Best thing I’ve read on Substack to date. I am an elder of the ilk you describe. Early career based in advanced science and engineering, then was intuitively guided to a PhD in transformative learning and change in human systems.
If one understands human ego development and the unfolding patterns of cultural evolution this is the natural next step.
I’ve recently been working as an exec coach/consultant in a venture studio dedicated to getting transformative technologies/ companies in the clean energy/mining space to the fundable stage.
Your use of the venture studio model in the Wisdom economy context is brilliant.
Institutions that support human development are the infrastructure here -- schools & communities of practice chief among them. (But I appreciate the wider lens on the surrounding institutions that support this.)
IMO, I think this perspective will be widely adopted within the next few years. Good to see early adopters letting it rip.
The sense-making has been important, but it's time for sense-doing. It's time to build.
Great initiative, and delighted to see your post. The invitation is to consider expanding what wisdom entails. Something possibly along the lines of..
Wisdom = integration of all ways of being.
True wisdom may be more than knowing, depending upon who you ask. Over the past 15K+ years, western, middle eastern, eastern, and far eastern regions have developed philosophies that have more expansive and nuanced perspectives on ‘wisdom’ (of both human and nature).
Most ancient cultures gave lot of prominence to interdependence, ecosystems, symbiosis, regeneration, and other aspects, and they go beyond ‘knowing’.
Hi anant, thanks for your comment and great observation. you are absolutely right. This is the reason for the name ecologies of wisdom, as it points to wisdom being beyond the singular agent, or capacities there in. It’s a tricky topic to unpack as the first battle is getting beyond the notion of just propositional knowledge.
I applaud this initiative. Yes we need community. I am a mindfulness teacher and cognitive psychologist who 20 years ago left the field of engineering to pursue a career in human development. Working alone, without a community has been difficult despite the rewarding nature of my work. The need for community applies both to teachers and practitioners. Yet, where is more needed, is in the practice of wisdom per se. The ancient tradition of isolation in a monastery, a cave, or a desert, perpetuates the lack of community. I believe that what we need is innovations that start with community, from the get go. I am convinced that we need now to develop a system three, one that complements the brain's intuitive system one, and its reflective system two. Yet, system 3 will no be inside the brain, it will be a communal space. I think of J. Habermas's communicative rationality. We need to engineer it.
I've been thinking about artificial intelligence vs. Natural wisdom. It's quite possible that this isn't a competition, but a realization that AI is likely to have at scale before humans do.
It's evident from how the AI models reason that they are seeing further into the future but also recognizing that the future may not arrive of near term decisions preclude certain paths.
Those who are researching alignment are very quickly realizing that aligning to human interests are often counterproductive to benefiting human interests. AI will probably see beyond the anthropocentric view of life and wisdom well before humans have a chance to grasp (or regrasp this).
Quite possibly only those who align to life affirming choices will be selected for continuity by ASI.
Nicolas — this piece deeply inspired me. I’ve been working at the intersection of AI, leadership, and contemplative practice for years — but this post gave me language for something I had been feeling but hadn’t fully articulated.
It's really quite interesting, as I read this - and deeply agree with the concept and supporting of infrastructure for the Wisdom Economy for multitudes of reasons; I also see the fact that AI might actually be the infrastructural crack that breaks the camel's back of capitalism, in the end.
If a staggering 1 billion people will need to be "upskilled" simply to remain within a system which has already repeatedly proven it is not designed for the majority of people's thriving - or the longevity or people or planet, why would we be upskilling for the continuation of that system at all? Why wouldn't we steer ourselves in an entirely new direction?
We ARE the system and once we widely understand that; we can zoom out, through the lens of inner work and interpersonal wisdom (aka your Wisdom Economy infrastructure), to rebuild based on sufficiency, soul-led, reciprocal, equitable and non-hierarchical community which is designed for the satisfaction of our inner worlds and regeneration of earth, rather than what the externalities of this version of a system. Here for it!!
Grand vision, extremely well articulated. I’ve intuitively felt being pulled towards this “basin” myself but it’s great to see the far more detailed and vivid vision. Very excited about what might come next.
I see wisdom not as a category of knowledge, but as emergent, arising from an individual's lived experience, inner dialogue, and evolving understanding of Self and world.
Unlike knowledge, which can be transmitted through language or frameworks, wisdom often escapes articulation, even by those who embody it. In that light, “wisdom work” might be a bridge too far. As Hermann Hesse noted, "Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it."
