Ethics (ethical dynamics) Chapter 8

January 2011 © Abraham Chiasson 1
Chapter 8
Growing an Ecology of Mind and
Community
Step 3:
Harnassing our Socio-Political Energies

Chapter 8
Step 3: Harnessing our Socio-Political Energies
Towards more ‘Open, Shared and Responsible Ethical Dynamics’
Premise:
Growing an ecology of mind and community via more open, shared and
responsible ethical dynamics, will be dependent on the landscape’s
socio-political dynamics i.e., those authority and power dynamics
that give life to our socio-political energies.
Socio-political energies give us the ability to bring about those realities
– social qualities and social goods - that will grow our human
potentialities say, for individuals, their degree of consciousness and
personal identity and, their social potentialities e.g., for contribution.
An ecology of social qualities and social goods is one capable of
creating sustainable socio-political landscape dynamics.

Chapter 8
With this in mind, the Chapter will acknowledge that:
 We exist only as a component of a network of production processes
where the function of each ‘component e.g., each individual,
institution and society, is to participate in the production or
transformation of other components in their network.
 What are social qualities and social goods for e.g., an individual, –
those capable of growing his/her human and social potentialities -
are often not the same for other individuals, institutions, or
societies.
 Important social qualities and social goods for an individual are
often in competition or conflict with those of important institutions
say the family or the church.

Chapter 8
Before proceeding, it will be useful to keep in mind that:
 Our human potentialities e.g., as individuals, institutions and societies,
are also the forces through which our ‘becoming’ takes place... via our
social qualities and social goods.
Social
Qualities
Social
Goods
Human Potentialities
Hope
Vision
Personal Identity
Sense of Self
Conscious Will
Consciousnes

Chapter 8
 And, that an ecology of mind and community begins with an
‘ecology’ of core human potentialities i.e., where the function of our
social qualities and social goods is to grow our human potentialities
as a whole…
Social
Qualities
Social
Goods
Vision /
Hope
Personal
Identity
Consciousness /
Conscious Will
Sense of
Self

Chapter 8
 And, that ethical dynamics grow an ecology of mind and
community via the sophistication of our social potentialities in
bringing about ‘sustainable’ social qualities and social goods ...
Social
Qualities
Social
Goods
Social Potentialities
Accountability / Destiny
Connection / Synergy
Capacity / Contribution
Empathy / Belonging

Chapter 8
Social
Qualities
Social
Goods
Destiny
/
Accountability
Contribution
/
Capacity
Synergy
/
Connection
Belonging
/
Empathy
... and, that our social potentialities ‘live and act’ as a whole - social
qualities and social goods leading to an ecology of mind and community will
be the product of an increasing ‘ecology’ of social potentialities.

Chapter 8
Chapter 8 will examine:
1. The conditions for an ecology of social qualities and social
goods: those leading to an ecology of mind and community,
2. The nature and characteristics of socio-political energies
leading to an ecology of mind and community, and,
3. How can we mediate / negotiate – create a synergy between
- our need for growth with the need for growth of others
towards an ecology of mind and community.

Chapter 8
1- The conditions for an ecology of social qualities and social goods -
those leading to an ecology of mind and community –
An ‘ecology’ of social qualities and social goods is one that is:
 Capable of creating and growing sustainable landscape dynamics
where individuals, institutions, and societies, can ultimately grow their
human potentialities say for consciousness and a sense of hope and,
their social potentialities say for belonging and contribution -
 On the basis of harnessing their socio-political energies via more
open, shared and responsible ethical dynamics.

Chapter 8
1- The conditions for an ecology of social qualities and social goods –
‘In summary’, an ecology of social qualities and social goods is dependent
on and, brings about, socio-political energies capable of creating a
constructive or ‘ecological’ synergy of human and social potentialities
via the ethics embodied in our social functions.
Human
Potentialities
Social
Qualities
/
Social
Goods
Social
Potentialities
Cognitive
(Social)
Structures &
Potentialities
Socio-
Political
Structures
Socio-
Political
Dynamics
Institutional
Dimensions
/
Institutional
Framework
Ethics
Stewardship / Governance / Management

Chapter 8
In this pursuit, it will be useful to keep in mind that 1) social qualities, 2)
social goods, and 3) ethics can sometimes be perceived as one and
the same, as an example – equity -:
1) As a social quality driving our social potentiality for synergy in the
context of a family or company and,
2) As a goal of government policy, equity can be viewed as a social good,
the result of the state’s mediation of myriad domain contributions and,
3) As a core value of our ethical structure ‘guiding’ us via related principles
and norms and, specific relationship commitments and qualities.

