What is civic intelligence? Why is it so important? Why is it threatened and what can we do about it. Some focus on Trumpism in the United States but civic intelligence is needed everywhere.

1. Civic Intelligence !
in Uncertain & !
Threatening Times
Knowledge Media Institute !
June 23, 2017
Douglas Schuler!
The Evergreen State College

2. The goal of this talk is help focus on our
historic roles during one of the most
significant shifts in human history.
The truth will set you free, but first it
will piss you off. — Gloria Steinem
Like it or not we are actors, not observers.
ICT researchers & practitioners are central.

3. …Plan…
• Introduction to Civic Intelligence
• Big Questions
• Big hypotheses
• Trump: Threat or Menace?
• Research Directions

4. Introduction to Civic Intelligence
The challenges we face are not “technological”

5. Some Basic Arguments
• Problems (quantitively and qualitatively) seem to be growing faster than
solutions.
• Current approaches to governance are insufficient.
• Citizen revolt is widespread (and not necessarily effective)
• Diffusion and renegotiating of “governance” is necessary and in-work.
• Millions of projects / experiments exist worldwide.
• Complex situations require complex thinking, not “click to like.” Technology will
play a role but it can’t do all of our thinking for us.
• All problems — events with collectively unwanted consequences — will have
social roots — and therefore alternative social approaches can help ameliorate
the problems.
• Problems can only be addressed collectively but the roles, compositions, tactics,
and other characteristics of the collectivities that address them are crucial to
effective and equitable resolution. Which is where civic intelligence comes in.

6. Today’s strongly connected, global networks have
produced highly interdependent systems that we do
not understand and cannot control well.These
systems are vulnerable to failure at all scales,
posing serious threats to society, even when
external shocks are absent.As the complexity and
interaction strengths ... increase, man-made systems
can become unstable, creating uncontrollable
situations ....
— Globally networked risks and how to respond, Dirk Helbing,
Nature (02 May 2013)
A New World of Our Own Creation

7. Hyper-networks
Hyper-risks
and
Globally networked risks and how to respond, D. Helbing, Nature 497, 51–59 (02 May 2013)

8. But “small” problems are also difficult to address.
And “local” problems are often linked to “global” ones.

9. We define civic intelligence as the capability of people working together to
address significant shared problems effectively and equitably.
!
Civic intelligence is important enough — and sufficiently distinct from
collective intelligence — to be considered in its own right.
!
Informally, civic intelligence refers to how smart society is as-a-whole in
relation to its problems.
!
Although we know that civic intelligence exists, it’s not explicitly
acknowledged and hence not something that we can readily examine or
improve.
What is Civic Intelligence?

10. We need a “frame” that can help orient our activity, provide some
meaning, and suggest integration — confrontation — with other
institutions and organizations.
Why Conceptualize Civic Intelligence?
Civic Intelligence, properly conceptualized, can help us build the
collective resources that we need now. We need to be able to think
together effectively and equitably.
We need a “frame” that is neither left nor right. One that is open
enough to suggest / tolerate a multitude of approaches. One that
necessarily combines thinking and acting.
"... what is not named remains unnoticed or, in any event, impervious
to cognitive development." — Giovanni Sartori

11. !
Civic intelligence — like all forms of intelligence — is contextual. It will vary
according to the people who employ it and the situations they are in.
!
Civic intelligence acknowledges that people have brains, motivation, emotions and
that people (and situations) and people vary and change. It does not assert or
assume that people are inert.
!
It also asserts that people have the right to be involved in the creation of their
shared future.
!
The idea is to help make people more intellectually and materially engaged in
addressing the problems that we face.
More Observations about Civic
Intelligence...
And civic intelligence can be improved.

12. FOOD! What is
Reality?
Intelligent action is time sensitive
We can’t wait to act until we’ve figured it all out.

13. Civic Intelligence is not a Brand New Topic
Civic Capacity (Harry Boyte, Xavier Briggs)
Social Intelligence (John Dewey) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Public Work Politics (Center for Democracy & Citizenship)
Civic Innovation (Carmen Sirianni & Lew Friedman)
Open Source Intelligence (Robert Steele)
World Brain (H.G.Wells)
Civic Community (Jane Addams)
Civilizational Competence (Piotr Sztompka)
Social Learning (many authors)
+ Social Enterprise / Social Entrepreneurism / Social Innovation, etc.
Collective Impact (HanleyBrown, Kania, & Kramer)
Community Inquiry (Ann Bishop, Chip Bruce, etc.)

