Response to What is Socratic Dialog and How to Sustain it
The chaff or husk comes along as part of the seed grain; it’s a natural part of the wheat. To utilize the goodness of the wheat, we separate the chaff from the grain. One most popular and efficient method is threshing. In threshing man gives the wheat up to what to do the separation? Man gives the wheat up to the wind to do the separation, for to do it with his own fingers in a linear fashion would be grossly inefficient and impractical.
Such as it is I suggested four years ago in the dialog that we develop such a system designed to support the requirements for Socratic dialog. At the same time introducing the Crème principle a notion provided by nature, what I did was transfer that in natural application to a system that could be created by man or if allowed would happen naturally. I also indicated that this would parlay into a system for participatory self government using the new tools that would be coming available to all. The chief design requirement in the design of all the new systems was to engineer ego self interest out of the system so that it could not exert to strong an influence over design, decision, and execution. Such that our product would be the result of the sum of individual self interests integrated. Individual self interest is represented but in a way that maintains balance in proper proportion to it’s presence in the system. In the system would be a digital wind that would separate the wheat from chaff in the dialog and the cream would rise to the top and here the world could place it’s attention.
At the same time in the wisdom of understanding I articulated the need for the protection of individual sovereignty and this applies at all levels including nations of people. For collectivism, conformity, and central control is not conducive to evolution it only supports order. It is the rebel, the revolutionary, the eccentric, the heretic, the outcast, the one that marches to beat of a different drummer that induces and allows the collective body to evolve. Therefore the lone voice and actor must be heard in the dialog and it’s free agency protected for it is essential to the survival of the body as a whole. For here we find growth, adaptation, invention, innovation, and ingenuity and the proper questioning of the status quo.
As I have written in the past, in the dialog, we might liken the chaff to ego chatter, and the notion was not to silence the ego chatter with force but to create a voice of spirit and wisdom of greater volume so that the ego chatter is insignificant upon the ears becoming nothing more than background noise. This voice would be the collective voice born of each informed individual voice. If we were to attempt to silence certain individuals then we might also silence the one voice that might be speaking with insight, wisdom and intelligence even though it did not have the status quo credentials and agenda. If only the members of the status quo could speak into the dialog we would do nothing but maintain the status quo and eventually perish through a failure to grow. I put forth the notion of a measured and authenticated voice of the people which would carry it’s full weight in proceedings and voting, and that the individuals representing those people in the institutions of self government would be able to carry out the will and intention of their constituency in a wise and liberal manner.
We should mention formality because this is often an area of contention in Socratic dialog. Formality is another word for structure and order. There is time for structure and a time for the unstructured mode of operation. A time to dress nicely to state the importance of an event and a time to run naked through the streets to protest and give voice, they called that streaking in the 70’s and now the fashion seems stadiums rather than streets.
Order actually arises naturally from Chaos especially more so with some help from intelligence, I present the universe as empirical evidence. With intelligence and structure out of the chaos of the individual voices can arise a refined voice representing many and the contributions many individuals, the collective wisdom and gestalt intelligence.
With the proper vehicles any single voice can enter the dialog and be amplified so that is shown to speak as the many think. A single voice that provides great value and insight can naturally be illustrated to be such and garner more attention. A group of voices speaking in harmony it also would also denote. That thought in resonance that rises to a crescendo becomes “thy will be done”.
This would not be a balanced perspective if we fail to include a safeguard. A council of wisdom empowered by law and principle, with checks to protect against collective mob behavior resulting from ignorance and irrational thinking with it’s reactionary emotionally driven action. This is especially of concern if there is not existing a free and independent media and information from all sources so that none become collectively ill informed or subjected to disinformation from consolidated non-autonomous control of information flow.
For in understanding all things we find the wisdom in all things and in wisdom we preserve the freedom for all to pursue their happiness. As well as the right of each individual to not have their pursuit of happiness infringed upon by others in their own pursuit; for none can really truly be happy if their happiness comes at the expense of another’s happiness. If such pursuit would do so then that pursuit must be evolved, on the other hand if your unhappiness is due to the need to evolve, one had better evolve or lose your right to happiness. For those that like to keep things the same that is not going to happen due to the natural expansion of the universe and life in conjunction with change, also known as time. There is only one thing that is timeless and I am that I am and thou art that I am in you, the ancient witness. This realization proceeds the coming of the Kingdom and that on earth is in heaven.
So saith I as the One and not other
Richard Thomas Gerber
P.S
Many things happen somewhat naturally if given the vehicle to do so. In other words the vehicle will naturally be steered by intelligence local and or all pervading. It helps to have a concerted and funded effort to create the vehicles.
Speaking of wheat and chaff…
I remind the world body, that the body of man was not designed to use wheat as staple for food and it was Amaranth the immortal and everlasting that was designed for this. Some things perhaps better left to the production of beer and to feed those animals that have been designed to digest such substance and to that it is found to be synergistic. There are elements in wheat that are not synergistic with human body, and although a source of energy it is not one for nutrition.
We are reminded of that famous meme, “Man cannot live on bread alone”.