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We aim to build the foundations for a 'Schumacher North College', based on the blueprint of the set-up in Devon. I think Schumacher York could go further. It could form what I term a 'holiment'. This is a new term for 'holistic community management'.
Holiment would have 2 main priorities - the key development of new 'holitical' theory and institutions, and the key development of 'promencial' frameworks.
Holitics is self-explanatory. Politics derives from the word 'polis' meaning 'city', as do citizen, policeman and policy. Human oriented to no small degree. Holitics embodies all natural principles, life and non-life, anthropocentric and non-anthropocentric, scientific and philosophical coupled with a deep underlying sense of connection and meaning to our environments, ecologies and intrinsic values.
Promence requires more detail. From the Latin word 'promeritum' (credit) and 'pro-rata' (proportional) it would act antagonistically to finance. As a means of buying and selling, the artificial grading of products and services by holiment allocates a 'price' or 'pro-rate' on their sustainable and ethical integrity. Not only does it identify the 'worthiness' of said product or service, individuals can use these rates as a form of quantified exchange. Every participant would have a personal 'pro-rate' that increases according to their 'spending' habits on 'holisised' goods and decrease when they partake in 'holisised' community activities. A 'holisis' is a holistic (cost-benefit) analysis, conducted by 'holisisers'. An individual account would account would rise when spending and decrease when paid off through third sector activities, therefore acts as a form of credit. Your promencial account, in an ideal world, should be 0, or even negative. If you do not pay off your promence account you may be punished by law. Your individual grading would initially be attached to your financial status, after which all promencial activity is then separate. The accounts would be transparent within the community network.
Finally, how would holiment unify social, environmental and economic affairs? What connects them? Eudaimonics. At the centre of holimentary proceedings and promencial holisising would be oalance. Finding balance in all sectors of life is the foundation for strong holiment and strong, informed holisisation.
Politics informs parliament on the economy and economic growth powered by finance. Holitics would inform holiment on the eudaimony and eudaimonic growth powered by promence. Only through co-operation and some overhaul of our institutions may we tackle our deep-rooted social, environmental and economic affairs.
Eudaimonics has come to mean something more to me, personally. It will never be JUST theory, but is indicative of the kind of social change so many of us appear to be crying out for. Never mind the scientific and philosophical basis for oalance - it could well be a form of social construction vital for a healthier, happier and dynamic society. I say 'never mind' science and philosophy in the loosest sense because I firmly believe oalance exists in its own right, however oalance can be a strong focus for societal change, especially when it comes to ideas like sustainability.
This is why the 'eudaimonic' or 'environmental ethic' is so important, but so also is something perhaps even more potent as not just the object of change but the means of change - the Eudaimony.
The global economy is flawed. It's pretty obvious. Even before the global recession environmentalists all around the world have been saying for decades the dynamics of economy are wrong. Something is not right. You only need to look at how economists construct their economic models to see what's wrong. Economics is an idealism focused on reductionism. This doesn't necessarily mean over-simplification, but it is incredibly simple in some of its workings. People and natural resources are units - nothing else. If one person loses their job and somebody else takes it then that's okay. Somebody is in that job - that's all that matters. Humanity is removed from economics.
A global eudaimony is the framework for global change. In the next post I will detail how I would construct a eudaimony and what I'm doing about it.
Having not written on this blog site for a while I thought I would update you on my progress.I'm writing and looking to publish a book currently titled 'God Balance', in which I will present Eudaemonics. My energy has been engaged on the book so my focus has shifted from this blog!Now, I'm also well connected with the Schumacher Circle. For those who don't know, the Schumacher Circle is a group of organisations based on the work of E.F. Schumacher, a former economist and man of a spiritual and natural being whose most famous work "Small Is Beautiful" was first published in 1973. This coalition of people looks with a holistic eye on the problems of the world. They bring together ALL forms of knowledge and strive for a deeper meaning and understanding of the natural world, of which we are a part. Schumacher College in Devon, UK is an international educational centre for new teaching methods. Unity in sustainability is part of their/our mantra.I'm only really beginning to see the potential 'Schumacher' as a group of people have. Change will come from the grassroots. If we are truly to reconnect with ourselves, nature and god I believe eudaemonics can provide the framework for concerted action. This blog was intended as a host for the theory of eudaemonics. It still is. The basic theory is still outlined in the May 2009 posts. I hope, in time, the ideas expressed in this blog will be better presented in a more permanent format!
