Table of Contents

• Foundation for the Study of Societal Metamorphosis
• Table of Contents
• Thesis
• Phenomenological Evidence
• The Tri-Partite, Three Stage Model
• The Role of Ideals
• Speculative Method
  • Terms and Definitions
  • Scientific intractability of discontinuous metamorphic phase changes
  • The Nature of Metamorphosis
    • Metamorphosis
      • Disintegration, diametric reorientation, structural integration
    • Direct and indirect measurement
      • Document Development, Maturation Progress
      • GNP accounting supplemented by other measures:
      • Indirect betterment of social environment
• Societal Adolescence in the Information Age
  • Emergent environmentalism and the shift from exploitation to nurture
  • Emergent feminine morality and power
  • Liquification, Alienation and Community
    • Social disintegration, social media and spiritual vitality
    • What is community?
    • Alienation has material costs
  • Globalization
    • Globalized economy
    • Globalization of culture
    • Global integration and tolerance
  • Hierarchy, decentralization and individual empowerment
  • Demographics and Urbanization
  • Structure of the Economy and the Nature of Work
    • Services and internet economies
  • Dematerialization
    • Dematerialization and technology embedding
    • Dematerialization in production, consumption, trade
      • Dematerialization of money
  • Digitalization
  • The Crisis in Government
    • Governance as central axis of society’s relational development
  • Loss of Privacy and the Threat of Algorithms
    • Algorithms and AI
  • Evolution of Cooperation
    • Emergent cooperation
    • The evolution of religion
    • Morality rises with income: Ben Friedman
    • Game theory and the evolution of cooperation
    • Social insects and altruism in mammals
    • 1984: Conformity, Consensus and Authority
  • Consumerism vs. post-consumerism:
    • Material need vs. status, connections and experiences
    • Evolving Consumerism
    • Entropy and environmental limits
• The Tri-Partite, Three Stage Model Elaborated
  • Matter/Information/Energy
  • Solid/liquid/gas
  • Head/thorax/abdomen
  • Caterpillars, tadpoles, mammals, plants
  • Childhood/adolescence/maturity
  • Maslo’s material/relational/spiritual hierarchy of needs
  • Theories of historical progress:
    • Cyclical/evolutionary/teleological/awakening consciousness
    • Marxism
      • Money vs. spirit; Capitalists vs. proletarians; big vs. small government
  • Organizational development: pioneer, scientific and mature phases
    • Executive reform: financial incentives, regulations, and executive functions
  • Flexibility and rhythm
  • General Systems Theory
    • Living Systems Theory
    • Structure and Development
  • Boulding’s Knowledge/Energy/Materials Saga
  • Three developmental phases:
    • Industrial/Information/Solar ages in healthy societal development
  • Dialectic synthesis of body, mind and spirit, rhythmically resolved
  • Three spheres of human society: Economics/Governance/Culture
    • Economics and culture sub-spheres
    • Governance sub-spheres: legislative/judicial/executive
  • Separating government from economy and culture
  • Integrating body/mind/spirit of the societal ideal
    • Distinguishing thinking, feeling willing in adolescence
    • Structural integration, quality of life, others
  • Consolidation of Capital
• The Role of Ideals Elaborated
  • Idea of Progress
  • Emergence
  • Teleology, progress, meaning
  • Carrot and stick forces motivating societal progress _ either and both to same end
  • The role of ideals
  • ”Fraternite, Egalite and Liberte“
  • Capitalism and Two Types of Socialism
    • Material ideal – Libertarianism
    • Bureaucratic ideal — Communism
    • Spiritual ideal — Utopianism
  • Utopian visions — Chardin, Schumacher, Steiner, others
  • Capitalism/socialism/utopianism along material/relational/spiritual dimensions
  • Ideal Government
    • Public goods and omnipresent governance
    • Income inequality, redistribution, and tax policy
      • Distributive justice
    • Public goods, property rights and the social safety net
    • Better Governance, part 1: the material stick
      • Electoral reform: 6 marginal improvements
    • Better Governance, part 2: the inspiring carrot
  • Imagine the Ideal
  • Inspire societal progress
  • Align cooperation
  • Uncover individual meaning
• Bibliography
• About & Contact
• Blog

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