HOMO SAPIENS SAPIENS: 
OUR SPECIES IN TIME/ SPACE/ MIND

EVOLUTION
	2,600,000 years of human history
biology - culture dialectic [‘feedback mechanisms’ in systems terminology]
	evidence in body/mind structural changes: upright posture/hands free, birth canal/brain etc
		=culture as an adaptive strategy
continuing role of mutation (introduces change) and natural selection (selects for fitness) in all species, including humans

ECONOMY
	fisher/hunter/gatherers (exclusively for 2,590,000 years)
	horticulture (perhaps 15,000+ years)
	pastoralism (perhaps 15,000+ years)
	agriculture (10,000 years)
	economics: 
		production-distribution-consumption cycle organizes society
		adjusts to group size, environment, etc
the “new” economies (e.g., telecommunications=selling information) and the “old” base (getting food and other resources from the environment)

SOCIETY/COMMUNITY
	synergy among social elements:
			collective identity (through shared values) and
		collective organization (community, cooperation=heterarchy)
individual identity (personality development) 
		competitive distinction among groups (class, gender, ethnicity, “race”)
		pyramidal political organization (competition for prestige=hierarchy)
	another dialectic: values that open (inclusiveness), values that close(exclusiveness)

BELIEF
	the varieties and the power of belief
	the roots of belief in values
	the roots of values in knowledge and experience
	the search for the ‘right way’ to be in the world

COMMUNICATION
	the many ways humans communicate information
		language, body language, objects, style, space and perception, etc
		draws on emotions, feelings, all the senses
		the link between emotion and memory
communication as the basis for self-organization (holism = greater energy/ potential/ complexity than just the sum of parts) 
	communicating knowledge
		traditional forms of communication (stories, apprenticeships, etc)
modernism and communication (increasing speed of transit to instantaneous, less face-to-face interaction)
		the postmodern critique: searching for synergy between science and tradition
		the postmodern condition: alienation, anxiety, xenophobia

EFFECTS OF CHANGE: stress on mind and body, organizations and systems
	on individuals
	on families and communities
	on societies
	on the planet

GLOBAL ISSUES
20th Century issues: focus on the nation-state
	democracy vs. authoritarianism (WWII a clear example)
	capitalism (success!) vs. communism (failure!)
	but all the 20th century experiments–capitalism, communism, socialism-produced
			stress on the individual
			diminution of quality of life (erosion of family and community)
			exploitation
			corruption
			colonialism
			environmental degradation (biodiversity loss, pollution, global warming)

21st Century issues: focus on the planet
Government issues
the double challenge of  multinationals and ‘Jihad’ to the nation-state and to democracy
		how to protect populations, nation-states, the planet
		keeping security in perspective (the warnings of 1984)
		authoritarianism vs. democracy (again!)
the planning challenge (short-term and long-term; the next election vs. the next century)
Environmental issues 
		Ozone depletion
Ultraviolet B or UVB is the particular range of the invisible light spectrum from 280 to 315 nanometers. UVB are known as the "burning" rays and are the most common cause of sunburns. 
Traditionally, only a small percentage of the Sun's UVB reaches the Earth's surface. The bulk
is absorbed in the atmosphere. However, research has indicated that in areas of lower than normal ozone, UV intensity increases. A recent study showed a variant 236 percent increase in UVB intensity in Argentina, and a 285 percent increase in Antarctica, beneath the ozone hole.  Finland reports that during recent decades, stratospheric ozone thickness declined between 10 to 40 percent during winter and spring months over portions of the Northern Hemisphere.  In general, a 1 percent reduction in ozone leads to a 2 percent increase in UV intensity which leads to a 2 to 4 percent increase in skin cancers. Over 1.3 million Americans are diagnosed each year with the disease. In fact, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer today.  Skin cancer researchers have declared the disease to be epidemic in proportion.

