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Newsletter October 2009
Science and the re-visioning of a dominant world view
Schumacher College was founded upon the convictions that the dominant world view has serious limitations, and that a new vision is needed for human society and our relationship to the Earth. Since it is our scientific understanding that largely informs this world view, Schumacher College has been dedicated to the exploration of a vision that is informed by a new “holistic science,” through a programme of science-themed residential courses and the revolutionary one-year Masters in Holistic Science degree programme.
If we expect science to provide the answers to questions such as “How can we adapt to or stop climate change?” then we need to transform our scientific methodology. This is why one of the most significant discoveries of modern science is the discovery of its own limitations.
Science Meets Spirit: The search for meaning
Jan 4 – 22, 2010: One, two or three week options
Elisabet Sahtouris, Arthur Zajonc, Mary Midgley, Bernadette Brady, Ravi Ravindra
Participants on this course will hear from some of the most inspired and original thinkers of our times, who will tackle fundamental questions from a variety of perspectives – evolution, complexity and biology, quantum physics, cosmology and philosophy of science. These teachers will show how an augmented and enhanced scientific methodology can powerfully reveal those levels of perception and awareness that are now so critically needed if we are to create solutions to the largely insidious yet burgeoning global crises marking these times.
For further information and to book your place on this course, click here
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A monologue with wholeness
This year Philip Franses joined the faculty at Schumacher College to teach on the MSc in Holistic Science. Philip has shared with us his monologue with wholeness, a beautiful celebration of ideas and nature, which he dedicates to the memory of Brian Goodwin.
Process
When coming to England in 2005 to study at Schumacher College, one of the first things we did was visiting the moor, going up through Buckfast with its Abbey to leave behind the buildings, civilization of gentle Devon and enter into the wilderness of the moor, with its solitary and singular atmosphere of oneness. Buckfast always seemed like a magical gateway that somehow transformed the order of towns into the wilderness of Dartmoor. Once on the moor one would catch glimpses in the wildness, of the river Dart and know it as the same river that gave its name to Dartington where the College was, but these pieces of the puzzle would remain enigmatically separated.
The first teacher on the MSc was Henri Bortoft, who most carefully but also sternly, guided us through what was to us all a new terrain of using understanding and logic to establish a way of seeing the world. This differed from the schooling we each had to see the world without attention and then to use logic to elaborate what we saw. One could even pass a chemistry exam with a top mark, without ever knowing what the formulae of exotic substances signified in the world of test tubes and explosions. All the answers to the world’s combinations were already there in the book and experimentation was optional…
Pilgrimage
The Birkbeck day was founded upon the tenet of Satish that we should explore without destination and then experience the journey, in which we are ourselves implicated. The next stage was to experience process through a pilgrimage. For a long time we deliberated on the venue for such a venture – would it be Iona or Wales or Canterbury – before we decided on following the river Dart from its source to the sea…
To read more of this article, click here
To read more about Philip and the other members of staff, click here
To read more about the MSc in Holistic Science, click here
To read about the next Process and Pilgrimage event, click here
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MSc in Holistic Science
accredited by and delivered in partnership with the University of Plymouth.
MSc Coordinator: Stephan Harding; Lecturer in Complexity and Holistic Science: Philip Franses
Visiting faculty: Francoise Wemelsfelder, Rupert Sheldrake, Lynn Margulis, Henri Bortoft, Craig Holdrege, Jules Cashford, Gideon Kossoff, Patricia Shaw, Peter Reason, Bernadette Brady, Margaret Colqhoun
This is a full-time year-long programme, the first Masters degree to present a coherent methodology of holistic inquiry, providing a rigorous and ethical framework for a mature science.
The reductionist explanation of nature through scientific discovery has now proved itself to be unable to give a full and balanced story of our place in the world. It has led us to assume that by analysing the mechanical workings of nature we can predict and hence manipulate it. Central to expounding a new vision at Schumacher College has been the qualitative scientific approach that continues to be adopted by the College’s resident and visiting science faculty.
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Memorial for Brian Goodwin
Thank you to all who attended and otherwise contributed to the memorial celebration for Brian Goodwin last week. At the memorial several beautiful tributes were given by those who had enjoyed his company at many different points of his life. There was also performance, to honour Brian’s life-long relationship with music. Those assembled remembered the great contribution made by Brian as a scientist, educator and as a person.
Schumacher College will continue to be inspired by Brian and his ideas will live on in our hearts, our heads and our hands.
As Brian often used to say at the end of a morning meeting: We are here to serve each other and to serve the planet.
You can continue to contribute to the memorial page for Brian Goodwin. These will be collected together with other tributes in a book.
