Dear Alan, Here is a link to the Swedish government web page with a summary of the extensive report on A sustainable democracy, which was published 2000. www.demokratitorget.gov.se/pdf/sustainable_democracy/pdf It talks a lot about deliberative democracy and the role of the people. You might find something useful there. After that came a proposition from the government, of which I have not found a translation. Another web page which has a lot of interesting papers on deliberative democracy is www.co-intelligence.org. Good luck and greetings from
Agneta Falk... ...who is passionately interested in democratic procedures and values. I am currently looking into what the systemic worldview has to offer in ways of expanding the definition of democracy and what practical implications it can present. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Alan Silverman" <asilver...@hvc.rr.com> To: <osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu> Sent: Monday, January 13, 2003 9:46 AM Subject: Re: Help with Idea / Democratic Party - Internet - New Technology > Birgitt, Mike, > Thank you so much. > > Are there any editors or writers out there, who can help me write an > absolutely clear brilliant essay/letter? Or perhaps you know someone > else to refer me to? > > Thanks again, > Al > > > > Birgitt Williams wrote: > > > > Alan, > > Whatever you do with this is worth a pursuing because it is clear you have > > passion to move this forward. I found that the last few paragraphs of what > > you wrote was exactly what we say OST does. I get excited about any work > > that I am aware of in which someone is assisting others to find their voice, > > their truth, their freedom, their right to make choices-all of which is so > > very much needed because people generally have lost touch with all of this > > and lost touch with their personal power. Bless you for pursuing this, > > Birgitt > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu]On Behalf Of Alan > > Silverman > > Sent: Sunday, January 12, 2003 10:58 AM > > To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > > Subject: Re: Help with Idea / Democratic Party - Internet - New Technology > > > > Dear Christine, Birgitt, Jim, BJ, Michael, > > > > Thank you for your responses. > > > > I guess my idea has always been to create a type of virtual Open Space. > > Virtual, because of my experience at IBM. Commuting hours a day to do > > the same work I could do at home seemed so foolish. (I was in software > > support.) > > > > Having to physically travel to a specific place to participate in a > > process, this immediately cuts out almost everyone - the disabled, the > > poor, the dying, 99.9% of all of us, from participation. Which serves > > the individuals who control powerful institutions. I want a virtual > > Washington D.C., a virtual UN. I think it can be done, with specific > > technologies. > > > > I appreciate your responses. But I feel some were really saying: "Do > > this instead". Or "No, that can't be done". These are valid responses, > > but should be said with a full understanding of what I'm saying. > > Harrison came closest to understanding, but I had to clarify a key > > point: Convincing the Democratic Party is not necessary for the idea to > > work. > > > > "Is this what you mean?" ... "Or is it this?" ... "This might be a better > > way...." > > The role of listener, understander, interpreter for other's ideas is > > very important. > > > > A few more things, before I go into my letter. First, key to my system > > of thought is trying to imagine all the ways something might possibly > > work, before saying it won't. Second, although I do have the writer's > > horror of having my ideas stolen, I also have a rather loose sense of > > ownership. I'm not saying 'help me with my idea' so much as 'take it, > > work with it, make it your own, whatever part, as much or little, as you > > want." Third, content is important to me, not form. If you can say it > > better, then say it. Take what I write, move it, slice it, dice it. > > That's the beauty of software. Fourth, it doesn't matter who you are or > > where you come from. Christine from Australia, if you understand what > > I'm saying and can help create it, do so. Anything, just referring an > > idea to someone else, can help. Think down the line. > > > > Now I'm being wordy. I don't want to be wordy. I want to boil things > > down to their essence, else the core objective be lost. > > > > 1. My goal is to create and legitimize a virtual institution where > > everyone can input their ideas and join to create solutions, not fuzzy > > solutions but very specific well thought out solutions, to specific > > problems. I believe the technology now exists to accomplish this. > > > > 2. I believe that at this specific time, right now, if we can find the > > right words to express this, and find the right people to champion the > > idea, and place those words in the right place, we have a decent chance > > of creating such an institution. This is worth trying. > > > > I'm going to throw down my words, like characters on a Ouija board, > > hoping they take shape and become something. Don't be too respectful > > of specific words. They are just words, after all. > > > > Thank you. > > Alan > > > > Letter I began to write: > > > > Over the past few years I have created innovative solutions for the > > Democratic Party, concise well articulated plans with a high degree of > > granularity, intended to address specific problems. Since I worked as a > > software engineer at IBM, many