PRINCIPLES FOR A NEW DEVELOPMENT MODEL
“The truth includes everything in itself, and what cannot enter into it, demonstrates by that simple fact, its falsehood and imprecision.”
P. D. Ouspensky, A New Model of the Universe.
INTRODUCTION
“Crisis and overcoming. Crossing the borders of thought”: It is the intellectual contribution and the accumulation of human knowledge that produces the development (evolutionary movement) of our species. As confirmed by History, our Civilization has gone through different stages of qualitative changes in its levels of complexity.
We are preying the essential resources supplied in abundance by Nature for the subsistence of humanity and other living beings. Currently, we live immersed in a maelstrom of consumerism, hyper productivity and a culture of violence, we require a radical change towards a new environmental and socio-political educational model (Metanoia) that restores the lost order and balance.
Over our heads looms the Sword of Damocles with its double edge: the concentration of wealth in one percent of humanity and recently, the development of Artificial Intelligence that promises to assume 80% of human labor activities, both productive and intellectuals. This without overlooking the price we are already paying for Global Warming and environmental pollution.
The big problems that affect us represent different facets of the same phenomenon: a systemic crisis on a planetary scale due to the general failure of conservative or redemptive ideologies and the “bankruptcy of materialism”. The Human Project and perhaps our species, will hardly survive if we do not find a new perception of reality.
In short, we must find the route that allows the necessary and urgent, humanized, sustainable, local and global transformations. I am referring to a Paradigmatic Revolution capable of replacing Political Ideologies, Economic Theories and Religious Fundamentalisms that are leading humanity towards the Holocaust. We will refer to these new principles.
THEORY OF SYNTHESIS – A MATTER OF CONSCIENCE
The Universe has provided us with everything necessary to support life and its evolution on our planet for three thousand seven hundred million years. Ecosystems (like organisms) are complex structures that organize and regulate themselves like all living beings in the web of life.
All organic forms present infinite concatenations among themselves and with “inert matter” (substances of the physical sphere), establishing complex networks for the exchange of mass: nutrients, water and energy; whose processes are shown in the form of continuous cycles of self-regeneration. The sum of all ecosystems integrates what we know as the Biosphere, a self-regulated system in permanent evolution.
The principle of mass exchange is fulfilled by every living being, be it called, amoeba or man; it is an essential process for evolution and subsistence. We also satisfy the universal principle of mass exchange. Because of our time scale, man is not interested in his evolution, we are concerned with human well-being.
In order to understand the deep meaning of this principle, I illustrate it spatially with the “Model Object” which has as its stereometric foundation a truncated tetrahedron and a sphere consisting of four spherical hexagons and four equilateral triangular openings, also spherical, with their respective tubular appendages. I have also called the following stereometric figure made by the author the Systemic Model or Tetrageometrón.
The tubular elements (organs for metabolic functions and border interactions) represent the four subsystems or components and their possibilities for growth and development, whose roots come out of the central body (the sphere) that integrates and unifies the subsystems of the model, representing a macro organism (humanity as a system) and its relationship with the total system: Universe.
From its conception and design, I establish the following postulate: Human Well-being is based on Water Management, Food Security and Energy Autonomy. These four subsystems are made up of translucent tubes interconnected to a central sphere that represents the total knowledge of our civilization or the so-called Cognosphere.
Note the translucency of the model surface to represent the interdependence of internal processes and functions with the environment. The sphere would be the container of the information linked to the evolution of the system, the volume represents its scale of transformation, energy level or entropy of the system.
In the canonical position of the model with the axis t (time) perpendicular to the horizontal plane that would contain within itself the three-dimensional space (x´, y´, z´) in the same way as a two-dimensional perspective can represent a spatial object and in this case, to illustrate the fourth dimension.
R. Buckminster Fuller defines the sphere as: “Are all possible events equidistant from a point called center.” (omnisymmetric finite system). In reverse of tetrahedron, the sphere contains the maximum volume with the minimum surface, optimizing the stability of energy and material exchange of the microcosm or finite system with its environment, while maintaining its structural and functional integrity (metabolism).
If this analogy is valid, the model would consistently describe any phenomenon that is made up of four components or subsystems; that is, its transformations in space-time.
