An Educational Paradigm for the Second Age of Enlightenment

There must be a large variety of shared undertakings and experiences. Otherwise, the influences which educate some into masters, educate others into slaves.

John Dewey, Democracy and Education

Humans are born with no knowledge of their identity, or of how society functions, let alone their role within it. These things must be learned. It is through the initial parent / child ‘connection’ that a ‘belief system’ is uploaded, through all five senses; a mental framework through which each child can comprehend the world.

Thus, from the beginning, human ‘Belongingness’ and sensory connection become our key to survival, safety, self-esteem, intimacy, relationships, achievement, transcendence; our belief system colors all the observations, experiences and navigational choices we make. Were we stroked, or beaten? Did we hear sounds of laughter, or anguish? Did what we see comfort us, or frighten us? All connection is a form of communication, and later informs how we communicate back to the world around us.

Somewhere during the initial ‘upload’ of early experiences, our internal ‘Will to Power’ circuit is also set. This is a simple circuit with complex ramifications for our personal choices, and while a child’s external environment will trip the circuit one way or another, there is likely a less controllable genetic component involved as well.

Humans do not like conflicting beliefs, which creates cognitive dissonance, a ‘discordant’ feeling associated with observations, experiences and choices that do not ‘jibe’ with one’s personal belief system. Humans will invariably seek to resolve this mental, social or emotional conflict. They can do this by A) altering their belief system to fit the new information, B) impose their belief system on others, so they do not have to alter it, or C) mentally alter reality to smooth out any perceived ‘conflict’. The degree to which they feel safe (’emPowered’) or not safe (‘Controlling’) will drive this choice.

Our need for continued connection to others (that drives identify, purpose, etc), combined with our particular belief system, leads to membership in groups formed around some perceived necessity. Again, if the group feels safe, it might spread its ‘Power’ around. If the group does not feel safe, it usually seeks some manner of ‘Control’, even over its own members. Often, a harmonious ‘echo chamber’ is formed, meant to drown out the cognitive dissonance of any conflicting knowledge or perspectives, which are seen as a threat to the survival of the group or its members. One well-placed blow, if allowed, could topple an entire fragile belief system, cause Chaos to permeate an otherwise ordered ‘virtual reality’, and sever the comforting connection of the people huddled within it.

Currently, parenting, with its myriad of belief systems, is not connected to our educational belief system (if there is one), and education is not connected to the larger belief system of Economics currently practiced. One goal must be to align these disconnects so they no longer conflict with each other. 

The real problem, however, stems from the economic belief system that currently drives the world, which has mistaken ‘Control’ for ‘Power’. The universe (and thus humanity) share this ‘Will to Power’: both constantly evolve away from Chaos, and toward relative Order. From fear of Chaos comes ‘Control’ – a dark, savage kind of existence dressed up in an expensive suit. From love of beauty comes the kind of Order that makes for an elegant universe, one where Power is the driving force. According to Science and Religion, the universe appears to have sprung forth from a single source, and filled an apparently endless void, which is the opposite of our model: the conquering and conquest of that which already exists. 

The ‘Paradigm Shift’ toward empowerment (Giving) and away from Control (Taking), will allow every one’s ‘belief system’ to be seen as ‘naturally occurring’ (meaning there is a good explanation for all behavior, even if we do not yet comprehend it). This will lead us toward policy decisions meant to insure worldwide domestic Tranquility and promote the General Welfare of all people, rather than blaming any individual or group for what may be a logical ‘natural’ reaction to clearly oppressive circumstances.

Cosmologists, physicists, etc., will talk all day about how the universe works, but do not venture out of their lane and explain how humans fit into this larger picture. Apparently fools rush in where scientists fear to tread, because the Third Option has no such inhibitions. Knowing thyself unleashes the truth, and the truth not only sets one free, it is the ultimate form of Power. It is fear-less, and to go forward, we need to be fearless.

When we look above us, we see a universe of well-organized stars within communities of galaxies – there is an occasional implosion or collision, but nothing too violent at this point in time. We might surmise a kind of Liberty is derived from this arrangement, where stars or galaxies each have a separate fate, although in the bigger picture, a kind of Unity or Balance is still retained. Perhaps our existence will eventually be this peaceful. Apparently, the smaller universe of quantum mechanics is a real hot mess; if we compare our existence to that of quarks, electrons and neutrinos, we might not have cause to complain. 

We are, it is said, the ‘stuff of stars’, and stars definitely consume MORE (although what they consume is actually themselves), and the universe continues to expand outward, also consuming MORE (although it might simply be filling the nothingness, or through expansion, create the dimension of Time, which allows us to exist).