14. Science 29 October 2010:
Vol. 330. no. 6004, pp. 686 - 688
DOI: 10.1126/science.1193147
!
REPORTS
Evidence for a Collective Intelligence Factor in
the Performance of Human Groups
Anita Williams Woolley,1,* Christopher F. Chabris,2,3 Alex Pentland,3,4 Nada Hashmi,3,5 Thomas W.
Malone3,5
!
Psychologists have repeatedly shown that a single statistical factor—often
called "general intelligence"—emerges from the correlations among people’s
performance on a wide variety of cognitive tasks. But no one has
systematically examined whether a similar kind of "collective
intelligence" exists for groups of people. In two studies with 699 people,
working in groups of two to five, we find converging evidence of a general
collective intelligence factor that explains a group’s performance on a wide
variety of tasks. This "c factor" is not strongly correlated with the
average or maximum individual intelligence of group members but is
correlated with the average social sensitivity of group members, the
equality in distribution of conversational turn-taking, and the
proportion of females in the group.
!

15. Five critical aspects of civic intelligence
Knowledge is necessary in any situation but it’s not the only aspect. Knowledge includes
theory as well as information that’s specific to individual situations. It includes models of the
context — including models of the processes you’re using, without which one couldn’t think
about one’s own thinking.The knowledge that’s required can be found in books, the internet,
computer simulations, other people and a million other places.
!
Attitudes and aspirations are crucial.They’re what animates the knowledge and inspires
people to get involved. It covers a wide range including social imagination, enthusiasm, and
courage.
!
Organizational capital describes the structures and processes that groups rely upon.
!
Relational capital describes the important aspects by which groups connect to other groups.
!
Material resources include money, equipment, property, tools, places to meet, time, and any
other thing one needs.

16. Civic
Intelligence
Capacities
Another view
Courtesy Alicia Capp

18. Some Big Questions
• What basic forms does civic intelligence take? How could they be characterized?
Through a combination of challenges to be faced, people doing it, social norms, etc.
And how does this operate under more oppressive regimes? And how can we have
meaningful interchanges under these regimes?
• How many people can opt out of (or actively disrupt) the civic intelligence system (if
that’s the right word) before it’s hopelessly inoperative?
• How does (or can) civic intelligence scale up?
• How does civic intelligence spread and improve (or degrade?)
• What is the relation between individual actions, policy and institutionalization, social
norms?
• Our current situation (in US) is strongly / dangerously linked. Fake news, class & culture
wars, corporate media, unemployment, high levels of inequality. How can this be
characterized?
• Meta-civic intelligence: How can the people who are explicitly working within this;
perspective work together?

19. Some Big Hypotheses
Hypotheses: Dipping below a certain level may be extremely dangerous to health of a country as it directly impacts the
ability to address problems collectively — as democratic societies are supposed to do. Acting as if problems are trivially
solved or can be addressed solely by a strong man is one example. Demeaning reputable journalism and knowledge is
another. When civic intelligence is low or degraded people like Trump get elected. !
Hypothesis: In the U.S. there will be countering movements to the Trump occupation. Will they be civically intelligent—
and will the counter mobilization be smart enough, soon enough? The mobilization is actually huge — but why was I
confident that it would happen?!
A variety of civic intelligences coexist (including its “opposite”, civic ignorance); And there are at any given time
competing intelligences; !
civic intelligences most likely have life cycles (at least patterns or trajectories of life cycles); !
Low or poor civic intelligences may be more likely to result in even poorer civic intelligences. !
Civic intelligence must be institutionalized — it’s harder to build it than to tear it down; !
We may be at the case where rebuilding our civic intelligence can not happen fast enough for us to address the
problems that we face now (and may be growing). !
The civic intelligence of a group of people is a product of the time, place, and circumstances to which it is needed. And
with that in mind, the civic intelligence that we need now is the greatest we’ve ever had. !
levels of civic intelligence can change — but they usually keep re-manifesting themselves!
violence against all is probably the lowest mode in terms of civic intelligence; violence promotes fear and hatred and
dialogue is very difficult!
changes in the environment should prompt adjustment; And can the changes in the environment be anticipated?!
!

