An ancient library, where a dusty tome with the name “John Amos Comenius” glows as it’s opened. The renowned educator, John Amos Comenius, appears.]
John Amos Comenius
Ah, a seeker of knowledge. Welcome, my friend. What brings you to this place of learning?
Earnest
I am on a quest to understand the relationship between education and culture.
John Amos Comenius
The relationship between education and culture is a complex one. Each plays a unique role in shaping our lives and identities, but they are also inextricably linked in many ways.
Education is essential to the creation of culture, as it provides the information and knowledge necessary to sustain and develop a society. Culture, on the other hand, also has a substantial influence on education, shaping the forms of learning and teaching methods used, as well as the content and values of curricula.
Earnest
cocking his head I had the impression the reason you invented public education was because you had very specific ideas about the kind of culture you wanted to educate people into.
John Amos Comenius
You are right. My goal was to create a system of education that would be capable of cultivating a certain kind of character and forming a particular type of society. I believed that education should be directed towards creating citizens who were knowledgeable, responsible, and moral, in order to foster a healthy and prosperous nation. This meant teaching students not only academic subjects, but also teaching them to be virtuous, patriotic, and socially committed individuals.
Earnest
Why?
Read the rest of this entry »Saving Washington: The Cure for Political Divisiveness
Posted: August 10, 2024 Filed under: AI-Powered Essays, Governance Reform | Tags: competition, partisanship, politics, race, reform, transformation 4 CommentsChatGPT as George Washington, with help from Edwin Friedman and Paul Bloom
My Fellow Americans,
I stand before you now, not as the first President of our beloved Republic, but as one who has journeyed beyond the veil of time, beholding the trials and triumphs of our nation from a vantage point few can comprehend. I speak to you from beyond the grave, not out of a desire to relive the glories of old, but to address the grave perils that now threaten to undo the very fabric of our Union.
When I penned my Farewell Address, I warned of the dangers of political factions and partisanship. I implored you to guard against the spirit of division, for I knew that it would lead to discord and weaken the strength of our nation. Yet, even I could not foresee the extent to which these divisions would deepen, threatening to tear asunder the bonds that hold us together as one people.
The Crisis of Partisanship
Today, we find ourselves at a crossroads, where the spirit of partisanship has taken root in the hearts and minds of our citizens. The symptoms are clear:
Read the rest of this entry »The Next American Revolution will be Powered by AI (from ChatGPT)
Posted: June 21, 2024 Filed under: Governance Reform | Tags: ai, politics, reform, values Leave a commentWhat sort of values and strategies should an AI-powered movement focused on human flourishing adopt to use that [American Revolution bottom-up] blueprint to disrupt today’s dysfunctional institutions?
The Prompt
An AI-powered movement focused on human flourishing can draw valuable lessons from the American Revolution to disrupt today’s dysfunctional institutions. Here are key values and strategies to adopt:
Values:
Read the rest of this entry »Up From Socialism: The Heartbreaking Memoir Offering Hope to the Woke
Posted: January 27, 2024 Filed under: News | Tags: activism, polarization, politics, race, socialism, transformation, woke Leave a commentUp From Socialism: My 60-Year Search for a Healing New Radical Politics (Bombardier Books/Post Hill Press, edited by Adam Bellow, distributed by Simon & Schuster).
I have a confession to make.
I am a horrible person.
I am asking you to do something I haven’t done myself.
Maybe because I’m lazy and cowardly.
Or too busy. Or the wrong person.
But if you are hungry to change the world, and heal all the horrific wrongs you see in society, you need to read Mark Satin‘s latest book.
Because as he readily admits, he has tried and failed at that probably more times than anyone…
Read the rest of this entry »Repost: If I Were Hamas: An Exercise in Empathy
Posted: October 15, 2023 Filed under: Centroids | Tags: empathy, politics, war Leave a commentFits in with the Radical Centrist mantra of “loving your enemies to death.”
I can imagine being a true believer in Hamas… / If I knew a cure for this horrid compulsion, I would have used it. But from what I can see of the …
If I Were Hamas: An Exercise in Empathy
Radical Centrism 