We humans do seem to have an abundance of ‘Will’. Arthur Schopenhauer cites a “will to live“, Sigmund Freud sees a ‘will to pleasure’, Alfred Adler makes a case for self esteem, and Viktor Frankl frames it as a search for meaning. Abraham Maslow conveniently summed all of them up in a Hierarchy of Needs, which includes survival needs, pleasure needs, power and esteem needs, and the need for self-actualization and transcendence. 

To be blunt, there is not enough MORE to go around, if the definition of MORE is to remain attached to the acquisition of external or material wealth, and if POWER is to remain attached to it as well. In the service of MORE, humans have cloned each other, and in constantly mutating strains, usurped more and more of the planet. Economically, we have formed a paradigm that embraces this quest for MORE, only to uncover a depressing paradox: while people crave the ‘liberty’ to pursue the happiness that comes from MORE, they do not do well with the Disparity (or creation of LESS) that must surely emanate from it. 

In the Second Age of Enlightenment, when we finally comprehend the futility of seven billion people all fighting to get enough MORE from outside ourselves, we will begin to embrace the infinite supply of MORE within ourselves.

The quest for MORE must shift from seeking it outside ourselves (a finite source) to seeking it from within ourselves (an infinite source).

• If successful, education will become an end in itself, a consumable good that will fuel an economy where all can become rich in knowledge.
• Meanwhile, we will all gain access to the same knowledge, which is the only way Democracy can break free from its current gridlock. We cannot draw similar conclusions without access to same information. In the current Economic Paradigm, Knowledge is hoarded as a conflict resource. Once we deem it an ‘essential need’, like water, then it must be allowed to flow freely and benefit every one equally.
• By necessity, important terms must be redefined to better fit this shift in our thinking. *

Our ‘Fates’ must be better tied together, such that wherever the MORE takes any individual, the rest of us get pulled forward as well. Thus, the paradigm still satisfies the liberty for individuals to seek MORE, while solving for the disparity that occurs if the liberty of one is allowed to encroach upon the liberty of the rest.

• To this end, gains that benefit all would be rewarded over purely selfish gains.

That savage tribes regard aliens and enemies as synonymous…springs from the fact that they have identified their experience with rigid adherence to their past customs. On such a basis it is wholly logical to fear intercourse with others, for such contact might dissolve custom.

John Dewey Democracy & Education

Factions. This is what we have always called them. Races, tribes, gangs, cliques, armies, et al, that all seem to work against each other. Why? Because they each seek ‘Control’. Like electricity, Power can ‘bring good things to life’. Control, however, is a drain on Power. In the second Age of Enlightenment, we need to ‘convert’ from Control into real Power.

In nature, various atoms combine to make molecules. Hydrogen will likely achieve some future fame going ‘solo’ as a fuel source (because it burns clean and is sustainable), but it first made a name for itself when forming a bond with oxygen. Similarly, the smallest human building block, the individual, when given some overarching purpose, can become powerful, through his or her connection to a group. What we need is a purpose that is so intrinsic to our beings, as to form us into a machine, that could drive every one forward together. 

In the current Control model of human existence, realized in the Economic ‘Growth’ imperative, War is generally the closest we come to combining our human potential toward some larger purpose.

The tools for building an ‘Emerging Future’ based on human ‘Power’ will not be much different than the ones we use currently; the key will be to always use the best tool for the job. Economics, for instance, has an entire toolkit, and we may still need to utilize every tool in this bag. Capitalism is a very specific tool, for example – like a hammer. A hammer is good for knocking in a nail. It could also be used to knock in someone’s head – not its intended use, to be sure – but whoever holds the hammer and is motivated a particular way, will use or misuse the tool as they see fit. Capitalism has one main purpose – extracting profits – and on occasion, it has hammered a few people with wealth inequality, pollution, war machines, hastily-fashioned healthcare, reckless transportation and addictive consumerism. 

Because of factionalism, if Harry the hammer-carrying Capitalist came upon a screw, rather than admitting his Capitalism is not capable of fastening anything with a screw, might simply claim that screws are a “communist” or “socialist” plot to get rid of the hammer, though any free-thinking woodworker would argue that nails are good for some things, but in certain situations, screws do a better job.

We were not (consciously) present when the universe was created, or we would know how it works. Instead, we are forced to guess, and while forming our individual hypotheses, many of us tend to look at the bigger stuff because it is the easiest to see. As the Theory of Relativity itself proves, our ‘big ideas’ will usually break down at the smaller ‘quantum’ level. In this Second Age of Enlightenment, we can no longer, for example, ‘helicopter’ money down from the top in order that it might economically trickle down to the bottom. We can no longer make rules at school board meetings designed to help individual students we have never met before. We must abandon the ‘top down’ approach to problem-solving, and proactively build things from the bottom up.

