1. Cosmopolitan Politics

Dualistic thinking needs to be recognized as part of a failed enlightenment project and we need to ‘rescue the enlightenment from itself’ (McIntyre-Mills et al. 2006a) through recognizing our co-determination of the environment of which we are a part.

Global covenants could provide a way forward. They could help to enable people to think about the social contract beyond the nation state. But the challenge remains, how do we scale up interventions? Currently, the financial crises are also being poorly managed. Clearly, if the EU is to survive it needs to be supported by a means to balance individual and national interests with the collective good of the union. More and more members of the union are disenchanted for a number of reasons.

The problem with end-point measures is that it requires law and the will to implement overarching law via federations buttressed by example the Lisbon Treaty (Horvath and Odor 2010) which requires that social, economic and environmental legal considerations be met. Unfortunately, the structural and process mechanisms of the EU are not able to manage the distribution of funding or to apply the principle of additionality successfully (Rhodes 1997).

What midpoint indicators such as decreasing biodiversity and rising sea levels, (see Murray et al. 2006, pp. 14–16) can be developed to ensure that we live in ways that do not shorten the life of others and that do not lead to loss of life? The choices for local wellbeing have an implication for the wider region, which is why these choices should be transparent. How could this be achieved? Whistle-blowing is necessary before and not only after the horse has bolted. How do we prevent problems through monitoring on a regular basis? Could enabling people at the local level (through the principle of subsidiarity) address the concerns for access to information? How do we engage people so that they are willing to act as stewards? If we hope to achieve conscious evolution and we do not wish to rely on chance, then we need to find ways to engage local people in thinking through the implications of their choices.

‘Customs may not look for asylum seeker’s bodies Customs officials may not attempt to recover the bodies of up to 55 asylum seekers thought to have drowned off Christmas Island, angering refugee advocates’. See Financial Review, 11 June 2013. http://​www.​afr.​com/​p/​national/​customs_​may_​not_​look_​for_​asylum_​ifpaZYn2WxZbs2P1​JrZRoI.

http://​vimeo.​com/​album/​2066366/​video/​4750629727 January 2013.

At a recent conference on creating the future in Melbourne, November 2012, Prof. Susan Greenfield summed up the issue of the plasticity of the brain, meaning that the brain makes neural connections; the more connections, the more mindful we become. The making of connections is personal. It is the result of our personal experiences, so even two identical twins will have the potential to develop different connections as a result of their experiences. To what extent can the use of conceptual tools enable us to extend our sense of the world and to enable us to see ourselves as members of a wider group to whom we are responsible and with whom we have solidarity? Can leadership that fosters ‘neurogenesis’ or making of connections make a difference—or is it all about power and the will to power? Although activities like playing the piano will help to develop new neural connections, even thinking about playing can develop these connections. So the idea behind this research was that perhaps by getting people to think differently about the way in which they live, and to consider, what if I were to do things differently, perhaps it will enable the participants who do these mental exercises, to transform the way in which they live. I did this research first with people with complex health, housing and social inclusion needs. Many were addressing unemployment and had a range of associated needs and health-related problems—including recovering from drug-related and other alcohol-related illnesses. Addiction to a way of life can be both a cause and the effect of many other problems, as Stafford Beer (1974) stressed in his research. This is why the approach to research needs to be one of engagement and being the change.

MPs’ expenses in detail, 2009 as on Friday, 19 June 2009. http://​news.​bbc.​co.​uk/​2/​hi/​uk_​news/​politics/​8039273.​stm. Accessed 6/02/2013.

‘A radical shift in the way in which the planet as a whole supplies and uses energy is obviously necessary. The shift to a low carbon economy presents an extraordinary challenge to the planet as a whole…’ (Beardsworth 2010, p. 164).