Chapter 8
a) Towards an ‘ecology’ of social qualities – Overall ...
While social qualities aim to provide for the growth of our human and
social potentialities on a particular socio-political landscape say the
family,
An ecology of social qualities will aim to provide for an ecological
synergy of human and social energies both within specific
landscapes but also, increasingly, across our human landscapes as
a whole.

Chapter 8
1- The conditions for an ecology of social qualities and social goods - those
leading to an ecology of mind and community –
a) Towards an ‘ecology’ of social qualities – Specifically, where social
qualities…
 Related to our social potentiality for belonging are capable of growing
those related to synergy and destiny, and those related to destiny are
capable of fostering ‘transcendent’ meaning to those related to
belonging and those,
 Resulting from our social potentiality for accountability in the context of
a nation e.g., loyalty and solidarity, do not hinder those related to
destiny in the context of the planet as a whole e.g., openness to the
realities – social qualities and social goods - of other nations.

Chapter 8
a) Towards an ‘ecology’ of social qualities – Some questions:
Do our social qualities as an individual, institution, or society bring
about a growing ecology of social qualities -
 Where each social quality serves to strengthen the others e.g.,
where social qualities related to belonging e.g., loyalty, contribute to
those related to synergy and destiny e.g., openness, for the
individual, and for his/her contribution to the planet?
 Capable of bringing about those social qualities and, ultimately,
those social goods, reflective of our ethical aspirations e.g., for
social justice or, simply, safer automobiles (as a social good)?

Chapter 8
a) Towards an ‘ecology’ of social qualities – Some questions… :
Since institutional social qualities aim to be in a constructive synergy
with the institution’s ethical structure, we could also ask, to what
extent:
 Is the current matrix of institutional social qualities in synergy with
the institution’s ethical structure re its internal dynamics and, in its
network of institutional relationships?
 Institutional social qualities help or hinder the enactment of those
social qualities reflective of the institution’s ethical aspirations and
those of relevant others e.g., such as its institutional partners.

Chapter 8
a) Towards an ‘ecology’ of social qualities – Some questions… :
In summary, we could also ask:
 Are our individual, institutional, and societal, social qualities – their
social energies - helping us to become all that we are capable of
becoming as individuals, institutions, and societies and,
 From the perspective of harnessing our socio-political energies
towards growing an ecology of mind and community, are they the
result of ‘open, shared and responsible ethical dynamics’?

Chapter 8
b) Towards an ‘ecology’ of social goods – Introduction…
Socio-political landscapes are brought about and given an ongoing
existence on the basis of their social goods (and social qualities) via
their evolving authority and power characteristics, specifically, their
ethical dynamics.
An ecology of social goods would aim to create sustainable landscape
dynamics (autopoiesis) where social goods resulting from
production institutions e.g., cars or computers, are capable of
growing those e.g., social justice, related to the landscape’s state or
planetary institutions.

Chapter 8
b) Towards an ‘ecology’ of social goods – 1st Step:
Understanding the current synergy of social goods and how they
impact their relevant socio-political landscapes, in effect their –
social goods - embedded authority and power. As an example:
To what extent does a particular social good say automobiles impact on
other social goods say clean air – their relative importance to each
other - which one drives the other on their socio-political
landscapes e.g., how much of our ‘financial’ resources or otherwise
does each one consume relative to the other – their relative
authority and power -?

Chapter 8
b) Towards an ‘ecology’ of social goods – 2nd Step:
Since a landscape’s structural integrity i.e., its ability to engage in
‘production processes’ essential to its maintenance and growth, is
dependent on an ecology of social goods where individuals,
institutions, and societies can ultimately grow their human and
social potentialities -
 Is the ‘socio-political’ landscape open to the possibility of ‘change
and development’ re. the relative importance to be given certain
social goods versus others e.g., those that foster democratic values
versus those that maintain a rigid social hierarchy?

Chapter 8
b) Towards an ‘ecology’ of social goods – 3rd Step… :
Since social goods (like social qualities) are in synergy with the
institution’s ethics via its social functions, we could also ask:
 To what extent is the current matrix of ‘effective’ social goods in
synergy with the institution’s ethical structure and,
 Are our individual, institutional and societal social goods along with
their embedded authority and power realities helping us to become
all that we are capable of becoming?

