Is human civilisation about to grow up and take on responsibility for its actions? "The Anglo-Saxon usage of the adjective “adult” relates to a grown-up person; in the German language “adult” is mainly used as a biological term for maturity. At the end of quantitative growth, the term in its neuterform “Adultum” could accentuate the emancipatory skills and knowledge of adulthood in social terms as a name for the coming age. "As a term rooted in the tradition of the Enlightenment it would, as a … Continue reading
New Governance | The Future of Power
Fantastic edition of Kosmos Online, with insights by Mark Gerzon, Philip Alston, John Foran, Kosmos Editor, Nancy Roof and more. "What is good governance? Wouldn’t it be participatory, transparent, responsive, and tolerant of different views? And in using its power and authority to shape the institutions that regulate societies, wouldn’t extreme economic disparity be seen as a disadvantage? "Maybe questions like these seem naïve. Do we even ask them anymore? It seems increasingly clear that if … Continue reading
Global Web Movements Lift Democratic Decision-Making to a New Level
"In recent years, online activism platforms have multiplied to the degree that they are starting to have a significant real world impact in areas like environmental protection, human rights and public policy. "The most important decision-making instrument of these platforms is the online petition. In the age of social media, the chance to make an impact seems just a few clicks away. "Jones of Change.Org told IPS: “There are many metrics for success. Victory is the most obvious of metrics, but … Continue reading
A Second Enlightenment in the Making? Seven Stories From the Front Lines
"Over the past few weeks I've had an eye-opening string of experiences. I've seen the burnout and exhaustion of change-makers who feel that "in spite of winning some battles, we are losing the war." A lot of the news isn't good: climate destabilization, the deepening of ecological and social divides, countries on the brink of falling apart, you name it. But I've also seen a whole new landscape of initiatives, collaborative platforms and places that already embody the future, right here, right … Continue reading
Towards a New Activism to Effectively Support a Transition to a Post-Growth Economy
"Activists and civil society change agents from all over the world are increasingly starting to realise that the climate crisis, the inequality crisis, and many other issues so close to activists’ hearts will not come anywhere near getting resolved if we do not change the economic system. Within all diversity of movements like the Commons, de-growth, Great Transition, or the solidarity economy, within and around them a new story of systemic change is emerging." Read the full story in Kosmos … Continue reading