According to Benhabib (2008): ‘We extend the boundaries of our sympathy by understanding the conditions of others who may be radically different than us…’

The axiom to guide and balance new forms of democracy and governance is that we can be free and diverse at a local, national or transnational regional level to the extent that we do not undermine the collective good (Eder 1996; McIntyre-Mills 2010) or the global commons. Initially, the concept of global commons was narrowly defined as ‘assets outside the national frontiers such as oceans, space and the Antarctic’. OECD definition http://​stats.​oecd.​org/​glossary/​search.​asp. Our area of concern is the extent to which resilience could be achieved through attitudinal and behavioural change fostered through participatory democracy and systemic governance that incorporates structured ‘if then considerations’ (Christakis and Bausch 2006; McIntyre-Mills and De Vries 2011) to develop clear priorities as to how to respond to contextual challenges (Ng 2011). The theme of global stewardship, democracy and governance frameworks to support wellbeing is addressed in this program of research by asking questions guided by a design of inquiring systems (DIS) adapted from the work of West Churchman (1979, 1982), McIntyre-Mills (2006 a, b,c, 2010), McIntyre-Mills and De Vries (2011). The DIS refers to addressing an area of concern by ‘unfolding’ human values and ‘sweeping in’ contextual considerations and many domains of knowledge spanning logic, empiricism, idealism, the dialectic and pragmatism before making any decision.

Beck (2009, 2010), for example, stresses the need for social movements to raise awareness to support social and environmental justice and stresses that the nation state is inadequate. He has stressed the so-called boomerang effect of poverty and pollution in risk society and later developed a more nuanced discussion of the implications of energy use and climate change. O’Neill, for example, follows in the footsteps of Buckminster Fuller in using the concept of ‘spaceship earth’. Their critical systemic analysis makes a case for the complicity of those who support business as usual. The fate of humanity cannot be protected by boundaries. Not only are social, economic and environmental boundaries porous, we have responsibilities for space ship earth, to cite Buckminster Fuller. Rights need to be protected by responsible global governance that is accountable to overlapping regionalist institutions.

The notion of isolated city states with small, static populations is no longer relevant. Democracy and governance needs to develop to respond to current challenges. The notion that democracy serves the interests of humanity at the expense of the environment is simply unsustainable. The notion that elected governments serve the people who elect them as their agents needs to be expanded to accept that the rights of elected governments and the people they serve need to be expanded to consider the rights of future generations of life. The responsibility of the people (the principles) is to this generation and the next. This notion can be summed up as strong cosmopolitanism based on the idea of post-national governance in overlapping regions aimed at balancing both rights and responsibilities to others and the environment. The planet is not a credit card to be used to benefit some, whilst others pick up the tab! The responsibility weighs differently on developed and less developed nations and also differently on the rich and poor, this generation and the next. The architecture of governance (Archibugi 2008) needs to respond to environmental needs that protect the wellbeing of global citizens (Haydon 2010). Sovereign nation states need to consider regional rights and responsibilities in a series of overlapping organisations that apply the rule of law to ensure equitable and fair distribution of rights and responsibilities for food, energy and water. The research is about developing post-national organizations to ensure human rights. Disaster management, movement of people fleeing disaster or injustice and securing food, energy and water are concerns that span boundaries (spatial, conceptual and temporal). We need to solve problems across generations, across disciplines and across nation states to create good neighbourhoods. This requires trust and better communication so that we understand one another better. It requires compassion at best, but if rights are accorded to the powerless, then those without compassion will be required to limit their actions.

http://​iml.​jou.​ufl.​edu/​projects/​Fall07/​Henneberger/​History.​html, accessed, 2/01/2014.

http://​www.​theguardian.​com/​world/​2013/​dec/​28/​chinas-one-child-policy-is-eased-in-greatest-reform-for-three-decades. China’s Associated Press, Beijing. “China on Saturday formally allowed couples to have a second child if one parent is an only child, the first major easing of its 3-decade-old restrictive birth policy. First announced by the ruling Communist Party’s leadership in November, the decision was officially sanctioned by the standing committee of China’s top legislature, the National People’s Congress, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.” http://​www.​theguardian.​com/​au. Accessed 2/01/2014.

Conservative economists argue that consumption can be modified by those with an income to build up wealth. The difference in this report is that consumption refers to stocks that are usually not included in economic measures. The most important point made is that by contributing to the public good, individual households could enhance their wellbeing. In Australia, households that were protected by levee banks weathered the recent floods in South Wales. State governments that levy taxes to build resilient communities are providing for the common good. Reducing consumption in order to pay taxes to protect our homes and families makes sense as New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland continue to count the costs of flooding in Australia.