“It is possible that the four-dimensional space is the distance between a group of solids, what separates these solids; yet at the same time uniting them in a totality inconceivable to us, even though they appear to be separate from each other.”
P.D. Ouspensky, Tertium Organum
After exposing the principles or postulate of the Systemic Model, we proceed to briefly explain these subsystems.
The Sphere of Knowledge represents all the knowledge acquired by our civilization in the last ten thousand years. By Water Management, it must be understood the good management of the water resource. Regarding Food Security, it corresponds to the use of the biogenetic wealth available to satisfy the food needs of humanity. Finally, Energy Autonomy refers to the use of all forms of renewable energy existing on Earth to replace the consumption of hydrocarbons and, eventually, nuclear energy.
Perhaps the Systemic Model unconsciously or metaphorically corresponds to a reinterpretation or update of the old Theory of the Four Elements. This analogy flowed naturally to me once the Synthesis Theory was conceived.
– The Earth: Mud of creation, our mother and mother ship, producer of food.
– Fire: Gift of the gods (the Sun), regenerative and transformation force, original form of energy.
– Water: Universal solvent, climate regulator and foundation of life.
– The air: The breath of all living beings, protective armor (the atmosphere), transcendence and spirituality of the human being.
The geophysical properties of the Planet and the evolutionary course of the Biosphere have been configured and guided by the action of the four elements, the four great forces of Nature: earthquakes, fires and magmatic activities, floods, frosts or droughts, and hurricanes and tornadoes. The recent history of humanity has given rise to the fifth element: Knowledge, which is transforming the earth’s crust and all the forms of life it contains, for better or worse.
If the actions of the four elements have been decisive in the evolution of the Earth, the fact of the misuse that we have been making of the Fifth Element becomes more significant.
“According to Kabbalistic philosophy, the four principles pervade and compose each and every thing. Therefore, finding these four principles in things and phenomena of very different categories, among which he has previously seen nothing in common, a man begins to see the analogy between these things. And gradually he becomes convinced that all things in the world are built according to the same laws, according to the same plan. From a certain point of view, the enrichment of the intellect and its growth consists in expanding its capacity to find analogies.”
P. D. Ouspensky, A New Model of the Universe.
The focus of these Principles for a New Development Model is organic; understanding these cosmic principles (Law of Four), it is easy to return to the Critical Path for the Comprehensive Sustainable Development Strategy.
For illustrative purposes, I use the personal version of a fable I read by the admirable Russian mathematician, mystic, and philosopher P. D. Ouspensky; The tale of The Goddess and the Blind Beggar:
– There was a blind man, sick and lonely beggar who subsisted on the charity of his neighbor. Dissatisfied with the luck that life had given him, used to pray to a goddess to change his luck. Time passed mercilessly with the blind man, but there was not a day that he did not pray to his deity.
He did not lose hope that she would listen to his petition to change his miserable fate. The ragged man watched the sunsets and the changing of the seasons without abandoning his introspection; until the time came when the protector answered his petition.
I have heard your prayer, said the goddess to the beggar; for your unwavering faith, for your dedication, for your patience and for your prayer, I come to offer you the fulfillment of a wish. You have heard well, I will grant you only one wish; you should think about it correctly. He replied: I need time to think about it; while the divinity was leaving she told him “take as long as you want”.
The stars danced in the firmament until the beggar had found his desire that he would ask his revered protector, whom he called and immediately she was present. Are you ready to make your request, remember that I will only satisfy one of your wishes? Yes, the beggar responded without hesitating. Are you sure? the divine inquired again. Again the blind man affirmed with determination. I hear you, said the cause of his prayers and his awake nights.
The beggar with the security that a conscious desire gives manifested: I want during the
sunset, from a terrace located on the seventh floor of a large and luxurious palace built on the mountain that dominates this imposing valley; to see my great-great-grandson’s son being fed cold cuts and delicious honey served in gold utensils by a retinue of employees.
The omnipotent looked in amazement at the face of the mortal and exclaimed: I see that you have meditated deeply your request and therefore everything you want will be granted, just as I promised. The poor blind man smiled with real joy, while his eyes flooded with light for the first time.
