HomoCreator&Reframing

KarimBenammarCitizenArtistIncubator,Vienna,

September9-11,2016

SolarSurplus

Creativity

• Surplusenergy:leavingmorebehindthanwetake• Essentialnatureofhumanbeingstocreate• Historyofourcivilisation• Ourdestinyashomocreator

Physicalcreativity

• Physicalhabitat:agriculture,dwelling,cities,dams,polders

• Physicalinfrastructure:transport,mobility,communications,

• Artificialmaterials:plastics,chemicalcompoundsandnuclearenergy

Money:avirtualinstitution

Virtualcreativity

• Laws:property,intellectualproperty,socialcontracts,institutions

• Money:insurance,pensions,leveraging,derivatives

• Language,education,theArts

• Beliefsystems

Exercise– virtualcreativity

• Whatvirtualhumancreationcanyouthinkofthatisnotsovisible?

• Whatisitsfunction?• Howdiditgetestablishedhistorically?• Whatwouldhappenifwechangedit?

Discusswithyourneighbour(5minutes)

Self-creation

• Education,skills,tamingourselves

• Physical/chemicalenhancement:sports,bodybuilding,plasticsurgery,longevity

• DNA manipulation,creatinglife,theanimalthatacceleratesitsownevolution

AndersSandberg– Transhumanism

AndersSandberg:spreading lifethrough theuniverse

AubreydeGrey• Anti-aging:agingisa“deadlydisease”• Repairingdamageiseasierthanslowingdowndamage• Lifeexperienceandlifeexpectancyofyoungadults• Wecancontinuouslyimproverepairing

• Ourfirstreactionisa‘pro-agingtrance’– Wecan’timagineit– Wedon’twanttogetourhopesupandbedisappointed– Weseeallkindsofproblems(over-population;boringlives;havingchildren)

– “Eternityisaverylongtime,especiallytowardstheend”.WoodyAllen

AubreydeGrey:longevityescapevelocity

JuanEnriquez – homoevolutis

World-object

• Atombomb

• Internet

• Globalfinancialsystem

• GlobalWarming

• Anthropocene:eraofhuman-drivenchange

Buildingblocks

• Manipulateatthelevelofcode

• FrombreedinganimalstoDNAmanipulation

• Re-creatingspecies• Creatingartificiallife• JuanEnrique:Homoevolutis

VulnerabilityandPower

• Wedeterminewholives• Creatorsofourcommon

destiny;“PlayingGod”• Humanvulnerability:

earthquake,virus,asteroid,ArtificialIntelligence

• Destroyingeachother,species,naturalenvironment

• Mixofcarelessness,short-termism,destruction

• Adolescence

Timeofcrisis• Crises– underlyingwave• Lengthofthetime-frame

1. Relationtotheland2. Mobility3. Health4. Demographics5. Connections6. Conflicts

Hominiscence:humanflourishingMichelSerres

Exercise – crisis

• Whatsystemdoyouseebeingincrisis?

• Whatistheoldstructure?

• Whatisitchangingto?

• Whatisitdisrupting?

Discusswithyourneighbour(10mins)

Whatdoweneed?

• Awarenessofcrisesandtheneedfornewstrategies.

• Creativedestructionanddestructivecreativity:thefutureofwork

• Experimentation:networks;bottom-upinitiatives,crowd-sourcing,crowdfunding

Creativetension

1. Visionofflourishinghumanrace

3. Stepstogetthere-milestones

2. Honestassessmentofwherewearenow;analysisofpowerstructuresRobertFritz

Creatingmeaning

• ViktorFrankl:givingmeaningtoourlivesthroughself-chosenprojectsthatcometodefineus

• Individually• Ascommunities• Globally

Exercise – homocreator

• Whatchangeareyouin?Whatneeds to change?• Areyoudrivenbyenergy– anger,frustration,‘divinediscontent’?

• Areyouattractedbyapositivefuture,‘called’toaproject?

• Whatisyourprojectashomocreator?

Discusswithyourneighbour(10minutes)

LoveandBeauty

• Creatingourcommonfuture:individual,communalandglobalhumanflourishing

• Aestheticsoverethics;experimentationovertheprecautionaryprinciple,creativityoverprescription

Reframing

Reinventingthewheel– SamPearce

Fosbury Flop1968

Thinkingdifferently1. Whydowedothingsthewaywedothem?2. Howcanwedothingsdifferently?