	Radioactive waste, air pollution
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 3 million people die each year from the effects of air pollution. This is three times the 1 million who die yearly in automobile accidents. A study published in The Lancet concluded that air pollution in France, Austria, and Switzerland is responsible for more than 40,000 deaths annually in those three countries. About half of these deaths can be traced to air pollution from vehicle emissions. In the United States, traffic fatalities total just over 40,000 per year, while air pollution claims 70,000 lives annually. U.S. air pollution deaths are equal to deaths from breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. This scourge of cities in industrial and developing countries alike threatens the health of billions of people. 

	New/changed atmospheric gasses: (here just two)
Carbon dioxide (CO2): Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the most common atmospheric gases.  It is formed during breathing of humans and animals, in fermentation and decomposition processes and during the burning of fossil fuels. 
Chloroflourocarbons (CFCs): A greenhouse gas which contributes approximately 24% to global warming. The source is leaking air conditioners, refrigerators, industrial solvents, production of plastic foam, and aerosol propellants. These gases take 10_20 years to reach the stratosphere and trap 1,500_7,000 times as much heat per molecule as carbon dioxide. These gases are also responsible for the hole in the ozone layer and remain in the stratosphere for 65 years.

	Global warming: see this website for a good summary <

	Biodiversity: 
		Scales: genetic, species, and ecosystem
		Value: pharmaceuticals, food, ecosystem stability
		Loss is accelerating; its causes:
Habitat change and loss (e.g., Everglades), 
			Over-harvesting (cod fishing), 
Introduction of exotic species (zebra mollusc in Gt Lakes),
			New diseases (pfisteria), 
Pollution (agri fertilizer and pesticide runoff /N.C. fisheries), 
			Climatic change (lobster to blue crab)

	Genetic modification
Benefits: insect- and disease-resistant crops, herbicide tolerant, prolonged shelf life, drought resistant crops
Risks: pesticidal toxin produced throughout the plant, allergic reactions, movement of transgenes into plant relatives, contamination of non-GMO and organic crops through cross-pollination, harmful to beneficial insects, long-term health and developmental effects are unknown, pests keep mutating
	Security and the role of poverty and inequality
Human health (disease, bioterrorism, compromised immunity)
	Food quality (Chicago Abyss)
	Food security (environmental degradation and political instability)
			
ADDRESSING GLOBAL CRISIS
	multiple scales of analysis (of time and space)
	multiple dimensions of analysis (many data-gathering methods, many perspectives)
	understanding the context of conflict (history, culture, values)
	=polyvalent means of pattern recognition
	issues: 
		Investigating information–measurement–interpretation
		Reconciling science and belief: what we can learn from tradition and spirituality
	engaging in mediation/ mitigation/ remediation:  ex. Concur 
CONCUR, Inc. provides services in agreement-focused mediation and facilitation, joint fact-finding, conflict assessment, environmental policy analysis, natural resource planning, strategic planning, and environmental mediation training. Our staff has a unique dual expertise in both the process and substance of environmental decision making. We are rigorously trained in the art and science of negotiation and dispute resolution, as well as in environmental planning and policy analysis. This dual expertise is the foundation of CONCUR's philosophy: to integrate different disciplines that strengthen our problem-solving capability so that we can provide clients the highest quality professional services.

RENEWING PATRIOTISM
	study the production, consumption, discard stream and act on your discoveries
	shepherd US and global resources for planetary security
	move from discriminating consumer to discriminating citizen
	explore the place of the United States in history, in the present world, on the planet:
		how should an empire behave?
value diverse opinions and the importance of dialogue; make a personal effort to understand others with different views, use mediation tactics to avoid conflict
	find out for yourself qui bono? (who is benefiting?) from policies
	become and stay involved: LEARN, LEARN, LEARN: a closed mind is a dead mind.

In other words, endeavor to think and act beyond your place and time in the world.
As Native Americans teach,
Unto seven generations: your children’s children’s children’s children’s children’s children
and their world of AD 2204.