20. Threats to Civic Intelligence
Exhibit T.

21. Trump is a gift to people who
are studying civic intelligence
• Trump is an existential threat to democracy — and hence a
“natural experiment” has been launched.
• Trump helps us by non-subtly forcing the citizens of the US into a
new civic intelligence regime / ecosystem. Are people ready to
abandon democracy?
• His occupation helps us test theory — incremental vs.
paradigmatic change, for example. What factors seem to support
resiliency?
• It’s not trivial to parse individual contributors to civic intelligence
— and civic ignorance — to broader characterizations

22. Civic Ignorance
• Lesson 1. Repeat the mistakes of the past. E.g. exhume the failed
expensive idea of mass incarceration for use of possession of drugs.
• Demonize African Americans, women, poor, migrants,non-Christians,
LGBTQ, and, yes, even (or especially?) academics.
• cast aspersions on credible news sources; i.e. the most reliable sources
are now
• Claim infallibility and omnicompetence. I can solve all of your problems.
The World According to Trump
at the top and at the core

23. signs of civic ignorance*
• advocates use of violence (e.g. killing or forceful deportation of “infidels”,
“foreigners”, or “terrorists”)
• suggests or believes that broad societal issues are easily resolved
• sole focus on undefinables (often a single one) such as dignity, liberty, purity, or
decency without thinking about how it would be measured or what the
consequences or tactics of such a quest might be pursued.
• absolute authority or certainty of something (e.g. literal truth of bible, constitution,
“free market”, real Americans, sect leaders -- religious, political, etc.) other values;
• institutionalization of inequality, abuse, or oppression
• return to some “golden age” — MAGA
• inevitability or fate
• exclusivity, is xenophobic, anti-immigrant, sexist, racist, homophobic, etc.
* Note that Trump does not have a monopoly (or copyright) on civic
ignorance.

24. Danger Signs from the Trump Campaign
• Without stating or believing that this is necessarily a slide into fascism,
totalitarianism, or a failed state, the signs are clear that there are some strong
negative trends in relation to civic intelligence.
• "I can solve all of your problems!"
• putting blame on marginalized people (mostly migrants, women, people of color)
• Intimidation vs. democratic processes (e.g. putting journalists behind fences)
• Lack of experience and knowledge — considered by many Trump voters to be an
asset
• Very little transparency (of financial and international affairs) and very little respect
for transparency (of his affairs)
• Forcing people into strong, oppositional camps thus making discussion difficult
• Peculiar and seemingly unfounded fondness for Putin and, generally, Russian
connection (which is being unraveled as we speak)

25. Obstacles to Civic Intelligence
• inability to get ideas on the public agenda
• inability to reason together; Inability to discuss across national
(and other) boundaries
• fatalism, feeling of impotence, boredom, debilitating
ideologies
• inequality, influence of money in media and politics
• media monopolies
• oppression and censorship
• lack of intelligence, skills, motivation of citizens
• intentional promotion of civic ignorance

26. Implications of Civic Intelligence perspective
An artifact that affects social relations (all?) is more than technology.
!
Having a system “solve” something by relieving people of their
responsibility to deliberate and act is probably not civically intelligent.
!
Generally speaking, part of “solving” a problem is helping to make citizens
smarter so they can make smarter decisions about it.
!
Any part of the civically intelligence process could use support.
(perception, learning, memory, discourse, discussion, action, awareness,
focus, etc.)
!
You tell me!
!

27. Further Research
Global problems force us into global thinking! The Paris talks were an amazing
achievement. Can we do that for civil society. New federations; cross-boundary
tools and collaborations. A global people’s parliament?
!
Can we support distributed cognition without “harvesting knowledge?” Who
owns the data? What about turning the tables? Sousveillance systems?
!
Can civic intelligence be cultivated without artifice, oppression, secrecy, or
propaganda? Be open to goal; share information; work together
!
Beyond the Silos: How do we re-integrate disciplines? Education, policy, and
design probably need to be linked with many of today’s apps for actual change.

28. Who or What Will Save Us?

29. Citizens are necessary for social
problem-solving and social progress.
But they shouldn’t expect
engraved invitations.

30. Thanks for your work.
Don’t forget to write
douglas@publicsphereproject.org
@doug_schuler