A very intriguing and attractive manifesto for a Sunday morning. Resonates with the focus on "earning secrets" as a practice at Climb.Works. I'm trying to help people build businesses that give them the autonomy to do the work they find intrinsically rewarding.
This is a big part of the "wisdom" puzzle for me. Getting away from the job business model and trying to reconnect with Aristotle's original concept of "eudemonia" or thriving. It can only happen with economic and cultural models that reinforce this.
Read the article, and super relevant and aligned. So much of this conversation is still stuck in a reductionist paradigm, and there are many other paradigms and knowledge systems that have more vsophisticated and advanced approaches to this.
Going to study this article - really. Since I’ve started my corporate job I’ve been searching for my soul work and you have laid out to landscape for it in a way I have been seeking out! This is the work know I am here to do but haven’t found the path to yet, but this article has helped SO much
In future articles I will go into more in depth aspects of this, so hopefully it can help you. The internal motivational system is the most underutilised in our society. When that is truly unlocked, we can do anything.
My dear friend, Jeffrey Van Dyk, and I were just talking about this very thing today. It’s here. It’s real. And we’re both on board. We are here to help…❤️
Great, mobilisation is the name of the game at this stage. There is a deluge coming and we (society) are completely unprepared. This has all opportunity to be the most beautiful coherence moment for humanity, or something else (which speaks for itself).
Agreed. Jeffrey has been thinking about this deeply. You two could be twins on your insight and concern. As we talked about it yesterday, it felt more and more urgent. If you’re having calls, let us know. I’d jump on. I bet jeffrey would too!
Best thing I’ve read on Substack to date. I am an elder of the ilk you describe. Early career based in advanced science and engineering, then was intuitively guided to a PhD in transformative learning and change in human systems.
If one understands human ego development and the unfolding patterns of cultural evolution this is the natural next step.
I’ve recently been working as an exec coach/consultant in a venture studio dedicated to getting transformative technologies/ companies in the clean energy/mining space to the fundable stage.
Your use of the venture studio model in the Wisdom economy context is brilliant.
👏👏👏
Institutions that support human development are the infrastructure here -- schools & communities of practice chief among them. (But I appreciate the wider lens on the surrounding institutions that support this.)
IMO, I think this perspective will be widely adopted within the next few years. Good to see early adopters letting it rip.
The sense-making has been important, but it's time for sense-doing. It's time to build.
Couldn’t agree more with everything here, the diagnosis is done. It’s time to do.
I agree. Finally! And it can finally be argumented for from the perspective of social and financial benefit, which is absolutely necessary.
Great initiative, and delighted to see your post. The invitation is to consider expanding what wisdom entails. Something possibly along the lines of..
Wisdom = integration of all ways of being.
True wisdom may be more than knowing, depending upon who you ask. Over the past 15K+ years, western, middle eastern, eastern, and far eastern regions have developed philosophies that have more expansive and nuanced perspectives on ‘wisdom’ (of both human and nature).
Most ancient cultures gave lot of prominence to interdependence, ecosystems, symbiosis, regeneration, and other aspects, and they go beyond ‘knowing’.
Hi anant, thanks for your comment and great observation. you are absolutely right. This is the reason for the name ecologies of wisdom, as it points to wisdom being beyond the singular agent, or capacities there in. It’s a tricky topic to unpack as the first battle is getting beyond the notion of just propositional knowledge.
I applaud this initiative. Yes we need community. I am a mindfulness teacher and cognitive psychologist who 20 years ago left the field of engineering to pursue a career in human development. Working alone, without a community has been difficult despite the rewarding nature of my work. The need for community applies both to teachers and practitioners. Yet, where is more needed, is in the practice of wisdom per se. The ancient tradition of isolation in a monastery, a cave, or a desert, perpetuates the lack of community. I believe that what we need is innovations that start with community, from the get go. I am convinced that we need now to develop a system three, one that complements the brain's intuitive system one, and its reflective system two. Yet, system 3 will no be inside the brain, it will be a communal space. I think of J. Habermas's communicative rationality. We need to engineer it.
I've been thinking about artificial intelligence vs. Natural wisdom. It's quite possible that this isn't a competition, but a realization that AI is likely to have at scale before humans do.
It's evident from how the AI models reason that they are seeing further into the future but also recognizing that the future may not arrive of near term decisions preclude certain paths.
