Holistic values: a vision to inform future policy

With an agreed vision we can together, not divisively, formulate appropriate policies and strategies to ensure the future viability of the human race.

Conversation on the edge

Yesterday we were invited to attend a gathering ‘ Conversation on the Edge’ hosted by Christopher and Sheila Cooke: https://www.3lm.network/our-team . The intent was to pave the way for a Think-and-Do-Tank to examine a holistically informed approach to decision-making on UK’s ecology practice and policy. The focus was on holism and sustainable food production. Significantly the conference took place at Steiner House in London. Focused on the holistic way of 'thinking and being' it was recognised that holism was the specific contribution of Jan Christian Smuts - and his thinking had been favourably endorsed by Rudolph Steiner.

Taking it to parliament

The main case was presented by Alan Savory, a world authority on holistic practice, especially related to land management. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7pI7IYaJLI His recognition of Smuts’ philosophy and way of thinking introduced in the book ‘Holism and Evolution’ (1926) gave me a deep sense of personal satisfaction. I found the question, ‘What is holistically orientated policy?’ deeply engaging, having argued for a long time that holism provides the underpinning principles for a new management paradigm of thinking. As Savory said, management and policy formulation are either going to continue to be reductionistic, at our peril, or it will finally become holistic. And so the intention is to begin with a consultative meeting with Peers and Members of Parliament to take place in mid-October. The enablement of this event will be supported by Lord Stone of Blackheath.

Complex Adaptive Intelligence

Recently we of the Evolutionary Transformations Group presented a paper on ‘complex adaptive intelligence’ (CAI) to a conference on a circular economy at Bournemouth University. WWW.EVOLUTIONARYTRANSFORMATIONSGROUP.COM The circular economy is a good example of holistic thinking. It’s about how to manage all the integrated complex dynamics of a living system - the opposite of reductionism - of silo thinking - see: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/accessing-complex-adaptive-intelligence-seed-new-economic-van-wyk/

Global food system

Yesterday’s conversation was focused on the role of policy-making - especially directed at the global food system. The agricultural industry was recognised as the greatest contributor to environmental degradation. Conventional agricultural methods are killing the living soil, our living waters, and our living atmosphere, and providing increasingly low-quality food with an over-abundance of cheap carbohydrates. This increasingly leads to obesity and disease. Savory put it succinctly:

“The food industry is the greatest threat to the planet.”

The core issue is mainstream agriculture’s focus on monoculture, with those vast single-crop (often GM) fields, versus regenerative agriculture’s focus on polyculture. This is the essence of Savory’s work - holistic land management. It’s about appropriate mixed farming that recognises the resilience and generative nature of diversity. This approach is also described in models such as ‘Permaculture’ and ‘The Natural Step’. 

Dealing with symptoms rather than root causes

Savory emphasised that our attempts to reduce our damaging human footprint by targeting issues such as greenhouse emissions, plastics, etc., were an attempt to deal with the symptoms of a much deeper malaise. And that is our way of thinking and policy-making. It helps little to blame fossil fuel for climate change, focusing disproportionate attention on an issue like air travel, or focusing on the need to eliminate meat from our diets. Rather is about focusing on the way we manage those resources. 

What do people want?

Savory urged that policy-making should start with a national holistic context. A good entry point would of course be food production. Ask, he urged, what do humans really want? Whilst the response is likely be based on self-interest, allow the self-interest to be informed - ‘enlightened’. And then let this deeper understanding of what people want guide policy- making in a holistic framework. And that, he stressed, of necessity included how to manage complexity.

Policy to 'enable' rather than 'control'

Policy then, rather than being directed at controlling or inhibiting what we don’t want, should rather be directed towards a shared vision - what we do want. If you propose a certain course of action, like banning the use of fossil fuel, there will inevitably be those who come with a counter-argument - and unproductive division will likely continue. Governments, he reminded us, are unlikely to change policy until people change. There must be a groundswell for something else. Governance and policy should be about ‘enablement’ rather than ‘control’. Therefore he suggested that ultimately the shift from a materialistic viewpoint to a more sustainable and satisfactory one would focus on quality of life. Consider this question, he suggested:

“On what values do we want our lives to be based?

How about a social and economic context supportive of stable families living peacefully with a redefined notion of prosperity? How about ensuring physical security but still being free to pursue own spiritual and religious beliefs? How about adequate nutritious food and clean water, quality education, good health? How about being able to live balanced lives with time for family, friends and community, and time for cultural and other pursuits?

Managing resources

How would we organise policies and practices with the interdisciplinary support of credible and authoritative expertise if it were to be aimed at enabling the emergence of such a society? But, of course, this will all depend on how we were to manage our challenged future resource base. He asked: 

”How the do we as a population behave - and what must the state of our life-staining land be like a thousand years from now - so that it will also sustain successive generations with such a life?”

Future generations

In considering these aspirations, Savory suggested, we should wish for them to be ensured for many generations to come. At essence would be policy’s foundation of regenerating soils, ethical and humane consideration (for all life) and the enablement of biologically diverse communities in earth’s soils, and in her rivers, in her lakes, and in her oceans. 

If we agreed on such a vision we might be much better able to collectively, not divisively, formulate appropriate policies and strategies. But we don’t have much time!