#WorkingOutLoud on ‘A Planetary Philosophy’

I’ve been exploring ideas around a ‘Planetary Philosophy’, the idea that we need to create a more harmonious, accountable, and sustainable relationship between humans, and the planet that we live upon. This is outlier work: it’s an idea that I wanted to get into, but with a recognition that the ideas are partial, and the coherence at times lacking. In the best sense of the word, this work is imperfect and explores imperfection.

The central premise is a consideration of disconnect: between the environment we have created, and the natural environment that we came from. It explores how we industrialised and created a technologically moderated reality, but in doing so we have lost a local and tactile connection to the planet: our exploitative development has cost us dearly in terms of both environmental, but also philosophical cost. We have become less through this disconnect: taunted by perfection, abstracted from nature.

This work posits that we need to evolve both our structures of society, and worldview around our relationship to these systems.?

I position a view that we need a more ‘unreconciled’ view of our ‘selves’, a willingness to reconnect, rebalance, and restore, which will require us to do some serious thinking about what, exactly, we want from society, and what we are prepared to pay for (and in which currencies we will need to pay).

I am seeking to create this work in the spirt of ‘The Humble Leader’, not as a coherent book of answers, but rather a guided challenge and reflection. I am prepared for it to be shared incomplete and fragile.

The book currently exists as an 8,000 word manuscript, which I think is about 80% complete. There is some work to do around a couple of key areas, and the illustrations to develop – and hence sharing this first image today. This is not what the final idea will end up like, but I wanted to make a start.

In some senses this is selfish work: whilst I should be prioritising the new Social Leadership book, the Culture Weaving research, and the Learning Science work, this Planetary Philosophy is an intellectual distraction and attractor. I keep coming back to it!

I will share this work as it takes shape.