Educating for Sustainability: Systems and Citizenship vs Me and Consumerism
Visiting teacher Ken Webster talks about systemic thinking in education around sustainability in schools, an aspirational approach which he says will ‘rebuild natural and social capital’.
The current framework on educating for sustainability suggests young people should be on the side of the angels, accept their responsibilities and do the right thing…
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… A cursory look through the sorts of actions schools and pupils do get involved in reveals an emphasis on the individual, their mindset and their choices. This is about behavioural change and persuading themselves and others, by example, that this is a good thing. It has sometimes a whiff of piety about it, about joining our club, ranging from resistance to most things industrial and mass-produced (especially airplanes it seems) through to moderating the rough edges of an insufficiently caring and sharing society. Over-consumption, over-population, over-industrialised, over-exploited and declining biodiversity. Overweight! It all suggests we are guilty of endless sins and that a great deal less of most of it would be better…
…It is much more ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) as ‘me and consumerism’ than ‘systems and citizenship’ (as in active citizenship, offering to challenge, demand and cajole; as in having some sense of how to describe and debate the outline of a sustainable world.) And if it should be more ‘systems and citizenship’ then it’s about having some tools to get there, to at least get the balance right, some intellectual tools, some philosophy…
Read more of this article, click here
Welcoming new teachers to our programme of short courses
Exploring Ethnobotany: Plants as healers
Medical herbalist and ethnobotanist Erin Smith, and Simon Mills, international pioneer in integrating conventional and complementary health care join James Wong of Grow Your Own Drugs and Ethnobotanist and Professor Nancy Turner.
Baking for a new food culture
Sheila Dillon from the BBC Radio 4’s The Food Programme will join Andrew Whitley to teach on this pioneering food course.
Courses open for booking
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Exploring Ethnobotany: Plants as healers
19 – 23 October 2009
Closing Loops, Opening Minds: Educating for a greener future
2 – 6 November 2009
Purpose and Profit: How holistic thinking can remake business
9 – 13 November 2009
Growth and Consequence: Rethinking our economic future
23 – 27 November 2009
Baking for a New Food Culture
30 November – 4 December 2009
Science Meets Spirit: The search for meaning
4 – 22 January 2010
The Economics of Happiness
1 – 19 February 2010
After Copenhagen: Opportunities and challenges
1 – 19 March 2010
Ecoliteracy: First principles for radical change
22 March – 1 April 2009
Green Design in Practice: Building an earthship
19 – 30 April 2010
Click here to book your place(s) using our on-line booking system
stop press Apple Pressing day at Schumacher College
Saturday, 17th October. If you live in the area would like to join us in pressing local apples then let us know and we will get in contact. admin@schumachercollege.org.uk
Events run by associates
Resilience and Climate Change
Speakers include: Sir Crispin Tickell, Caroline Lucas MEP, Stephen Hale, Tony Juniper, John Sauven, George Marshall and Satish Kumar.
Event run by Resurgence
3 October 2009
Cecil Sharpe House, London
http://www.resurgence.org/
From the Ashes of the Crash: Rebuilding the new economics
Speakers include: Andrew Simms, Dr. Jayati Ghosh, Stacy Mitchell
Bristol Schumacher Conference 2009
Saturday 17 October 2009
Council House, Bristol
http://www.schumacher.org.uk/
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Infinite Potential: The Legacy of David Bohm
Speakers: Prof. Leroy Little Bear. Prof. Basil Hiley, Dr. David Peat
Chair: Prof Bernard Carr
Organised by the Scientific and Medical Network
Saturday 21st November
Queen Mary, University of London
http://www.scimednet.org/pdf/09bohm_leaflet.pdf
Wholeness in Three Panels
Process and Pilgrimage event
The many speakers include: Henri Bortoft, philosopher and author of The Wholeness of Nature; Chris Clarke, Science and Spirit, mathematician and author; Philip Franses, Schumacher College, lecturer
Monday 23rd November 2009
The Window, Islington, London
www.earthlinksall.com/processandpilgrimage
Employment opportunities with associates
Full Circle Foundation Global Program Coordinator
See the website of the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) in Hong Kong for further details www.kfbg.org
Schumacher College
(E) admin@schumachercollege.org.uk
(T) +44(0)1803 865 934
www.schumachercollege.org.uk
Schumacher College is an initiative of The Dartington Hall Trust, a registered charity, bringing ideas on sustainability to life.
Schumacher College is part of the Dartington Hall Trust, a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and as a charity (company no. 1485560, charity no. 279756). Registered office: The Elmhirst Centre, Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6EL, UK.