It is possible for measures of average to disguise the fact that a high income does not enable exhausted workers to enjoy the same kind of leisure that a lower-income family enjoys who has access to the safety net of capital, a home (rather than a mortgage) and the security that loss of income will not lead to a loss of their home or their social networks.

Butler (2006) stressed in a videoed conversation with Sunaura “that in this world we need each other, in order to meet our basic needs” NominalistWay 6 videos. In these, she explores the importance of ‘giving an account of oneself.’ In a conversation with a young women (Examined Life—Judith Butler and Sunaura Taylor 720p.avi). In conversation, Sunaura explains that disability is socially constructed through the disabling affects of the way people respond to you…“Just organising myself ordering a coffee and demanding help is a political protest… we all need help… We are all interdependent… Impairment is the medical fusion of bones and the way it affects movement.”

http://​unpresentable.​wordpress.​com/​2010/​05/​13/​toward-a-post-human-political-theory-deleuze-guattari-and-disability-studies-%E2%80%93-pt-4/​.

Skete, M. (2012) ‘Disability help a win for us all: the lack of Medicare-style insurance scheme hurts individuals and society’, Weekend Australian, March 10–11, p. 22.

http://​www.​salon.​com/​2011/​10/​24/​judith_​butler_​at_​occupy_​wall_​street/​. By viewing the video, the performative approach to social change through being the change through reframing the current socio-economic system:

“If hope is an impossible demand, then we demand the impossible. In brief remarks to the occupiers at Liberty Plaza, Butler offered her take on the continuing ‘demands’ debate: People have asked, so what are the demands? What are the demands all of these people are making? Either they say there are no demands and that leaves your critics confused, or they say that the demands for social equality and economic justice are impossible demands. And the impossible demands, they say, are just not practical. If hope is an impossible demand, then we demand the impossible—that the right to shelter, food and employment are impossible demands, then we demand the impossible. If it is impossible to demand that those who profit from the recession redistribute their wealth and cease their greed, then yes, we demand the impossible”.

We need to develop an increased understanding of our interrelatedness with others and the land. We need to become more conscious that we are part of a systemic web of iterations and that human beings are not only dependent on one another, but are also connected with other sentient animals. We are all dependent on the land, air and water (McIntyre-Mills and De Vries 2011, 2012b).

Buckminster Fuller, R. 1968 Operating Manual For Spaceship Earth (ISBN 0-525-47433-1) or (ISBN 3-037-78126-2), (ISB 9783037781265). http://​en.​wikipedia.​org/​wiki/​Operating_​Manual_​for_​Spaceship_​Earth#cite_​note-1. Accessed 21/01/2013.

Let us start with the IPCC formula that addresses the implications of polarizing people versus the planet. IPCC formula E (emissions) = population × consumption per person × energy efficiency × energy emissions. Existential risk has implications for representation, accountability and sustainability. Consumption is very unequal and the gaps between rich and poor become wider and wider.

http://​ec.​europa.​eu/​environment/​aarhus/​. According to the European Commission website,

“The Aarhus Convention establishes a number of rights of the public (individuals and their associations) with regard to the environment. The Parties to the Convention are required to make the necessary provisions so that public authorities (at national, regional or local level) will contribute to these rights to become effective. The Convention provides for:

This research emphasizes the creation of multiple paths to form webs to wellbeing through critical, systemic engagement to ensure that local people get to know about local resources (that are listed in directories created by both service users and providers) and that their identity is protected. They are able to see the typical scenarios of what people have, need, are prepared to add or discard from their lives and what they think are turning points for the better and worse.

http://​www.​theage.​com.​au/​environment/​climate-change/​four-degrees-of-separation-20110708-1h6yi.​html#ixzz1S2YGAKwX.

