[epic] Updated and consolidated Core SCQH / logic of existence / theory of change including summary "why Life Itself" - Sep 2021

[rufuspollock]

Currently we have a large amount of material spread in many areas. We would like a consolidated structure for our SCQHs and at least one root SCQH plus a consolidated summary version so that:

• We have a clear, simple and short summary for e.g. our front page, for communication
• We have a organizing structure for our work i.e. any given activity should now be mappable against that hypothesis tree / theory of change

Hierarchically structured SCQHs: Like 5 whys our Why structure is hierarchical flowing down from top-most (most obvious, high-level) to lowest level (concretely what we do). It is likely that we have more than one SCQH, perhaps even one SCQH for each of these levels.

1. Why: X is not working (polycrisis) (e.g. X is personal wellbeing, climate crisis, capitalism etc)
2. Why: it needs a paradigm shift (i.e. to address the polycrisis we need foundational transformation - rather than improvements to the existing system)
3. Why: primacy of being (left quadrants) (a paradigm shift requires (primarily) inner transformation individually and collectively)
4. Why: how do paradigms shifts in general and esp left quadrant ones?
5. Why: conscious communities
6. Why: conscious community living ...

Acceptance

• When we do a new piece of work or research we can clearly connect it to the existing endeavours
  • We have one (more internal) place with root SCQH (+ issue tree etc) and links downwards. "One overview place from which all is contextualized/structured!"
  • We are clear on foundations of our logic existence (and what would invalidate it / cause it to change). A series of justified and testable propositions.
• When someone visits our website they have (or can find) a clear explanation of the logic of our existence and work
  • We have a "why" page (or on front page)

Outputs

• Consolidated list of our related existing materials See spreadsheet with notes plus more useful this coggle https://coggle.it/diagram/YW_2e9ACK2X8U4f-/t/core-scqh-https-tao-lifeitself-hyp-tree-coggle%2C-ssheet
• Consolidated terminology for this (e.g. which of logic/reason for our existence, core SCQH, theory of change etc) Unsure what's actually required here? Ans: A choice in terminology
• Single updated SCQH with issue tree New SCQ(H) written in gdoc that is more narrative and updates 2019 with new material. Plus Slide deck narrative version - posted 25 Oct 2021 on blog https://lifeitself.us/2021/10/25/critical-point-our-reason-for-existence-in-a-nutshell/
  • Issue tree is in progress here https://coggle.it/diagram/YUSy8qvxYg7xuyqi/t/how-do-we-bring-about-the-shifts-into-a-flourishing-future
  • Hypothesis tree
• (?) Theory of Change as well (this is kind of identical to SCQH hypothesis tree but shown a bit differently ie. with sequencing?) Core principle of ToC work is co-creation, so will wait until we can collectively review the other bits and discuss
• Short summary “why” doc (started very short why.md in tao) explaining the logic of existence of Life Itself from something obvious (situation) Bottom of the new SCQH doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I4Dp4QICqXYNT2lGZqlTMAulX9V8moN8P06eFfFuALk/edit. We also have some slides in progress

Tasks

• Why do this? How long does it take See overview above and job stories below
• Post up "transforming the narrative" SCQH and analysis #32
• Find, list and organize existing materials https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1x4czK3jC7-QopHoGma_VcRgaXuUyDDa118m18l__d8M/edit#gid=0
• Consolidated root SCQH
  • Draft Here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I4Dp4QICqXYNT2lGZqlTMAulX9V8moN8P06eFfFuALk/edit
  • Review DONE. Rufus and Theo reviewed on 25 Oct 2021
  • Distill (?)
• Issue tree Main issue tree consolidated here https://coggle.it/diagram/YYU3x3wfye5HJKNN/t/root-issue-tree-nov-2021-where-are-we-in-at-this-point & in doc/spreadsheet above
  • Merge / consolidate our main issue tree, new "inquiry" issue tree (based on that) and big vision issue tree
  • Convert issue tree to spreadsheet and finalize e.g. outputs, priorities DONE https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18PawidoZU2omOa1q8xpEXhQobtK4g8m3vlTIgyzlfZ4/edit#gid=0
  • Sort subtrees info in doc into some location …
• Identify sub-scqhs / subtrees and how they connect to main tree
• Review hypothesis
• Check existing work against this issue tree (and/or hypothesis tree)
• Publish new core tree
  • Publish new SCQH (blog post, to tao etc)
  • Maybe also permanently on /why/ (this is quick to do)
  • Circulate on social media
  • Update main website in some way e.g. integrate distilled narrative into front page or a dedicated why/theory of change page

Extras / Inbox

Terms to define:

• Ontology: nature and development of “being” aka consciousness
• Ontogeny / ontogenetics: how does development happen? What supports or hinders it?
• Socio-culturology: study of nature and development of socio-techno-culturo systems (societies/cultures) “macro history”. “Cognitive history”.
• Socio-culturo-genetics: how does development happen
• Interbeing

Naming the disciplines related:

Sub-tree stuff (to be sorted through and included in the issue tree or subtrees or discarded)

What is our near term roadmap

• Do we need a Big Vision?
• How many people are already aligned and where are they?

