VICTORIAN HUMANIST

Social Inventing: The Ignorance Nation and Humanism

"One must look for a constructive idea. If one has the sense of despair and of evil, then one must look for the sense of hope and of good with which to confront despair and evil"

Valerie Yule

Anyone who has any business dealings at all realises that Australia is suffering from a serious 'dumbing down' process. Ideologies may claim that efficiency distinguishes between private and public sectors, but competent versus incompetent is the difference that cuts across both.

Can there be a turnaround of the present culture of large-scale distaste for thinking, mental activity and constructive actions as citizens? The response of monkeys "I don't want to know, or see, or speak up" is unwise in view of the mortal challenges of the future. Commercial and ruling interests may prefer a 'dumbed down' population since it is more easily manipulated and does not require the oppression of brutal dictatorships.

But a country will be ruined by its own stupidities. A throwaway society becomes a thrown-away society. And humanism, with its ideal of thinking, humane individuals, has no appeal to unthinking masses lumped as 'consumers' and sabotaging democracy. (1)

Science and technology have created wonders - now the need is for thinking human beings who will not turn these to mischance and evil, and who will also turn their attention to their society itself.

This is the big problem that the encouragement of social inventing seeks to help turn abound. The encouragement of social inventions by everyone... a thinking mindset that is alert, puzzling, curious and enterprising, so that everyone can be a full human being, making the most of their lives.

Social inventions are ideas and projects that improve quality of life and help to solve social problems. Homeplus Living is one such innovation.

The Australian Centre for Social Innovations (ACSION) began in 1990, inspired by the Institute for Social Inventions which has achieved so much in Britain since its founding in the early 80s. ACSION runs a web-site, Australian Alternative Innovations and OzIdeas :

which is cited by other websites in eight countries (Google search), and has published nearly 90 pages of innovations and ideas that it seeks to publicise for discussion and promotion.

But ACSION's main aim is to arouse everyone to realise that they have the abilities and imagination to be able to think for themselves in having socially-innovative ideas and projects and putting them into action - however small the scale, or imitating the ideas of others. Old and young can all do something where they are, and with what they have. They need not feel helpless, as so many do. 'Social inventing' is one way that people old and young can be empowered, and can find more purpose and enjoyment in living.

A talk to HSV can discuss how this concept and attitude can be promoted in Melbourne, and show examples of what can be achieved.

At present, I estimate that at least 25% of all work activity in Australia is spent making mistakes and making up for them later. 50% of everything produced is wasted. Wasted lives are all around us and the main cause of widespread depression is the social climate. Money cannot change this. Let's work on many other solutions.

(1) See the address to the recent Rationalist Conference in India by Professor Paul Kurtz. "The highest priority for rationalists should be education. This involves the cultivation of critical thinking in students at all levels, but also in the mass media. This should apply to every individual in society. The basic moral principle is that each person, no matter what class or background has the right for cultural enrichment. Learning how to think is essential for all democracies. " And schools as they are today do not encourage, can not encourage, the sort of thinking and knowledge that are essential for the masses.