Examiningourassumptions:• Ouractionsareusuallybasedonunexamined

assumptions• Wecanuncover ourassumptions• Wecanchange ourassumptions

• Historicalprecedent– “thisisthewayithasalwaysbeendone”

• Ourupbringing– ourcommunalandfamilyculture• Oureducation- whatwehavebeentaught• Establishedinstitutions– whatwemaybelievetobe

“natural”• Whatwechoosetobelieve

• Everysystemisa“legacysystem”

• Reframing:questioningourbeliefsbyoverturningourassumptions

Examiningourassumptions

Layers of assumptionsPURE MATHEMATICAL AND LOGICAL FORMULAS

NATURAL LAWS

EMPIRICAL CLAIMS

EXPERIENCE

W.V.O.Quine(1908-2000)

Paradigmshifts

ThomasKuhn(1922-1996)

EMPLOYEESARETHIEVES

FIXEDWORKSHIFTS

LONGREPORTS MEETINGSARECOMPULSORY

TRADITIONALSEMCO

INNOVATIVESEMCO

NON-FIXEDWORKSHIFTS

SHORTREPORTS

EXPENSESNON-

REGULATION

SALARIESNOTSETBY

MANAGEMENT

MEETINGSARENOT

COMPULSORY

TEAMSDECIDEHOURS

ONE-PAGEMEMO

CONTRIBUTEORDON’TGO

EMPLOYEESARENOTTHIEVES

WETRUSTOUR

EMPLOYEES

SALARIESSETBY

MANAGEMENT

EXPENSESREGULATIONS

MAKEYOUROWN

DECISIONSDECIDEYOUROWNSALARY

REFRAMING

Step3

Step4

Findoppositesforeachofyoursupportingbeliefsusing:• linguisticopposites• conceptualvariations• extremesDonotdiscussmeritsDonotworrywhethertheyaretrue

ConstructareframedcorebeliefbasedonyourreframedsupportingbeliefsWhatifthesefourextremesupportingbeliefsweretrue?

Step1

Step2

Determineyourcorebeliefaboutthetopic

MapyoursupportingbeliefsChoosethefourmostimportantones

STEP3:TAKETHEOPPOSITE

BANKSWILLNOTPROVIDELOANS

BANKSPROVIDEPLENTYOFLOANS

BANKSPROVIDECREDIT

FUNDSTHEGOVERNMENT

INDIVIDUALSPROVIDELOANS

FUNDSWANTTOINVEST

INVESTORSASSTALKERS

TEACHERHASPRIVILEDGEDACCESSTOKNOWLEDGE

TEACHERSPEAKS,STUDENTISSILENT

TRADITIONALEDUCATION

INSTITUTIONALPOWER

UNQUESTIONEDAUTHORITY

EVERYONEHASACCESSTO

INFORMATION

EVERYONESPEAKS-CONSTANTCHATTER

INDIVIDUALRELEVANCE

RECIPROCITYBETWEEN

TEACHERSANDSTUDENTS

EDUCATIONINTHE21STCENTURY

HIGHEREDUCATIONDEGREEREQUIRED

APPLYFORJOBANDGETHIRED

EMPLOYEE

JOBSECURITYHIERARCHYANDJOBDESCRIPTION

SHOWYOURSKILLS

CONTINUOUSLYCREATEVALUEFORPROJECTS

FLEXWORK,INSECURITY

NETWORKSANDCO-CREATION

INDEPENDENTPROFESSIONAL

THEREISNEVERENOUGHFOREVERYONE

FIGHTAGAINSTNATURE

SCARCITYTHINKING

ENDLESSCOMPETITIONFIXEDPIEVIEW

THESUNASCONSTANTSURPLUS

USINGVIRTUOUSGROWTHCYCLES

CO-OPERATIONAND

COLLABORATION

FLEXIBLEPIEVIEW

ABUNDANCETHINKING

GOD-GIVENVALUES

OBEDIENCEISREQUIRED

HERDMENTALITYACCORDINGTONIETZSCHE

WEAKNESSANDSELF-PITYAREVIRTUOUS

THEOTHERISEVIL

‘GODISDEAD’ MAKEYOUROWNDECISIONS

STRENGHANDPRIDEAREVIRTOUS

IAMGOOD

SELF-DETERMINING‘OVERMAN’

REFRAMING

Step3

Step4

Findoppositesforeachofyoursupportingbeliefsusing:• linguisticopposites• conceptualvariations• extremesDonotdiscussmeritsDonotworrywhethertheyaretrue

ConstructareframedcorebeliefbasedonyourreframedsupportingbeliefsWhatifthesefourextremesupportingbeliefsweretrue?

Step1

Step2

Determineyourcorebeliefaboutthetopic

MapyoursupportingbeliefsChoosethefourmostimportantones

KarimBenammarCitizenArtistIncubator,Vienna,

September9-11,2016