Those who are researching alignment are very quickly realizing that aligning to human interests are often counterproductive to benefiting human interests. AI will probably see beyond the anthropocentric view of life and wisdom well before humans have a chance to grasp (or regrasp this).
Quite possibly only those who align to life affirming choices will be selected for continuity by ASI.
Next five years will be very interesting.
Nicolas — this piece deeply inspired me. I’ve been working at the intersection of AI, leadership, and contemplative practice for years — but this post gave me language for something I had been feeling but hadn’t fully articulated.
It sparked the manifesto I wrote recently: (https://www.mindhacker.com/p/the-executive-monk-a-manifesto-for). You’ll see echoes of your thinking throughout.
Thank you for helping give shape to this emerging field — it’s exactly the kind of architecture our future depends on.
Warmly,
Cian
Thank you for your kind words, that means a lot. Happy it was helpful
It's really quite interesting, as I read this - and deeply agree with the concept and supporting of infrastructure for the Wisdom Economy for multitudes of reasons; I also see the fact that AI might actually be the infrastructural crack that breaks the camel's back of capitalism, in the end.
If a staggering 1 billion people will need to be "upskilled" simply to remain within a system which has already repeatedly proven it is not designed for the majority of people's thriving - or the longevity or people or planet, why would we be upskilling for the continuation of that system at all? Why wouldn't we steer ourselves in an entirely new direction?
We ARE the system and once we widely understand that; we can zoom out, through the lens of inner work and interpersonal wisdom (aka your Wisdom Economy infrastructure), to rebuild based on sufficiency, soul-led, reciprocal, equitable and non-hierarchical community which is designed for the satisfaction of our inner worlds and regeneration of earth, rather than what the externalities of this version of a system. Here for it!!
Grand vision, extremely well articulated. I’ve intuitively felt being pulled towards this “basin” myself but it’s great to see the far more detailed and vivid vision. Very excited about what might come next.
I see wisdom not as a category of knowledge, but as emergent, arising from an individual's lived experience, inner dialogue, and evolving understanding of Self and world.
Unlike knowledge, which can be transmitted through language or frameworks, wisdom often escapes articulation, even by those who embody it. In that light, “wisdom work” might be a bridge too far. As Hermann Hesse noted, "Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it."
A very intriguing and attractive manifesto for a Sunday morning. Resonates with the focus on "earning secrets" as a practice at Climb.Works. I'm trying to help people build businesses that give them the autonomy to do the work they find intrinsically rewarding.
This is a big part of the "wisdom" puzzle for me. Getting away from the job business model and trying to reconnect with Aristotle's original concept of "eudemonia" or thriving. It can only happen with economic and cultural models that reinforce this.
10000% agree. Actually very surprised that I’ve not seen a lot more on this. Will definitely be in touch.
Big fan of this. Signed up for Basin. Would love to learn more on the investment side.
Here's an article of mine that got published on Hackernoon about the correlations between AI and the various classes of knowledge systems: https://hackernoon.com/artificial-cultural-intelligence-a-case-for-it.
Timely connection to the 'wisdom' aspect.
Read the article, and super relevant and aligned. So much of this conversation is still stuck in a reductionist paradigm, and there are many other paradigms and knowledge systems that have more vsophisticated and advanced approaches to this.
Going to study this article - really. Since I’ve started my corporate job I’ve been searching for my soul work and you have laid out to landscape for it in a way I have been seeking out! This is the work know I am here to do but haven’t found the path to yet, but this article has helped SO much
In future articles I will go into more in depth aspects of this, so hopefully it can help you. The internal motivational system is the most underutilised in our society. When that is truly unlocked, we can do anything.
Really appreciated what you are laying out here. Thanks for writing this, and for tending this vision.
Thank you, we are all in it together.
My dear friend, Jeffrey Van Dyk, and I were just talking about this very thing today. It’s here. It’s real. And we’re both on board. We are here to help…❤️
Great, let’s do it. I sent you a direct message to set something up.
Great, mobilisation is the name of the game at this stage. There is a deluge coming and we (society) are completely unprepared. This has all opportunity to be the most beautiful coherence moment for humanity, or something else (which speaks for itself).
Agreed. Jeffrey has been thinking about this deeply. You two could be twins on your insight and concern. As we talked about it yesterday, it felt more and more urgent. If you’re having calls, let us know. I’d jump on. I bet jeffrey would too!
Love the images you made here