I am here to see what this is all about

Submitted by don mikulecky on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 12:44pm

I have over 900 diaries on Daily Kos, many highly recommended. I came here to stay in touch with comrades who left there recently. As a charter member of DSA I am a strong supporter of Bernie Sanders. Coincidentally we were both at the University of Chicago in the early 1960s and involved in the same causes.

My academic/intellectual pursuits have led me to becoe a student of complex systems. I coauthored a book: Global Insanity: How Homo sapiens Lost Touch with Reality while Transforming the World

The Global Economy that sustains the civilized world is destroying the biosphere. As a result, civilization, like the Titanic, is on a collision course with disaster. But changing course via the body politic appears to be well nigh impossible, given that much of the populace lives in denial. Why is that? And how did we get into such a fix? In this essay, biologists James Coffman and Donald Mikulecky argue that the reductionist model of the world developed by Western civilization misrepresents life, undermining our ability to regulate and adapt to the accelerating anthropogenic transformation of the world entrained by that very model. An alternative worldview is presented that better accounts for both the relational nature of living systems and the developmental phenomenology that constrains their evolution. Development of any complex system reinforces specific dependencies while eliminating alternatives, reducing the diversity that affords adaptive degrees of freedom: the more developed a system is, the less potential it has to change its way of being. Hence, in the evolution of life most species become extinct. This perspective reveals the limits that complexity places on knowledge and technology, bringing to light our hubristically dysfunctional relationship with the natural world and increasingly tenuous connection to reality. The inescapable conclusion is that, barring a cultural metamorphosis that breaks free of deeply entrenched mental frames that made us what we are, continued development of the Global Economy will lead inexorably to the collapse of civilization.

This pretty well sums up where I am at.

Tags:

intoduction

politics

complexity theory

systems

book

Vote

Comments

Submitted by detroitmechworks on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 1:05pm

wow. Another HUGE Fish for our pond.

Welcome, welcome.

Have enjoyed your work for some time, so glad to be able to read it again without giving ad revenue to those that don't deserve it!

—

I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

Submitted by don mikulecky on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 1:07pm

thanks

the times they ARE a changin'...good to see you

—

An idea is not responsible for who happens to be carrying it at the time. It stands or it falls on its own merits.

Submitted by detroitmechworks on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 2:14pm

Glad to be here too.

This place has a Hope in it that The Other Place does not.

It's quite an enjoyable change of air.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYA_0R7Vw1s]

—

I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

Submitted by WilliamHGeorge on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 1:20pm

Fellow 70 Somethings

Great to see you. I am like another poster here. I just washed up on shore wanting to build a fire and set down with fellows to see how we can replace our deficient leaders. This looks like it might be as good a place as Zuccotti Park was. I was only there via livestreams but have met and become friends with a couple who were there.
William

Submitted by don mikulecky on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 1:22pm

hello

good to meet you

—

An idea is not responsible for who happens to be carrying it at the time. It stands or it falls on its own merits.

Submitted by shaharazade on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 1:26pm

Wow!

another favorite writer from dkos is here. Welcome. I would love to be able to read your excellent writing at caucus99.

Submitted by don mikulecky on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 1:31pm

thank you

the times are changing and so are we...good to be here with you

—

An idea is not responsible for who happens to be carrying it at the time. It stands or it falls on its own merits.

Submitted by joe shikspack on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 1:43pm

welcome...

it's great to see you here, i look forward to reading your posts.

this is about a lot of things all at once, but at base, this is a community of friends and thinking people. it's also about putting a platform under some good ideas and good intentions and seeing what happens, and it's about discussion, learning and building a base for activism.

it's about things that none of us knows it's about yet, too, because it's growing and will find its own way.

Submitted by don mikulecky on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 1:45pm

I look forward to being a part of it

It was much needed.

—

An idea is not responsible for who happens to be carrying it at the time. It stands or it falls on its own merits.

Submitted by PastorAgnostic on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 2:03pm

Is there a difference in lifespan between bad and good ideas?