Humans, as well as any species, have a strong ability to adapt to the environment around them. In a war zone, humans will fight. In a library, they will keep their voices down. Go into any child’s athletic training program and witness the atrocities parents are perpetrating on their own offspring. The commodification of our children by their own parents, because they have taken it upon themselves to ‘make’ their child a success within this virtual world of oppressive ‘control’ peddling, would cause any sane society to pull back in sheer horror of what they have created.

Self-absorption in all its forms kills empathy…

Daniel Goleman

 ‘Speaking’ is arguably the third (to fifth) most important use for the big hole in the front of our face. Meanwhile, we have two other holes on the side of our head used for hearing, and two in the front for seeing. Unfortunately, speaking and hearing and seeing are in many ways a useless exercise. The transfer of knowledge actually happens through Communicating, Listening and Observing, which require our brain to be present. This, of course, presents a further obstacle, as belief systems within our brains are designed to filter, flag, like, and tag (label) all information that enters through the seven holes in our head.

Parents might tell their child to ‘do as I say, not as I do’, but alas, their children are not listening. They are, however, absorbing what they observe beyond the words; observations that will shape their belief system, which in turn will shape how they interact with the rest of the world. To say learning is ‘experiential’ means that each of us ultimately must observe (or sense) it for ourselves. Different experiences will necessarily lead to different beliefs; these will inform our choices. The Third Option has a plan to help build Communities that are fair, certain, and inclusive, so that people might have more shared experiences. Until then, our belief systems must be expanded manually, in order to encompass the widest range of knowledge possible. 

Sometimes, to understand the world, we need to ‘go big’. Sometimes, it is better to ‘go small’. We need to strip away all the words we are hearing but not understanding, or the sights we are seeing but not comprehending, and get down to the bare bones of communication, where we all can connect. There is a universal human language. We just have to get better at utilizing it. 

Brene Brown, Simon Sinek, Daniel Goleman and Michele Borba are a few of the leaders in the Social-Emotional Language space; their current push is in the area of Empathy. Someday soon, Empathy will be an entry level course in the study of human emotion, but for now, it is all we humans, as a species, are capable of attaining. 

Empathy is ‘in progress’ when you notice someone yelling and throwing their arms up, and think to yourself “that person is angry.” Upon further reflection, you realize that “I get angry, too.” The next step gets more difficult: to tell that person “I know how you feel”, because maybe you believe that would leave you ‘vulnerable’; it is, after all, a world at war, where people are pitted against one another, every man and woman for themselves. 

It is difficult to not take other people’s feelings about you ‘personally’. Oddly, the less people know about you, the more they might hate you, thus the new thinking is to ‘lean in’ and attempt to connect around our shared emotions, otherwise no one will bother taking the more difficult step of listening to someone else’s ideas, no matter how cleverly phrased or well-reasoned they may be.

Empathy and listening speak to a deeper issue, which is genuinely caring about what other people are feeling or saying. It is difficult to think of other people’s feelings if one has never spent time reflecting on one’s own feelings. Thus, personal reflection needs to be part of our Empathy Training. Some people may have no positive feelings to think about, because they have suffered from abuse at the hands of their caregiver. Perhaps they have repressed all feeling, which only occasionally escapes to the surface in ‘unexplainable’ acts of violence. When parental abuse is finally explored thoroughly, it would lead to the realization that inappropriate emotional responses are simply a reflection of early childhood trauma. This might lead us to retrain this person, and instead of punishing the caregiver, extend empathy to its furthest limit, and retrain them as well. 

The Third Option plan is to create a National Public Bank, through which all U.S. currency would eventually flow; this would tie all our fates together, as everything we create going forward would be funded by loans locked in at a 4% interest rate, essentially giving every citizen a 4% ‘share’ in whatever we individually or collectively create. 

Education would start from birth, in order to help parents from the beginning. Healthcare would be extended from birth until death, providing both physical and mental-emotional support. The work projects given to our children will help them ‘payback’ their education, which will no longer be seen as free (the lesson being that all things worthwhile come from great effort). All projects will center around bringing ‘essential needs’ to their communities, then outward to wherever disparity exists, until the world is more fair, certain, inclusive and sustainable for every one.

There are several voices which need to be heard within the educational space. In the New Paradigm, we need all good ideas to be known, in order that others can build upon them or even improve upon them.

Finally, research has shown that the best predictor of good outcomes for children is a stable safe home where parents are present. Only a holistic approach to our issues will have any positive effects. Every child needs socially and emotionally stable living conditions in which to grow sustainably. The National Bank is designed to build communities equally, with jobs and housing, a living wage and benefits for every individual.  

Education Philosopher John Dewey was all about bringing people out of their silos and seeing how we are all part of a larger picture. The Third Option will celebrate the legacy of John Dewey by trying to make school a tiny microcosm of our larger society. The only difference is that our school will beta test the intellectual products of an ever-evolving Future.