Next is what I call the hundred billion dollar question: What did the beggar ask for? Exactly seven things, do your own math:
- Regain sight
- Health
- Longevity
- Wife
- Offspring
- Wealth
- Power.
Like the Fable of the Goddess of Fortune and Tico the Blind Beggar, we must know exactly what we want and for this we have the three fundamental questions: Who are we?, What do we suffer from? and What do we dream of?
We will start with the identification of our systemic strengths: People, Water, Energy, Biodiversity and Geophysical Properties of the Nation. In order to appropriate these systemic strengths, we must bring about transformations in our social and productive organization; that is to say, to seek profound changes in Education and Culture. These transformations must be based on what I call the Paradigmatic Revolution: Neo Humanism, Ethics and Environmental Management.
The image shown below corresponds to the Paradigmatic Revolution. It is unnecessary to justify within all human tasks, the inclusion of the axiological approach: Humanism, Ethics and Environmental Matters. I represent these components through the three loops of the work “The Knot” by the Dutch Architect M. C. Escher. We observe in this figure a variation of a toroid which has the most important topological characteristics of the sphere: its integrity and uniqueness.
Engraving by Mauritius Cornelius Escher, graphic artist.
Perhaps the modest contribution made by this author is the graph of the stereometric object (Tetrageometrón); which allows with a single glance, the complete observation of principles and processes that we have always considered separated and disintegrated from each other and that represent the Human Microcosm.
The systemic approach observes the phenomena in terms of interrelationships, interdependencies and integration of processes and functions; that is to say, it analyzes the basic principles of organization (there is a spontaneous and natural movement from chaos to order).
This differs greatly from the observation of phenomena separately or reductionism (scientific specialties and professional disciplines); which do not allow us to predict the results or final products of the organization (evolution) that infinitely exceed the sum of all its components (synergy).
The development or evolution of the system is given by the increase in the complexity of the internal interrelationships (concatenations), or what is the same; responds to a natural and spontaneous increase in the qualities of the processes and functions within the organism or system produced by the rhythmic balance between adaptation (to the environment) and creativity or innovation of the thing.
”Every system can be analyzed in its composition or set of components, its environment or set of objects other than those of the composition and structure or set of relationships, in particular connections and actions between the components and the environment. A minimal model is constituted by the ordered quintuple: composition, environment, structure, mechanism and superstructure. ”
Rodolfo Herrera Jiménez
The properties of the Systemic Model as a Universal Operator or Integral Function of Higher Order, allows us to identify the indisputable richesness on which to base a Social, Political, Economic and Environmental Sustainable Human Development Policy in accordance with the Principle of the Law of Four . It is not a question of small adjustments, but of profound transformations (a one hundred and eighty degree turn), the evolution of the Human Project or its failure is at stake.
We require the establishment of General Strategic Planning Policies for the medium and long term (25 to 50 years); capable of articulately and comprehensively reflecting the entire Nation and its development objectives based on a profound reform of the Educational System, Scientific-Technological Promotion together with Environmental Management as foundations for the development of Human Talent and its potential for productive transformation.
The changes that are introduced must respond to systemic relationships (Natural Resources, Human Talent and Public Affairs, together with the Private Initiative); where the Paradigmatic Revolution and its triad: Humanism, Ethics and Environment would play a crucial role for our well-being.
It is the intellectual contribution and the accumulation of human knowledge that produces the development (evolutionary movement) of our species. Currently, our primary task is to move from the stage of Production and Economic Growth (the human being as an instrument or economic object: producer-consumer) to Human Development and Conservation of Natural Resources, Biodiversity and Environment in general; man as active subject and intermediary of a Transcendent Unitary Reality (mirror and verb) that we call Creation, Cosmos or Universe.
“In any case, the bees do not know if they will eat the honey they are harvesting. We also do not know who will take advantage of the spiritual power that we introduce into the universe. The same as they go from flower to flower to collect more honey than they really need , or the one that even his daughters will need, let us also go from reality to reality to look for everything that can provide food for that incomprehensible flame, in order to be ready for everything that happens, having the security of organic duty fulfilled”.
Maurice Maeterlinck