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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the goal of the project? To find and implement strategies based in the system dynamics of worldview change to accelerate civilization’s transition from a taker-based1 worldview to a lohas-based2 worldview. 1-Taker is a term coined by Daniel Quinn in Ishmael to indicate
that worldview that was born with the agricultural revolution and today
dominates the world. The leading strategy is to illustrate worldview change in a compelling story line that will be rendered into a fictional teaching novel at first, then in a non-fiction accompanying text, curricula, and other media. Since 99% of humanity enacts the civilization story most have never encountered another worldview. Thus for them, the only way to experience another worldview, to come to realize that worldviews exist, they are bound by mental models, and govern how we behave as a culture can only happen vicariously through explicit stories. The Project would look for the high leverage manners to diffuse these stories and then work with people and institutions to integrate a vision of a new worldview into their lifestyles. What are the phases? 1. Publish a fictional teaching book that unites findings from many different
fields that speak about worldview change. The book illustrates the dynamics
and indicate how readers can help to speed up the transition to a sustainable
worldview. What is the time line? The book should be published in 2006 with the launching of an action initiative the following year. What is the book market for the Worldview Change Project book? General interest, educated audience concerned with the state of the world. Based on the success of previous best-sellers of similar themes (i.e., based on systems principles but written for a mass market such as Limits to Growth, End of Nature, The Tipping Point, and Ishmael), this is a large market segment and growing fast. What is the strategy or plot? The book will be narrated by a character who accompanies her family on a multi-day hike at a Pennsylvania state park. Over the course of the trip the park’s new guide interprets3 the history of worldview change. As the group progresses, it undergoes remarkable changes that its members could never have imagined. The journey will some of the characters and readres to suggestions on how they can help speed the transition. Because it will be highly interpretive with a compelling plot, the book will be suitable for a general audience. Also, as with The Tipping Point, it will contain end notes with bibliographic references and more detailed technical explanations for an academic audience. The notes will bear page references but not use note markers in the book’s body. What are the strategies for developing the Project? Currently I am investigating four options to develop the book. 1) Write it in my free time around consulting work (current strategy); 2) write it from an organization that supports research and writing; 3) submit a book proposal and write it with an advance; 4) or affiliate the project with an organization of similar interests and fund raise from that organization, without drawing on its financial resources. After publication and promotion, the project could become a permanent part of that organization or bud off as an independent entity. What is the profile of an ideal partner organization? a. Is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to facilitating civilization’s shift
toward sustainability What are you currently doing? I am currently developing the basic conceptual materials such as a presentation that outlines the argument behind the book, working on the plot, doing preliminary research, holding initial discussions with potential advisory council members and sharing a PowerPoint presentation with possible partner organizations. I am investigating different funding scenarios. I have also joined a fiction writing group and honing my fiction writing with smaller pieces. What promotional materials are available?
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March 22, 2005