[OSList] self-organization

Mon Dec 30 13:09:35 PST 2013

Of course, all of these wonderful statements about what self-organisation
is, are organising statements !

Open Space Technology itself, minimal as it is, is an organising process.

I do enjoy lazy philosophy. It's part of our mysterious humanity. And
making statements about self-organisation is like trying to bite your own
teeth. You can't grasp this particular spiritual feather because you are
the feather, the wind, the blowing and even the story of it.

Though, perhaps the "self" in self-organisation really does refer to the
human self.

The eye is formed by the light, for the light. Perhaps it's us
self-organising so the self might know it.

Happy New Year

Paul Levy

On Monday, 30 December 2013, Daniel Mezick wrote:

>  Such a rich topic! Thanks to Marie Ann Östlund for opening this topic.
>
> I am compelled to add the following words (verbatim) from RIGHTS OF MAN,
> by Thomas Paine. The book is quite an interesting read for folks like us.
> It tends to confirm and join with all of Harrison's key points.
>
> My favorite quote in the book:
> "...society performs for itself almost everything that is ascribed to
> government."
>
> When he says [society] in the text, he means groups to people who are
> self-organizing, according to natural propensity.
>
> The whole book is here, for free:
> http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3742/3742-h/3742-h.htm#link2H_4_0007
>
> Quoting below, from this specific section:
> http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3742/3742-h/3742-h.htm#link2HCH0001
>
> Will you pardon my forwardness? I've taken the liberty of bolding a few
> words for emphasis:
>
> "So far is it from being true, as has been *pretended*, that the
> abolition of any formal government is the dissolution of society, that it
> acts by a contrary impulse, and brings the latter the closer together. All
> that part of its organisation which it had committed to its government,
> devolves again upon itself, and acts through its medium. When men, as well
> from natural instinct as from reciprocal benefits, have habituated
> themselves to social and civilised life, *there is always enough of its
> principles in practice to carry them* through any changes they may find
> necessary or convenient to make in their government. In short, *man is so
> naturally a creature of society* that it is almost impossible to put him
> out of it.
>
> * "Formal government makes but a small part of civilised life*; and when
> even the best that human wisdom can devise is established, it is a thing
> more in name and idea than in fact. It is to the great and fundamental
> principles of society and civilisation—to the common usage universally
> consented to, and mutually and reciprocally maintained—to the unceasing
> circulation of interest, which, passing through its million channels,
> invigorates the whole mass of civilised man—it is to these things,
> infinitely more than to anything which even the best instituted government
> can perform, that the safety and prosperity of the individual and of the
> whole depends.
>
> * "The more perfect civilisation is, the less occasion has it for
> government*, because the more does it regulate its own affairs, *and
> govern itself*; but so contrary is the practice of old governments to the
> reason of the case, that the expenses of them increase in the proportion
> they ought to diminish. It is but few general laws that civilised life
> requires, and those of such common usefulness, that whether they are
> enforced by the forms of government or not, the effect will be nearly the
> same.* If we consider what the principles are* that first condense men
> into society, and what are the motives that regulate their mutual
> intercourse afterwards, we shall find, by the time we arrive at what is
> called government, that *nearly the whole of the business is performed by
> the natural operation of the parts upon each other. *
>
> "Man, with respect to all those matters, is more a creature of consistency
> than he is aware, or than governments would wish him to believe. *All the
> great laws of society are laws of nature.* Those of trade and commerce,
> whether with respect to the intercourse of individuals or of nations, are
> laws of mutual and reciprocal interest. They are followed and obeyed,
> because it is the interest of the parties so to do, and *not on account
> of any formal laws their governments may impose or interpose. *
>
> ***
>
>
>
>
>
> On 12/30/13 11:10 AM, Harrison Owen wrote:
>
>  Marie – I think you have it just right. But maybe you are making things
> a little too complicated, and working a bit too hard. In my simple mind,
> things look like this. First: All systems are self organizing, even those
> we think we organize. Second: Organizing a self organizing system is not
> only an oxymoron, but stupid – especially when the system can do a better
> job all by itself. Third: Whenever we try to organize a self-organizing
> system, we inevitably get it wrong. Our efforts are “clunky.” Even though
> it may look great on paper, our efforts are never subtle or flexible
> (agile) enough. Fourth: Open Space is simply an invitation to self
> organize. In other words it is simply an invitation to be and do what we
> are. The fact that it works as it does has nothing to do with our knowing
> any philosophy, principles, practices... It works as it has for 13.7
> billion years, long before we arrived on the scene, all without our help
> and assistance. Fifth: the real value of OST is as a training program
> enabling us to experience consciously and intentionally what all too often
> passes by unnoticed – Life. It is also a marvelous laboratory in which we
> can learn more about our natural state. And oh yes – all the principles,
> philosophies, practices, etc are fun, interesting, and useful to the extent
> that they help us to understand with greater clarity what is really going
> on. But at the end of the day they really don’t change a thing. I think.
>
>
>
> ho
>
>
>
> Harrison Owen
>
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