Chapter 8
1- The conditions for an ecology of social qualities and social goods - those
leading to an ecology of mind and community –
Towards an ‘ecology’ of social qualities and social goods – In summary:
An ecology of mind and community is dependent on growing social qualities and social
goods via more open, shared and responsible ethical dynamics.
Social
Qualities
Social
Goods
Open, Shared and
Responsible Ethical Dynamics
Ecology of Mind and
Community

Chapter 8
2- The nature and characteristics of socio-political energies leading to
an ecology of mind and community –
Socio-political energies are associated with the realities and dynamics
of authority and power as they apply to individuals, institutions and,
more broadly, to societies as a whole and,
Have their roots in our human potentialities – in those forces that
compel us as individuals, institutions, and societies,
 To become all that we are capable of becoming, and
 More so, to compete for authority and power on all our effective
landscapes as a condition to our ‘effective’ survival.

Chapter 8
2- The nature and characteristics of socio-political energies leading to an
ecology of mind and community - …
Socio-political energies are also those forces driving our cognitive (social)
structures and potentialities -:
Human
‘Cognitive’
Potentialities
Self
Domains
of
endeavour
Individual
/
Institutions
/
Society
Collective
Psyche

Chapter 8
Specifically, the nature of socio-political energies are tied to:
 The forces that give life to our human potentialities e.g., the need to
grow a sense of conscious will or authorship along with a sense of self
in the case of an individual, institution or society and,
 The social potentialities that give a specific social energy and
substance to ‘institutional’ contributions e.g., our potential for bringing
about social relationships that give us a sense of belonging,
contribution and accountabity.
 ...

Chapter 8
Specifically, the nature of socio-political energies are tied to ...:
Our cognitive (social) structures and potentialities – the cognitive ‘bringing
about our world’ building blocks for our ‘human and social’ realities, are
dependent on socio-political energies for the effectiveness e.g., of our
institutional contributions to bring about relevant realities and,
For the growth of our cognitive potentialities e.g., their ability to grow as a
whole via the sophistication of our domains of contribution either as
individuals, institutions or societies.

Chapter 8
ecology of mind and community - … issues -
As examples, for the individual’s domain contributions, do the institution’s
socio-political dynamics promote the growth of the individual’s socio-
political energies, do they:
 Foster the growth of the individual’s ability to develop a congruent
sense of vision and hope (thereby enriching the individual’s socio-
political energies – giving the individual the authority and power to
grow his/her human potentialities -);
 Allow for the individual to effectively participate in the transformation of
as examples, the institution’s ethos and ethics via the individual’s key
domain stories and contribution values; …

Chapter 8
ecology of mind and community - … issues ... -
Aiming for an evolving ecology of mind and community:
 Can an individual, institution or society, effectively participate in
shaping the answers to the above questions, say in the context of
‘globalization’ in matters of commerce and culture?
More broadly, we could ask:
 Can the nature of their socio-political energies contribute to the
development of an ethical structure capable of growing ‘congruently’
their human and social potentialities?

Chapter 8
Our ‘individual’ socio-political energies are also driven by the
characteristics of our human and social potentialities and, our cognitive
(social) structures and potentialities e.g.,
 Does my vision and sense of hope give me authority and power on my
institutional and societal landscape i.e., does it give me the possibility
of shaping a congruent and effective ethical structure for my
contributions?
 Does my professional competence and social qualities in general e.g.,
those related to loyalty and accountability, promote the growth of those
institutions for which I make a contribution?

Chapter 8
Our ‘individual’ socio-political energies are also driven by the
characteristics of our human and social potentialities and, our cognitive
(social) structures and potentialities e.g., ...
 What is the importance given to ‘my’ institution’s products on its
landscape, are they viewed e.g., airplanes, as essential to the
functionning and growth of the landscape’s institutional framework?
 What is the degree of institutional authority and power can my domain
theories and contribution values garner of the institution’s authority and
power dynamics – its ethical dynamics -?

Chapter 8
‘Institutional’ socio-political energies are also driven by the characteristics
of their human and social potentialities and, their cognitive (social)
structures and potentialities e.g.,
 Do institutional ‘human’ potentialities say in the case of its
understanding of the world e.g., consciousness and, its institutional
identity, give authority and power to its institutional domain
contributions in its network of institutional contributions; and,
 Do institutional cognitive potentialities in the case of its ethics and
ideology influence – have authority and power - with regards to the
landscape’s overall ethics and ideology?

Chapter 8
ecology of mind and community - … issues –
‘Landscape’ socio-political energies are also driven by the characteristics
of their human and social potentialities and, their cognitive (social)
structures and potentialities e.g., ...
 Does the landscape’s ethical structure foster the growth of the
institutional characteristics of its network of institutions, those capable
of growing the landscape’s authority and power?
 Are the landscape’s e.g., vision and sense of hope, capable of
competing successfully with the vision and sense of hope of other
lanscapes.

