Inspired by Brandon’s recent work analyzing proposed solutions to the “meta crisis” I created the table (excel spreadsheet) included below.

I shared this earlier to a subgroup, and I hope it is worthwhile crossposting here.

I will greatly appreciate your engagement with and comments on this nascent work.

Please:

1) Open the spreadsheet 

2) Relax, calm down, and take a deep breath! Size the spreadsheet to fit your screen (Use the slider in the lower right hand corner of the sheet) (If you can’t open excel, please let me know and I’ll send something that works for you.)

3) Begin by studying the two columns central to the spreadsheet. These have the blue header and form a force-field analysis. The concept of the force field analysis technique is that the status quo is determined (and sustained) by a balance (equilibrium) of forces working to create change in opposition to those working to resist change.

4) The right hand column (in the blue section, column J) lists the forces, outcomes, goals, and values that we want to increase and prevail in our preferred future. Please scan the rows in this column to decide if each of these outcomes are desirable, well stated, and the list is complete. (We want to stay on the right side of history 😀)  Note that most of these are hyperlinked to more information, often including more detail. For example, the “Moral Virtue” cell is linked to course materials describing 20 individual moral virtues and supporting materials. This reduces the need to list individual virtues in the table, and makes change actionable.

5) The left hand column (in the blue section, column I) lists the forces, outcomes, etc that we want to diminish. These are typically stated as the opposite condition of the opposing pair. Please scan each row in this column to decide if these are well stated (opposite of the opposing force).

6) Columns K through X (in the green header section) list the various solution approaches adapted from the materials Brandon shared, and also described at:  https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Level_5_Research_Center/Escaping_Discontent (This is the link under the “Solution Approaches” header). I have scored cells in some of these columns (using the Key in cell 59 C) to indicate the strength of the coupling from that particular solution to the corresponding item in the “Forces to strengthen" column. I have completed a few of the columns I am familiar with, and will appreciate it if advocates or experts in other solutions (e.g. those I have not yet fully scored) can suggest scores for those solutions. I will appreciate review of each of the scored cells you have expertise in by each of you. 

7) Columns A through H (in the pink header section) list the various “inhibiting institutions" that exist today, maintain the status quo, and are generally opposing the changes we would like to see. I scored many of these. Please suggest additional columns and review my (preliminary) scoring. These headers are also hyperlinked to materials that begin to characterize each of these structures. 

8) Full disclosure, I am creating the “Living Wisely” curriculum on Wikiversity. These materials are obviously biased by my work. I invite your participation to help move toward a more complete and balanced analysis.

9) Row 56 includes the totals for each column. One interpretation of this number is that it represents the “strength” of each proposed solution approach or inhibiting institution. Note that this sum (currently) assumes equal weights for each row item.

I believe this table can help us answer many of the questions that were raised at Monday’s meeting and can help us make progress.

Please feel free to share this widely with people who might be interested.

I expect to publish this into the public domain when it become useful. 

I greatly appreciate your engagement with this work. Please provide your comments, issues, observations, questions, or recommendations via email to me. Also, of you would like a one-on-one Zoom session to discuss this further, pleas let me know.

Thanks for all you help with this.

Lee Beaumont