Re-Imagining our Future World: A Reflection on why Values that Support Biological Life, Human Creativity and Democracy Matter

Abstract

This paper is one of two companion papers and a mini symposium paper detailed in a forthcoming volume titled ‘All life communicates: Addressing Species Apartheid with Indigenous Custodians.” The volume details participatory design with Indigenous custodians and local communities to support multispecies relationality The research  is rooted in a community of practice spanning many cultures and ways of knowing. We try to work with one another and with nature in a way that are regenerative and not exploitative to promote local food security, creativity, community engagement and the protection of the local environment through projects that foster arts, crafts and organic growing.

 The Systemic Interventionist approach detailed in ‘All Life Communicates’,  is based on working on ‘what if scenarios’ with members of the CoP to enable them to think about their relationships with other species. Those of us who call ourselves ‘critical systemic thinkers and practitioners’ are not seeking a total, unified system. We realize this would be hubris and problematic as a starting point for engaging in a responsible development that seeks to work with diverse stakeholders on complex, wicked problems –  which by definition comprise many interrelated variables that are seen differently by different stakeholders. Could an awareness of interbeing enable people to address social and environmental justice by addressing AI and Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) policies? We are part of one multi-species energy system within a shared habitat.  The driving force for evolution is adaptation according to Dawkins (2009:332). The elements of life are sorted through the ages according to whether they are adapted to the local environment. If this is the case, then we human beings living in developed societies are no longer well adapted to our environment. We need to learn and re-learn the lessons we have forgotten from communities that appear to be better adapted, and we need to learn carefully with them. We face the potential of destroying biological life.