I think of some solutions I imagined on matters economic and legal. Then, I think of some ideas, many swallowed and promoted by the likes of Trumpenstein, Sarah, and other miscreants. Some ideas shrivel. Some ideas continue on, like birtherism, anti-science anti-climate change, our earth being flat, etc.

I suspect that a bad idea might be more able to survive and stand compared to a good one. I just wonder why.

Submitted by don mikulecky on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 2:43pm

ideas exist in a context

the ones that enhance the stability of the system are easiest to survive....ideas that threaten the system are either absorbed as part of the system or crushed...otherwise there is a revolution

—

An idea is not responsible for who happens to be carrying it at the time. It stands or it falls on its own merits.

Submitted by cany on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 1:54pm

Came to check it out:) Looks great.

Hey, everyone. Good to see you.

Submitted by Unabashed Liberal on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 3:18pm

Welcome! Love your avatar! ;-) N/T

—

Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Submitted by 2andfro on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 1:56pm

Nice to see political pals here

as well as at the new reddit subthread. You took some flak last night at dkos, Don. I'm hoping this will be a largely flame-free space where grown-ups can present, discuss, and respectfully disagree at times. No flags!

—

"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." --Jiddu Krishnamurti

Submitted by Caerus on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 2:36pm

Flak

I've said this many times at DK. I lived in London for years, and knew a wonderful man who was a pilot with the RAF during WWII. He knew I was doing some grassroots organizing for a development group, had an especially difficult day, some nasty comments in press, and he said to me, and I've never, ever forgotten it, what he and his fellow RAF pilots learned in WWII : "When you start taking flak, you know you're over the target."

I got scalded for using "issues not gender" as a sign off. Explained I was voting on the issues, not the gender of the candidate. Called sexist, explained I was female, made me, it seems, more sexist.

Then, "President Sanders: an idea whose time has come." But, he's not President yet! Duh, well, yeah, but, Victor Hugo, etc. Didn't matter, I shouldn't write that. So natch, write it all the time!

Flak. Have come to have a great & deep appreciation for FLAK - helps me learn where to focus!

Thanks again for accommodating so many new ( old) voices here.

Submitted by PastorAgnostic on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 1:59pm

Evolution necessarily leads to extinction?

Can we choose who goes first?
OR
Can education, training, experience, insight, and technology offer a way out?

I suspect the latter, but I am an optimist, especially when a new scotch is involved.

Great to see you here. And great to be here. I just hope my puns don't cross the line two off in.

Submitted by don mikulecky on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 2:48pm

evolution leads to extinction because it reduces the options for

survival. Old developed systems got there by making choices and locking in options as others were discarded....there is no going back. Young developing systems are full of options and are very adaptable.

—

An idea is not responsible for who happens to be carrying it at the time. It stands or it falls on its own merits.

Submitted by Bisbonian on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 7:21pm

Evolved?

I'm becoming less evolved all the time

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"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X

Submitted by 2andfro on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 2:01pm

Nice to see political pals here

—

"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." --Jiddu Krishnamurti

Submitted by gjohnsit on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 2:05pm

This is what DKos has become

Submitted by dkmich on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 2:08pm

log out gjohnsit...

put the gun down and walk away (joke NSA). The gangs at dailykos are going to slaughter the bernie people that stay, particularly if they have a reputation of independence.

When I clicked on this link and saw the warning, I thought - wtf, how the hell did I get to dailykos.

—

"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Submitted by PrometheusUnbound on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 2:50pm

agreed. pull the plug

its so much better just to let go and move on. between here and kossacks/reddit the movement lives on and we will grow and thrive without the sniveling little shit of a dictator trying to keep us down.

Submitted by don mikulecky on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 2:50pm

any stable system needs to destroy new ideas

it must either absorb them as part of the system or destroy them. Otherwise it will be changed by them.

—

An idea is not responsible for who happens to be carrying it at the time. It stands or it falls on its own merits.

Submitted by dkmich on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 2:05pm

I hope you have your writing on your own server too.

