Timothy Wilken, MD
Synergic Science is the study of how systems
work together
— physical systems, biological systems and social systems. This
involves a careful study of the relationship of the "parts" of a system
to the "whole" of the system.
“Synergy
means behavior of whole systems unpredicted by the behavior of their
parts taken separately. … Synergy is the only word that means this. The
fact that we humans are unfamiliar with the word means that we do not
think there are behaviors of "wholes" unpredicted by the behavior of
"parts".” —R. Buckminster Fuller
Synergic
Science makes much of the relationships between the "parts" and their
relationships to the "whole". For human beings there can be no other
more important "parts" than Self and Other.
From my
perspective I am self and you are other, but from your point of view
you are self and I am other. This is a very simple way of looking at
things.
Our relationships then are major importance in determining the quality of our lives.
From the point of view of the individual joining in relationship, I can be hurt, I can be ignored, or I can be helped by the relationship—there are only three ways.
Relationships that hurt are adversary.
Relationships that ignore are neutral.
Relationships that help are synergic.
Therefore all human choices and all human relationships can be described as falling on a continuum.
Adversity — • — Neutrality — • — Synergy
We
humans are conditioned by our life experience. The propensity of the
types of relationship we encounter can well determine how we believe
the world works.
Adversaries believe there is not enough for everyone and only the physically strong will survive. They believe humans are coercively dependent on others, and they best understand the language of force.
Neutralists
believe there is enough for everyone, if only you work hard enough and
take care of yourself. They believe humans are financial independent
and should be self-sufficient unless they are too lazy or defective.
They best understand the language of money.
And, finally a new type of human is still emerging. Synergists
believe there is enough for everyone but only if we work together and
act responsibly. They believe humans are INTERdependent and can only
obtain sufficiency by working together as community. Synergists best understand the language of love.
But, to be successful in our present world, the synergist must
understand all three languages and know when to use them. Synergists
must sometimes use the language of force, and sometimes the language of money,
it depends on whom they are talking to. However, when synergists are
seeking allies—when synergists are seeking to build community—they must
speak the language of love.
Synergists believe that you should, "Do unto others as you would have them do
unto you."
What is it that most of us want others to do unto us?
Synergic scientists answer this question as follows: Help and support
others as you would wish them to help and support you. Or, more
simply, "Treat others the way they want to be treated."
Synergists are trying to heal the wounds inflected by those who don't
understand how the world could work. This then is the essential
challenge to the synergists.
Can we work together and act responsibly
in time to save our ourselves on this planet? ...
Yes, but only by helping each
other. ... Yes, but only by working together.
Synergists can be most powerful when
they form synergic community. This first requires
committment and
unity. Once such a community is formed you have something very special I call
CommUNITY which uses the power of WIN-WIN relationships to empower the
process of
working together.
Synergic science has developed two technologies for use by
CommUNITY—the
Gifting Tensegrity and the
Organizational Tensegrity. To better
understand them you, first need to understand
Tensegrity which was addressed in this presentation. ...
View a PDF of the Presentation Slides.
Who was there
Boaz Klapphotz, John Rogers, Rozie Hughes--
note-taker (New Road Map Fdtn), Kirsten Liegmann (Gaia Univ), John
Bloom (RSF Social Finance), Orland Bishop (ShadeTree Multicultural
Found.), Geoff Chesshire (Regenerosity), Bruce P. Norman, SHann
Turnbull (Int. Inst. for Self-Governance), Tatiana Cattard (BALLE
Seattle), Arthur Brock (Targeted Currencies), Nick Soletti, Kevin Keck
Was
to be a Slide Presentation about "tensegrity" and applications to
social interactions, by Timothy Wilken, but technology failed! He
presented content, while we looked on at his computer.
Boiled down to three possible
relationships: win (be helped), lose (be hurt), draw (neutral) on the
individual level. Taking that out a level, mathematically, conflict
creates "conflict deficit", draw is no net loss, co-op creates
"cooperation surplus." Truly fair market is (theoretically) neutral.
Timothy
then began his discussion of tensegrity. Towards the end of that
discussion, Wilken suggested that in a synergic civilization that
humans would move beyond conflict. Criticism
from Shann Turnbull that this is not congruent with Tensegrity.
Evolution created competition/co-operation to create social
tensegrity.
Can't have fully co-operative structure, it will not have tensegrity.
Timothy responded that competition is allowed, but adversity isn't.
Does not take into account the larger product resulting from individual
interaction. Rozie countered that this yin/yang construct is
represented in Tai Chi push hands -- someone is pushing while another
receiving push with tension, at some point IT MUST REVERSE, creating a
whole in balance, each participates in both types of dynamic. Have to
be consciousness that individual must change role respond/adapt to
dynamism of whole system.
Synergistic construction is predicated on commitment to self being connected to commitment to others.
Recognition of interdependence.
Boaz
asked, but how do you engineer a larger system? Timothy responded -
have to start in small yunits, create agreements re: commitment and
unity (Comm Unity), Agree upon supergoal wich contains individual
goals. Shann Turnbull sited new Visa Intl structure as example of
external co-operation, internal competition. Rozie sited Microsoft.