Chapter 8
2- The nature and characteristics of socio-political energies leading to
an ecology of mind and community - … In summary:
Growing ecology of mind and community is dependent on the socio-political
energies bringing about our social qualities and social goods being
driven by increasingly ‘open, shared and responsible ethical dynamics’.
Social
Qualities
Social
Goods
Open, Shared and
Ecology of Mind and
Community
Socio-Political
Energies

Chapter 8
3- How can we mediate / negotiate – create a synergy between - our
need for growth with the need for growth of others towards an
ecology of mind and community?
Or – How can we:
Bring about those ‘collective’ social qualities e.g., those associated with
synergy and destiny, and ‘collective’ social goods e.g., those related
to community and nation, so that they become the springboard for
the enactment of ever more appropriate ethical manifestations?
Create an increasingly relevant synergy between our social qualities
and social goods, and an ethical structure conducive to the growth
and sophistication of our individual and collective socio-political
energies?

Chapter 8
The context –… in summary:
Social
Qualities
Social
Goods
Open, Shared and
Ecology of Mind and
Community
Socio-Political
Energies

Chapter 8
3- How can we mediate / negotiate – create a synergy between - our need
for growth with the need for growth of others towards an ecology of
mind and community?
Our ultimate goal –
Metaphorically - a ‘progressive spiral’ of social qualities and social goods
driven by a similar ‘progressive’ synergy of socio-political energies -
those capable of giving us ever more sophisticated ethical
manifestations.

Chapter 8
mind and community?
Core realities / issues in this quest -
a) Social qualities and social goods and our domain contributions,
b) Social qualities and social goods and the landscape’s authority and
power dynamics – ethical dynamics -, specifically, its socio-political
energies, and
c) Social qualities and social goods and related socio-political energies,
and the landscape’s social functions: stewardship, governance, and
management.

Chapter 8
mind and community?
a) Social qualities and social goods and our domain contributions -
realities:
Our domain driven social qualities and social goods will be relevant to the
creation of an ecology of social qualities and social goods inasmuch as
their cognitive characteristics e.g., domain theories and institutional
knowledge are relevant to the growth of the landscape’s other domain
driven institutional products and,
…

Chapter 8
mind and community?
a) Social qualities and social goods and our domain contributions –
realities … :
Our domain and institutional cognitive characteristics will grow inasmuch
as their ‘products’ - social qualities and social goods – are relevant to
their landscape, more specifically, help it grow its overall human
potentialities say for vision and hope, and its social potentialities say
for social qualities related to a sense of accountability and destiny.

Chapter 8
mind and community?
a) Social qualities and social goods and our domain contributions –
realities … in summary:
The ability of domain driven institutional social qualities and social goods
to be the springboard for more sophisticated ethical manifestations will
be determined by:
 the pertinence of their cognitive characteristics relative to their overall
landscape and,
 their ability to contribute to what we described as a progressive spiral
of social qualities and social goods (and, socio-politial energies).

Chapter 8
mind and community?
a) Social qualities and social goods and our domain contributions - issues:
Are the cognitive characteristics of my domain contributions e.g., the
quality of my domain stories and theories producing social qualities
and social goods conducive to the growth of the domain and to the
landscape’s socio-political energies?
To what extent are the landscape’s overall cognitive characteristics e.g., its
aesthetics and ideology, conducive to the growth of my domain’s
cognitive characteristics, in effect to my socio-political energies?

Chapter 8
mind and community?
power dynamics, specifically, its socio-political energies – realities:
Social qualities and social goods in their capacity to become the
springboard for ever more sophisticated ethical manifestations and
socio-political energies embody both a capacity to inspire – authority -
and a means for achievement – power -.
Such dynamics being at the source of what we have described as a
‘progressive spiral of social qualities and social goods’.

Chapter 8
power dynamics, specifically, its socio-political energies – realities:
In summary:
Social Qualities
/
Social Goods
Authority
/
Power
Dynamics
Progressive
Spiral:
Social Qualities
/
Social Goods

Chapter 8
mind and community?
power dynamics, specifically, its socio-political energies – realities … :
An ecology of social qualities and social goods is therefore a dynamic
phenomenon, one involving a progressive spiral of social qualities and
social goods giving life to and sustaining, ever more sophisticated
authority and power dynamics along with an ever evolving ethical
structure and,
Provides the landscape with its evolving socio-political energies (+ or -).

