03-06-15 Co-Intelligence Institute, a nonprofit organization ~ A Conversation with Tom Atlee
Why is our world (especially our politicians) so polarized? Why do we act as if we believe that the greatest truth comes from opposing sides jousting rather than searching together for greater truth by including, encouraging, and creatively engaging a full range of diverse perspectives? What is Dynamic Facilitation and how can it help us access our collective intelligence and our collective wisdom?
Our guest today is Tom Atlee, co-director and research director of the “http://www.co-intelligence.org/CII-1.html” Co-Intelligence Institute, a nonprofit organization he founded in 1996. His early co-intelligence research in the late 1980s focused on the relationship between group dynamics and “http://www.co-intelligence.org/Collective_Intelligence.html” collective intelligence, society’s capacity to function as “http://www.co-intelligence.org/CIdemocracypolitics_theory.html” a wise democracy, and “http://www.co-intelligence.org/EvolutionaryPastToFuture.html” the conscious evolution of social systems.
In this highly stimulating conversation we explore polarization and how we can instead awaken the inherent (and emergent) wisdom in a group. Tom will share the principles of dynamic facilitation, where people do not have to sacrifice their passion or their positions, where, instead, the energy of the polarization can be captured and guided towards channeling the energies surrounding our 21st century social and environmental crises into positive possibilities and system-transforming initiatives.
