21ST CENTURY SYNTHESIS PROJECT
FOR BOLD TEACHERS AND BRIGHT STUDENTS
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On Darwin’s birthday, February 12, 2009, the Gallup Poll reported only 4 out of 10 Americans believe in evolution. Over the previous decade, Gallup polls reported the belief God created man in present form, i.e., Creationism, consistently hovering around 44 percent. An international survey in 2006 found one third of Americans believe the theory of evolution is “absolutely false.” This is after more than a century of an investment in trillions of dollars and man and woman hours in science and education—with results varying only slightly for poll after poll. What broke down? Why in the face of the overwhelming evidence of all fields of science and bedrock human experience is belief in evolution checked in place with Creationism growing? Amid all the problems of our time, everyone of reasonably high intelligence and independence of mind realizes that both our planet and ours and other species are at a critical juncture in evolution. Early in the 20th century a biologically-based NeoDarwinian synthesis set the course for the scientific theory and story of evolution for that century. During recent decades, however, thousands of studies updating both our theory and story of evolution have raised the need for a new synthesis expanding beyond the biological base into psychological, social, cultural, political, economic, educational, spiritual—and above all moral—evolution to adequately grapple with the needs of the 21st century; and beyond that, of bedrock human survival. Who’s Going to Do It? Who will provide the new synthesis that’s needed? Most of us assume this will automatically come from established evolution theorists—but given the prevailing lack of progress in this direction this is highly unlikely. Incredible as it may seem, the opportunity of a lifetime exists for teachers, students, and faculty teams relatively fresh to the challenge either to prevail in this task, or nudge their elders to it—and still gain credit! Where Do We Begin? My books and hundreds of supportive studies in their references now make clear that the flaw that opened the way to the rise of Creationism, so-called Intelligent Design, and the general suppression of intelligence that checked evolution theory was not Darwin’s. The problem was and is the suppression of Darwin’s long ignored “higher order” completion for his theory by the captives of a hostile social, political, economic, and religious paradigm. Put the well-known foundational half for Darwin and his successors and the ignored superstructural and completing half for Darwin together and what is needed begins to fall in place. A framework for science in conflict, certainly, with regressive religion—but consonant with the thrust of progressive religion—opens there before us, calling for the work of both progressive science and progressive religion needed to build a bridge to the better future. This is the challenge for bold teachers and bright students across all fields of science, education, and religious studies. The 21st Century Synthesis Project Dependent on feedback, amount of serious interest, and willingness to work at it, here’s what I propose. The 21st Century Synthesis Project would be organized to provide easy access to the necessary data base for teachers and students to take advantage of this opportunity to make an historic contribution to science and society at this critical juncture in our evolution. Once this pioneering venture of potentially great appeal was organized and initially funded, there could be three levels for teacher and student teams: high school, undergraduate college level, and graduate school studies level. The primary goal would be to create a globally interactive online community sharing and shaping advances together. Once well underway, there could also be prizes, with submissions judged by a group of national and internationally known scientists and educators. In either case, the practical gain for participants would be the publication and publicizing of their work, of immeasurable advantage in building careers.
Sounds great? Could be. But then comes the sense of something really impossibly big to tackle. Where on earth should one begin? To show you how it can be done, here’s a set of guiding questions based on the data base of hundreds of studies described or referenced in my books on the new versus the old theory and story of evolution. In other words, here’s a set of questions designed to cut through the confusion. A set of questions to which your answers could provide the groundwork for your own first experimental synthesis for a 21ST Century evolution theory.
GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR GETTING UNDERWAY These four questions may look like a bit much—or two easy—at first. But from wherever you are in thinking about evolution, if you simply think about them, and jot down your first answers, you’ll find a surprising sense of things beginning to fall in place. Keep this list handy. Keep reading. Thinking. Bit by bit adding to and editing your answers. Soon you will find yourself with the first firm feeling of a viable foothold in the climb toward the new synthesis that is needed. I. Some Basic Questions for All Levels of Education Getting Underway 1. Principles for prehuman evolution a. What do you think are the most important forces (factors, principles) accounting for evolution at this level? 2. Principles for human evolution a. What do you think are the most important forces (factors, principles) accounting for evolution at this level? 3. What do you see as the role for religion, spirituality, or philosophy, as well as science (or all four!) in the development of both an updated theory and story of evolution? 4. What other important forces (factors, principles, movements, causes) do you feel development of a new “fully human, action-oriented” theory of evolution must account for ? WHAT SHOULD I READ TO GET UNDERWAY? To get underway, one ideally needs to read a short, easy piece that captures the sense of what we’ll be setting out to best ground scientifically, philosophically, and spiritually. Out of everything I report, I think the best thing of this nature is in the closing chapter for Darwin’s Lost Theory. You can pick it up to read or download by clicking here for The New Theory Versus the Old Story: www.davidloye.com/DLTpromo.html/newstory.pdf Thereafter, here’s a quick guide to the rest of my relevant books. Best for getting underway . . . Darwin’s Real Revolution. Framed by Darwinian revolution versus counter-revolution, this book will provide you with a lively grounding summary of the development of evolution theory throughout the 20th century. Among highlights: forging of the first great synthesis for Neo-Darwinian theory; problems posed by Creationists versus Evolutionists; the rise of the eugenics movement including the devastation of Hitler; late 20th century rise of the Super-Neos of sociobiology and evolutionary psychology; answers explored by humanistic psychology, the human potentials movement, and the new field of evolutionary systems science growing out of chaos, complexity, and self-organizing theories. (For excerpts click on www.davidloye.com/darmind.html . Available through online book sellers worldwide 6/15//10).
Darwin’s Lost Theory. With hundreds of references to corroborating modern studies, special indexes to ease the task of scholarship, and driven ahead by the startling story, this book provides the basic guide to Darwin’s long ignored completion for his theory of evolution emphasizing moral evolution, love, and education, rather than survival of the fittest and selfishness, as primary drivers for human evolution. It also provides a vital grounding sense of the disastrous consequences of old paradigm Darwinism and the requirements and liberating promise for the needed updating, expansion, and new synthesis for Darwinian theory. (Available through online book sellers worldwide. For excerpts click on www.davidloye.com/DLTpromo.html) The Battle of the Books. To sustain the drive to build the better theory against the inertia of the status quo—and the active opposition of all who gain by driving us backward rather than forward in evolution—we need sustained motivation. Half the task is the pull ahead of the vision of a better world, but this is not enough. The other vital half is the push from behind of getting mad enough about what has happened to us long enough to do something decisive about it. Book by book throughout the century, this book provides the behind-scenes story of the battle between the two main scientific adversaries, and their political and economic allies, for control of 20th and 21st century mind. (For excerpts click on www.davidloye.com/darmind.html . Available through online book sellers worldwide 10/15//10). To Sign up for Interested? If so, write me and tell me a little about yourself. Davidloye@gmail.com. At 85 my goal is the obvious—to enlist the minds, values, and vastly greater energy of others empowered to go on without me. My goal is to enlist a small initial body of bold teachers and bright students interested in exploring the potential for this project to help build the needed new synthesis of theory and story. Particularly exciting is the new potential for email, listserve, Facebook, etc., for the formation and expansion of science through the excitement of a like-minded online community. Please join me in getting underway and exploring logical next steps. David Loye |