Monday, October 7, 2019

21 – Towards Implementation

A Revised Approach to Implementation … But
to Enhance the Process, a Paradigm Shift is Necessary 

It will be clear to the readers of these articles that the problem being discussed is deeply rooted in human nature (while in practice, the only possible solution is through improved basic education) and thus that it is global in scope … and consequently, that any solution to it must also be global. 

Further, the sociopsychological situation in virtually all nations around the world – see paragraph six, article #20 (2019) – leaves little doubt as to the seriousness of the problem and thus the urgent necessity for a solution.

And yet, in spite of the evident urgency and in spite of the soundness of the arguments of these articles, there seem to be lingering doubts on the part of academics/educators about their readiness to get involved. 

A foremost reason for this hesitancy may be due to the implication of a corollary to the thesis of these articles – that the foundation on which education has been built for the past two-and-a-half millennia is on shaky grounds … for education to-date has failed to address a most vital/pivotal concern of human wellbeing.  (In all likelihood, educators are largely unaware that such a concern even exists, thus it is no surprise that to-date there is no solution to the problem.)  And this concern in its turn is symptomatic of a much deeper ailment of world basic education regarding its primary purpose – see article # 13 (2015).

A second reason may be the departure of these articles from the accepted academic norms in some important ways, foremost among them being that their arguments are not supported by references.  Given that academic scholarship is usually based on referencing, the articles, however sound their logic and/or rationale, are therefore perceived deep down and at an emotional level to be wanting. 

Perhaps a third and a more immediate reason for the reluctance may be that academics/educators are not used to global thinking; their focuses usually being limited to their favourite projects, apart from teaching. 

There are other possible reasons as well, but the above three are probably the most significant …  

As to references, one might want to be mindful that this is a pioneering work, implying that it is at best unlikely that related references could be found.  Expecting references to these articles is akin to expecting Nicolai Copernicus to cite references to his heliocentric theory when the world at large believed in the then prevalent geocentric worldview.  Or take the notion of a spherical Earth when everyone else believed the Earth to be flat.  Pioneering works, by definition, don’t have precedents, and therefore references.  They stand or fall by virtue of the soundness of their arguments; their reasoning/consistency – and not by what someone else might or might not think of them; there is no scope for social proof in pioneering works. 

Thus a paradigm shift is called for regarding one’s cherished beliefs – which drive all of us – if we are to find a viable solution to one of humanity’s most compelling and entrenched problems.  

And towards facilitating the implementation of the solution suggested in these articles, a different approach could be adopted than was originally suggested, which called for a simultaneous global effort.  To make the process more manageable, a more localized approach can be adopted initially.  

This is a merely a tactical retreat, however, and the ultimate solution should be global – it has to be global since the problem is global and since today the world is interconnected and interdependent, and thus to be worth anything, the solution to the problem also has to be global in scope. 

The effort could start in either the education department or the psychology department of any large university – since our problem is psychological in nature while the solution is through education.  Or, for that matter, it could start with any of the other four of the six disciplines identified as being pertinent to the problem, namely, philosophy, sociology, political science, and communication (see article # 9 (2014), paragraph 10) – as long as the focus is kept initially, when analysis of the problem is the concern, on the psychological aspect of the topic and subsequently on its educational aspect when dealing with the solution.

Two factors that can especially enhance the process are: i) those departments belonging to a university with a global reputation, and ii) such a university being in close proximity to other such universities.  The process can proceed without them, of course – just that they will prove to be very helpful bonuses.  

This way, efforts in one department can expand to the relevant departments in the same university as well as in neighbouring universities – face-to-face interaction being of vital importance in this earlier stage. 

The involvement of more than one university will be especially helpful in refining and augmenting the ideas of these articles and thus bolstering the final product for the peer-review process that has to follow necessarily. 

The latter will involve expanding both nationally and globally, and the ease of modern video interaction will minimize the spatial friction arising from distance, especially if such interaction is supported by a dose of personal familiarity.  Details can be worked out as to the best practical approach to adopt.   

From here, it will be fairly easy for the effort to achieve global academic notice … and acceptance. 

Please note that the above process, while somewhat different, is in good accord with the second part of article #9 (2014), which was more congenial to the comprehensive and global approach initially suggested. 

And as outlined in the post #14 (2016), and if it is deemed worthwhile, I can be of help in clarifying any ambiguities and/or elaborate on any aspect as required, and in coordinating and bridge-building among the relevant professions, in spite of my not having expert knowledge in any pertinent field – but as readers will be aware, I do have an excellent overview of the broader dimensions of the situation. 

Finally, there is the ultimate issue of the proposals distilled from the process becoming actual public policy.  This has been conceptualized at the outset, in the endnote of article #1, Introduction – simply that whatever is in the collective heads of the educators will become public policy, for even dictators rely on those who have relevant degrees to actually run their education establishments.