The voting Republicans (aged 18 and above) in the USA have given support for a Mormon to lead the opposition to punish an incumbent government. According to Gerson (2012), although Putnam and Campbell (2010) argue that 25 % of 18–29-year-olds described their religious preference as none in 2006, by 2011 it had risen to 33 % and in 5 years. But a closer look at the data presented by Putnam and Campbell (2010, 99–100) shows that the religiosity of young people has fluctuated greatly. In 1957, 69 % of young people considered religion to be relevant, in 1962, only 45 %. In 1965 33 %, in 1967, 23 %, in 1968, 18 %, in 1970 30–40 % thought it irrelevant and in 1986 10 % thought religion was relevant. This suggests that religiosity waxes and wanes as social history unfolds spanning the Vietnam War and the oil crisis to the realization of convergent crises. People turn to or away from religion at times of crisis. They also redefine what they mean by religion. Spirituality—based on a love of the land and an ecumenical respect for diversity—may provide a way forward, but the opportunity may also be lost—if voters follow conservative leaders who promise that the current economy can be rescued. The decline in religiosity is occurring amongst the younger groups of voters, but nevertheless voters over 18 years of age in America are searching for meaning through a resurgence in religious belief, as is indicated by the opposition Republican leader.

http://​www.​rolefoundation.​org/​index.​php/​environmental-assistance-projects/​.

http://​www.​navdanya.​org/​news/​229-awesome.

“The International Commission on the Future of Food and Agriculture was created in 2003 in Tuscany, Italy, as a result of an international gathering of leaders in the food and agriculture movement brought together by Claudio Martini, President of the Regional Government of Tuscany for the annual conference on globalization issues… Chaired by noted activist, Dr. Vandana Shiva, the Commission is composed of a group of leading activists, academics, scientists, politicians and farmers from North and South working toward shaping more socially and ecologically sustainable food and agriculture systems. Its mission is the promotion and protection of biodiversity, local food production and consumption, food security and food safety, and the rights of small farmers… It has published four far-reaching Manifestos on issues of critical importance to the future of the planet: the future of food, the future of seeds, climate change and the future of food security, and the need for new knowledge systems for a healthy planet”. http://​www.​future-food.​org/​. Accessed 10 April 2012.

Multinational companies and the WTO have made it possible to patent the conditions of life, thereby causing almost a quarter of a million suicides by Indian farmers who cannot afford to purchase the seeds and the pesticides that are needed (despite the claims by the manufacturers). This is not so very far removed from the Australian context as the number of suicides amongst farmers has also increased as detailed elsewhere (McIntyre-Mills 2012 forthcoming).

Furthermore, the attempt to criminalize farmers who store old varieties of seed could lead to very vulnerable monocultures of foods. The idea that the very basis for life-seeds and genes can be patented is part of the process of commodifying people, animals and the fabric of life.

Green buildings roofed and walled with earth and shallow-rooted plants breathe and produce photosynthesis and food. They are also cool and require less air conditioning. Alternative ways of building include, for example, constructing walls of wire mesh, with spaces filled by means of rammed earth or recycled materials, or filled with soil and planted with shallow-rooted plants. The notion of community reciprocity in, for example, Khayalitsha, Cape Flats, South Africa, enables new forms of economy based on trust. The beginnings of a noncapitalist economy is being developed in Middleville. It already exists in South Africa as a way of surviving unemployment.

www.​youtube.​com/​watch?​v=​UOfM7QD7-kk, http://​www.​navdanya.​org/​news/​229-awesome, http://​www.​vandanashiva.​org/​.

See software detailed in Transformation from Wall Street to Wellbeing. In the user guide developed by Denise de Vries the software is explained: http://​prezi.​com/​mmfaghm40kdf/​pathway-to-wellbeing/​

https://​wellbeing.​csem.​flinders.​edu.​au/​

This is more than a cyber-world; it is a belief that advertised and promoted worlds are normal and desirable. These artificial images, promoted as much by the so-called news media as by advertisers and spin politicians, have become confused with reality.

The axiomatic ideal for systemic praxis is that we have the right to be free and diverse to the extent that our freedom and diversity does not undermine the rights of others. As caretakers, we need to be guided by this axiom when we test out decisions, in terms of the consequences for others and the next generation of life. Social democratic forms of governance need to find ways to balance individual and collective needs in increasingly diverse nation states. So if social democracy is flawed, what is the way forward? Our research strives to address this challenge of reframing governance and economics. This is more than mere technological transformation; it is about transforming our identity as human beings through engaging in exploration about how to bring about change.