of these ideas dealt with the Internet > > and new technologies, areas where I felt the Democratic Party could use > > assistance. > > > > At different times I presented these ideas in softcopy, hardcopy and in > > person, to various arms of the DNC and individuals within the party, to > > committees and liberal think tanks, and our elected officials. Because > > these were good ideas well presented, they were discussed, sometimes at > > length, before each idea finally disappeared, swallowed up by that great > > confused institution, the Democratic Party. > > > > There is no lack of good ideas in America. We have a wealth of > > intelligent creative individuals. But no mechanism exists to gather > > innovative ideas, refine them into concrete solutions, and then feed > > those solutions to the Democratic leadership for implementation. If it > > did exist, such a mechanism would invigorate the Democratic Party and > > the American political system as a whole. > > > > The problem is finding a process to efficiently gather and sort ideas, > > winnow out good from bad, and then create solutions. This is the type > > of problem I began working on at IBM in 1988, also the first year I > > worked on the Internet. > > > > The Internet is another great confused institution, implicitly > > democratic, offering enormous possibilities, but containing too much > > information too easily created, and only with difficulty appraised. The > > difference between this and the problems we faced at IBM are more of > > scope than of kind. > > > > The solution lay within a matrix of four technological groups: > > > > 1. The Internet, search engines, sorting programs, heuristics. > > 2. Huge data bases, cheap data storage, data mining. > > 3. Digital signatures, encryption programs. > > 4. Moderated forums. > > > > With these technologies we can build a forum where groups of individuals > > can create intelligent solutions to better our party, our nation, and > > our world. This open forum, open to anyone with access to the Internet, > > open in the fact that the discussions, this solution manufacturing > > process, would be in plain view, thus mitigating against the back room > > deals that often dominate politics. > > > > The forums would be moderated and structured, not free form. Each > > discussion would constitute communities of individuals most > > knowledgeable in specific areas and most passionate about specific > > problems, joining together from wherever they live, to break complex > > problems into simple ones, attacking these simple problems in parallel. > > > > Get the very best people, no matter where they live and who they are, > > working together. Ultimately these are the people who should create > > actual policy and suggest solutions. The Democratic Party is the right > > group to sponsor such a forum and champion its solutions. This may be > > the only way we can compete with the Republican Party, which has more > > money and better organization than we. > > > > (Al: OK, this is where it peters out. > > > > Question: > > > > Is it too pedantic, stiff, self-important? Does it matter I was at > > IBM? Does this technological connection lend some credence? Mention > > Google somewhere? Hot item now. When Google made it to the cover of > > Newsweek magazine, I thought, 'of course, if Google can cull 3 billion > > web pages and organize them to give you the web pages you want, we can > > do the same, matching idea and people together.' > > > > But I don't want to just give Google the 'contract'. It is most > > efficient to find things which already exist, people who have already > > plotted out implementations to an idea. They are out there, for > > virtually any idea or concept, quickly plugged into specific tasks. But > > at every level, task... the actual implementation must be left to the > > best possible solution in competition with all other like solutions. > > The best as judged by ones peers, those individuals most knowledgeable > > about that specific area. BJ, I think this is your distinction between > > 'citizen democracy' and 'direct democracy'.) > > > > Further wisps, some dealing with actual implementation, which needn't be > > in the letter: > > > > The problem with "innovation" in business movements of the 1990's, came > > from three facts. 1. An idea created by one individual could be easily > > stolen by others. 2. Innovative ideas were submitted through a > > hierarchy of management people not capable of understanding or adding to > > the idea, and usually hostile to new ideas in general, since new ways of > > doing things endanger their own positions. 3. With software it's so > > easy to generate ideas, most of them impractical. Assessing, grading, > > and sorting them was simply too expensive. Output generally didn't > > justify cost. > > > > Now, with the availability of digital signatures, dependable encryption > > programs, and cheap data storage, literally every discussion could be > > documented and archived in total. There would be no debate who first > > came up with a suggestion and whose input was critical to its final > > form. But the great weight of output could also be inexpensively > > sorted and grouped. > > > > This would represent both democracy and capitalism at its very best. > > Protocols would be developed to view ideas and refine them efficiently. > > Heuristic searching, sorting, and summarizing programs make this > > possible. > > > > >From a country of 270 million, or a world of 6 billion, there is almost > > always someone who really sees