JayRaye wanted to move her series off daily kos to here. She was worried about losing access to her writing. When she tried, she found there is no way to copy and paste. Johnny offered to help her and together they did get them copied/moved to here.

What are we all about? It will be interesting to have our new members share with us what they think we are all about. For me, this place is about nice, smart people who are not threatened by what others think. We are pretty far to the left. I would be amazed if there was a Hillary supporter here anywhere. For a few, Bernie is too centrist. We like to chat about politics and events in the news. We may disagree, but what others think is no skin off anyone's nose. We are not judgmental. We are not authoritarian. We all own this site, so we don't have a daddy that owns the place and tells us what we can and can't do. We have no cliques, no roving gangs, no bullies, no timeouts, no CTs, no flags, and no being sat in a corner until dad says you can come out. Since there are no ads, no fees, no paid staff, no rigid structure or rules to follow, it is hard for anyone to be demanding and territorial. If we have to pay for hardware/software to keep the place running, Johnny tells us how much he needs and takes up a collection.

Volunteers chipped in and started this gathering hole over a year ago because "we" couldn't handle the stress of being at dailykos. We knew it would only get worse and worse, and we needed a place where we could gather and not have to deal with all of the anger, chest thumping/helmet banging, and centrist bullshit that is dailykos. Some volunteers did much more than others, and Johnny did the most despite all of my best efforts to counsel him out of it. We went from google groups to word press, to here. If it wasn't for Johnny, there would be no drupal site. All of the programming and work required to build and maintain this site is donated by JtC. We have a small committee of admins that Johnny works with when he feels a need. They also help to pour oil on troubled water when they see it. Many of the decisions are actually brought to the entire membership. We discuss them, we vote, and lol, like most committees sometimes get nowhere. If we have a leader, Johnny earned that role for all he's given to us. Joe is another strong partner here.

—

"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Submitted by Caerus on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 2:43pm

a very new voice

Thanks for all that background. I'm completely focused on electing President Sanders. Obsessively focused. Eager to hear, learn, what options his campaign will be looking at if Convention nominates Clintons ( always think in the plural) and with the online organizations, seems there is possibility.

Speaking of online. This was posted in the Kos diary, but a first time poster who was immediately hidden and banned, so incase others aren't yet aware of this, or ways of making it more powerful?

https://www.change.org/p/democratic-national-party-i-am-a-liberal-that-w...?

If you support Bernie Sanders and you won’t support Hillary Clinton then let the DNC know that by signing and sharing the petition below. This petition doesn’t necessarily mean you will not to vote for Hillary if she is the eventual nominee, but that she will not have your personal support in a general election, such as donations and personal advocacy. Better to let the DNC know now before the race is decided. Hillary is universally unpopular amongst voters 18-29 and independents, two demographics democrats need to win a general election, in addition she has an over 50% disapproval rating. Also Hillary is only winning in states that are not going to matter much in a general election while losing in those that are, by wide margins. Meanwhile Republicans are have broken records for participation in all of the first nominating contests. If Hillary and Trump win their perspective nominations then Trump could not only become our next president but he could also obtain super majorities in the house and the senate.

Submitted by dkmich on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 2:56pm

#BernieOrBust has over 50K signatures and is still growing....

The pledge is to write Bernie in or vote Green if Hillary is the nominee. I am #BernieOrBust.

—

"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Submitted by PrometheusUnbound on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 2:43pm

great to see you here Don!

welcome aboard

Submitted by don mikulecky on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 2:53pm

ty

—

An idea is not responsible for who happens to be carrying it at the time. It stands or it falls on its own merits.

Submitted by hecate on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 2:46pm

it is about

this:

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XRyEkOfQSg]

Submitted by Metanoia on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 3:42pm

So glad you're here!

I have read some of your work and found it always thought provoking. I hope you have a long and productive presence here!

Submitted by don mikulecky on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 4:16pm

ty

—

An idea is not responsible for who happens to be carrying it at the time. It stands or it falls on its own merits.

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 4:30pm

Good to see you, grab a chair and unwind. Then write stuff ;-)

—

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by don mikulecky on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 4:46pm