The notion espoused by policy thinkers representation needs to be carefully controlled (to support democracy) is fallacious. If people are required to participate and to engage in ‘if then scenarios,’ they are likely to be able to understand one another’s viewpoints better and more likely to make connections. Provided that the axiom is maintained that we can be free and diverse—to the extent that our freedom and diversity does not undermine the rights of others. Perhaps people will realize that their rights need to be curtailed so as not to limit the freedoms of others. This is the point raised by researchers such as Murray et al. (2007) who suggest the need for alternative ways of making decisions guided by the Tuvalu Test to address the use of resources equitably within the region. This could make a difference to the way in which we live, work and engage in leisure. New forms of participatory democracy and governance through on line engagement could be used as a means to voice concerns.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Theorem is as follows:

E (emissions) = population × consumption per person × energy efficiency × energy emissions (Charlton, 2011). The options are as follows: business as usual and small adjustments for the long haul to achieve living in ways that do not risk our way of life (see McIntyre-Mills and De Vries, 2011, for a detailed argument and the details of the software). The approach developed in this paper diverges from the limited calculations of economics and is instead rooted in notions of what wellbeing actually means for cultural change. The approach is also informed by sociocultural cybernetics and physics, drawing on West Churchman (1971), De Beer (1992), Shiva (2002, 2011), Christakis and Bausch (2006) and Bausch and Flanagan (2011). Charlton criticises the Southern Cross Climate Coalition for arguing against coal, because he does not see any way to meet both the social and environmental justice concerns simultaneously. Emeritus Professor Alexander Christakis of Global Agoras together with Flanagan, Bausch and his team have stressed the importance of democratic engagement to enhance an understanding of climate change. Recently, Prof. Wilkinson, together with Pickett (2009), linked social inclusion in more equal societies with better quality of life in their book entitled The Spirit Level. Nussbaum and Glover (1995), Sen (2000) and Flannery (2010) stress that a better quality of life is linked with a demographic transition to smaller population growth rates. Furthermore, the current winner of the Sydney Peace Prize, Dr. Vandana Shiva, a physicist, links wellbeing with the protection of our food supplies; whilst Joy Murray, a senior academic physicist at the University of Sydney, links the size of our carbon footprint with the wellbeing of our whole region. Olive Veverbrants, an Arrerente Australian, stressed ‘the earth is our mother’ and we depend on it for our survival.

Green buildings roofed and walled with earth and shallow-rooted plants breathe and produce photosynthesis and food. They are also cool and require less air conditioning. Alternative ways of building include, for example, constructing walls of wire mesh, with spaces filled by means of rammed earth or recycled materials, or filled with soil and planted with shallow-rooted plants. The notion of community reciprocity in, for example, Khayalitsha, Cape Flats, South Africa, enables new forms of economy based on trust. The beginnings of a noncapitalist economy is being developed in Middleville. It already exists in South Africa as a way of surviving unemployment.

Rudd, K. 2012 ‘West not ready for new China’, Inquirer The Weekend Australian July 14–14, p. 16.

Hammadi, S and Kelly, A 2013 Bangladesh’s stark lesson for buyers. Guardian Weekly 17.05.13, p. 44.

Corruption is stealing from the next generation of life, not merely from the state, market or civil society. Here is an example that illustrates the point I am making. The Jakarta Post (March 3rd, 2012) highlighted the case of 33 law makers sent to jail who were involved in the election of Miranda S. Goelton for bribery, involving travelers checks to enable buying oil plantations in North Sumatra. ‘Nunan attends first trial session for bribery.’

People are reminded of their relationships with nature. Large trees are swathed in black and white banners and entrances are swathed. The desecration of Bali through creating a continuous Kuta development is currently being raised as an area of concern by those who say that the Hindu spirituality is being ignored in the post-Suharto era. Kuta was historically the area of trade, but now the agricultural land centred on temple, rice agriculture and the Subak system of irrigation that provided the livelihood of Bali are under threat.