what's going on. The problem is finding > > that person and helping them refine that idea into a solution. > > > > For instance, it seems apparent that an FBI agent in Phoenix and others > > in Minnesota were on the track of the 911 terrorists. Undoubtedly many > > other individuals in other branches of the U.S. government also knew > > something was up. But hierarchical institutions and organizations, such > > as the FBI, and the Republican Party, are not good at finding this type > > of person and putting her/him together with other people individuals who > > can reasonably assess the value of their ideas, so they may begin to > > work together to create solutions. Perhaps more accurately, these > > institutions are not good at allowing such people to find each other and > > work together. > > > > (too preachy and self-involved? I think so. But the 911 stuff could > > touch a nerve.) > > > > The immediate question at hand is 'what should the Democratic Party do > > in light of successful Republican strategy?" That's the button to push, > > the hook. Do we push it accusingly, saying they've failed the Democratic > > electorate? Helpfully? as a challenge? I don't know. > > > > In the long run, I think one of the most important things the Democratic > > Party could offer in competition with the Republicans, is giving all > > (frustrated creative) people the chance to have their ideas seen and > > used. But to give you an idea what I'm thinking, following are specific > > examples of the uses of such forums... > > > > (*** Important aside: The above two paragraphs will be the last time > > you hear me say: > > "I don't know"... > > "But to give you an idea what I'm thinking"... > > "I think..." > > If you do see these statements, please delete them from my writing. > > > > I'm not a great believer in certainty. "I think", "I believe", "I don't > > know for sure" are implied in my every statement. But saying so makes > > for impossible reading.) > > > > Forum examples: > > > > 1. Suppose there is need for a policy decision concerning how farmers > > should irrigate fields in the mountains of Peru. I give this example > > because I remember reading something about this in a back issue of > > Natural History magazine. > > > > I'm willing to bet there are at least three dozen people who know more > > about these fields, farmers, and land use than anyone else in the world, > > all the implications, connections, and complications. If a U.S. policy > > decision were ever needed concerning this (I leave it to your > > imagination why there might be need for such a decision), these are the > > people who should make it, or at least be party to making it. > > > > This may seem inconsequential, but great disasters come from seemingly > > inconsequential decisions. The complexity and size of our world leaves > > open the opportunity for individuals and groups to secretly push their > > own agendas, to the detriment of all. Computer data bases have an > > unparalleled ability to model reality, to track the exact status, in > > real time, of things which might otherwise fall between the cracks. > > > > 2. At least 50 people in the world today have thought of the idea which > > I am discussing here, all aspects, from the technologies involved to the > > structures of forums and rules and protocols to governing them. > > Together we could quickly refine the idea, break it down into > > constituent parts, then solve these as separate problems. > > > > When I was working at IBM there was always someone somewhere who 'knew'. > > Of course you could figure out what they knew, but that might take days. > > But if instead you found that person, and got the answer, the tiny bit > > of information necessary to send the project forward, it might take her > > or him only a minute. > > > > Because I thought of certain ideas, it doesn't mean I'm the best person > > to organize them into an essay, write them down, etc. I want to own > > those ideas and get credit for them. But I don't want to 'own' the > > whole. I want to give ownership away, to all the people who best know > > how to accomplish what should be accomplished, with each person getting > > credit for the actual value of their input. > > > > Any project can be broken down into segments. This project: > > 1. Base ideas > > 2. Write essay > > 3. Round up prominent support > > 4. Place in prominent venue. > > > > Each is the basis for miniforums. > > > > What it comes down to is that already all the right answers are out > > there somewhere. All we must do is find them, create a forum for the > > people who understand them, then use them, while crediting all those who > > deserve credit for a solution. This will constitute a great worldwide > > institution. The key is to legitimize the institution and the solutions > > it proposes. > > > > The people who should pose solutions are the community of all > > individuals in the world most knowledgeable in certain specific areas > > and most passionate about shared ideas. > > > > * > > * > > ========================================================== > > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > > ------------------------------ > > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > > view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, > > Visit: > > > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > * > * > ========================================================== > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, > Visit: > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html