Chapter 8
In summary:
Ecology of
Social
Qualities
/
Social Goods
Social
Qualities
/
Social Goods
Authority
&
Power
Dynamics
Ethical
Structure
Socio-Political
Energies
Progressive
Spiral

Chapter 8
mind and community?
power dynamics, specifically, its socio-political energies – issues:
To what extent are the landscape’s social qualities and social goods, and
related socio-political energies, conducive to the growth of the
landscape’s authority and power – its ability to inspire and achieve?
To what extent is the landscape’s ethical structure as a reflection of its
authority and power dynamics conducive to the growth – progressive
spiral - of its social qualities and social goods, and to the growth of its
socio-political energies?

Chapter 8
mind and community?
management – realities:
Our social functions provide the conduit via their embedded ethical
structure, for the landscape’s evolving authority and power dynamics –
those associated with our social qualities and social goods –. (or)
Our social functions bring about our evolving social qualities and social
goods and, related socio-political energies, by providing the vehicle for
the landscape’s authority and power - ethical – dynamics.

Chapter 8
mind and community?
management – realities ... : Negotiating / mediating will focus on:
Stewardship – what is viewed as having authority both with respect to
social qualities and social goods and, their associated core values.
Governance – those principles and norms most apt to give shape via
human and social potentialities, to those social qualities and social
goods and related socio-political energies in line with the core values
of the social context. (and…)

Chapter 8
mind and community?
management – realities ... : Negotiating / mediating will focus on:
Management – those specific relationship commitments (e.g., ‘money’)
and qualities (e.g., ‘freedom’) capable of providing the ‘learning and
doing’ capabilities – the power – for bringing about relevant social
qualities and social goods on an evolving and changing social
landscape via -
 A progressive spiral of socio-political energies.

Chapter 8
In summary: “Stewarship, Governance and Management” and,
our Socio-Political Energies
Ecology of
Social Qualities
/
Social Goods
Social Qualities
/
Social Goods
Authority
&
Power
Dynamics
Ethical
Structure
Socio-Political
Energies
Progressive
Spiral:
Stewardship
Governance
Management

Chapter 8
mind and community?
management – issues - Overall:
To what extent are social functions a reflection of a negotiated agreement
among relevant social actors i.e., those most apt to benefit or be
affected – grow their human and social potentialities – from resultant
social qualities and social goods or, benefit from their related socio-
political energies?

Chapter 8
mind and community?
management – issues … - More specifically, are:
The landscape’s vital social qualities and social goods and their related
core values – those that are the object of stewardship - capable of
growing the human and social potentialities of landscape actors e.g.,
their potential for ‘hope’ and for ‘accountability’ via their socio-political
energies?

Chapter 8
mind and community?
management – issues… More specifically, are…:
The landscape’s ethical principals and norms conducive to growing their
human and social potentialities in line with the social qualities and
social goods and related socio-political energies giving life to their
ethical aspirations – stewardship? (and…)

Chapter 8
mind and community?
management – issues… More specifically, are…:
The relationship commitments and qualities (e.g., ‘money and freedom’)
afforded to its landscape actors capable in turn of growing via ‘learning
and doing’ the landscape’s social qualities and social goods and
related socio-political energies – their related ethical aspirations - via
more effective ethical principles and norms?

Chapter 8
mind and community?
management – issues…:
Finally, we could ask more broadly:
To what extent are the landscape’s social functions – stewardship,
governance, and management – effective in resolving issues of
authority and power towards the creation of a progressive spiral of
social qualities and social goods, and related socio-political energies
via more open, shared and responsible ethical dynamics?

Chapter 8
In summary, in Chapter 8, we have described how:
Growing an ecology of mind and community via ‘more open, shared
and responsible ethical dynamics’, will be dependent ‘overall’ on
authority and power ‘ethical’ dynamics capable of creating
‘sustainable socio-political dynamics’ and, specifically on –
 Our individual, institutional and societal ability to ‘harness’ our
socio-political energies to bring about an ecology of social qualities
and social goods, more so,
 Social qualities and social goods that will grow our human
potentialities say, for individuals, their degree of consciousness and
personal identity and, their social potentialities e.g., for contribution.

Chapter 8
Sustainalble
Socio-Political
Dynamics
Grow our
Human and Social
Potentialities
Social Qualities
&
Social Goods
Authority / Power
“Ethical”
Dynamics
Socio-Political
Energies
Ecology of
Social Qualities
Social Goods
Ecology of
Mind
and
Community

Ethics (ethical dynamics) Chapter 8

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