Where do we start?

• What concrete offers do we have (now)? What do we concretely offer to people
• What cities are fertile environment?
• What actions are easy and what actions are important to change the world wisely?
• How do we communicate and to whom?
• How do we engage with mainstream media?

Who are the stakeholders?

• Who are our potential allies and collaborators?
• What is our relationship to allies/collaborators like anthroposophy, Plum Village lay community, XR, psychedelic scene etc?
• Who are against us and how do we not let them block us?
• How do we engage/relate to financial institutions, academia, art world ...?

What do key terms mean?

• What is dealing powerfully?
• What does F&F mean (for individuals and communities?)
• What is wisdom? What is being wise?
• What does better mean?
• What are our measures of success?
• What is a culture?

How do the seedlings connect into a broader movement and general social change?

Analysis

Job stories regarding the SCQH …

[internal] Structure and triage our work

When I am looking at what activities to take on or prioritize I want a grounded structure to evaluate these against and fit them into so our work is focused and coherence and hence more effective, understandable etc

• E.g. do we work on the real estate fund? Where does it fit into our strategy aka scqh?

How does SCQH relate? SCQH with its issue and hyp tree explicitly spell this out. Any existing or new activity should be relatable to these trees.

[external] what is your: what, why, how …

When looking at Life Itself I want to (quickly) grok your deeper reason/logic for existence i.e. what’s the problem and how are you addressing that … so that I know if it is a match and how i can relate

• And how do you tell that in a relatively simple compelling way? SCQH is designed as an effective narrative technique for setting up a problem and solution

SCQH explicitly spell out the problem and with the issue tree and hyp tree set out how you need to address them. We could also do something a big more here interface wise.

What’s the pain point today?

• Several people who have joined report struggling to really understand our thesis and what we are doing e.g. James stated it wasn’t really until July when Rufus did one on one at community day that he understood what we were up to
• Same goes for external people we speak to (eg Anxx “How it all fits together”)
• Fitting us into their mental model: who are similar / different to? (and how)?
• Internally we don’t utilize the SCQH to structure and triage our work e.g. we don’t refer to SCQH much when planning and the detail of them is incomplete (e.g. Issue tree and hyp tree of main SCQH, no linkage from main tree to subtrees etc)
  • Not clear what is the highest value / leverage point that we could act on (even within adult development)

2 products

This implies there are 2 distinct products to produce:

• [external] Pitch deck like summary of our why, what, how i.e. SCQH distilled as a narrative
  • • (perhaps) something that connects to our initiatives (maps against the hyp tree / issue tree)
• [internal] A comprehensive nested issue or hypothesis tree (with initiatives mapped against that]

Random

Need for Cultural Evolution

Source: https://www.greencommodities.org/content/gcp/en/home/global-initiatives/CSI.html

“I used to think the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and climate change. I thought that with 30 years of good science we could address those problems. But I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed, and apathy … and to deal with those we need a spiritual and cultural transformation — and we scientists don’t know how to do that". - Gus Speth, World Resource Institute

“The more deeply I search for the roots of the global environmental crisis, the more I am convinced that it is an outer manifestation of an inner crisis that is, for lack of a better word, spiritual" - Al Gore, American politician and environmentalist

[theo-cox]

@rufuspollock moving to in review so we can discuss when you're back. See issue for comments.

[rufuspollock]

@theo-cox re-reading this i realize that the main focus should probably be on the issue and hypothesis trees, at least for the top level item where the SCQH part itself is fairly good. I also think a small mindmap (coggle maybe 😉) showing how the different existing materials fit together (or not) would be useful - e.g. there should be a hierarchical relationship of main SCQH (and its issue tree) with e.g. transforming the narrative.

[theo-cox]

@rufuspollock need some clarification if ok:

• I've done a draft issue tree which is linked in the doc - what then needs to happen to this now?
• I'm dong a fresh hypothesis tree based on the new hypothesis of the overall SCQH linked above - correct?
• I'm creating a mind-map in coggle to show connections between the content in the content DB also linked above - correct?

Cheers

[rufuspollock]

@theo-cox let's start with the mindmap first and then discuss (i.e. last item). It would also help me to have a brief summary of what i should read in what order - that's the kind of thing to have in the update comments (i get you are updating the description with status on items but that still leaves me a bit in the dark when i come to review).

[theo-cox]

@rufuspollock OK. There is one doc to review which contains overall SCQH, issue tree link and short summary in that order (which is the order most natural to review): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I4Dp4QICqXYNT2lGZqlTMAulX9V8moN8P06eFfFuALk/edit

[theo-cox]

@rufuspollock have also done a draft of the mindmap, but will admit that (perhaps due to the functionality of Coggle or me just not fully grasping what you have in mind), it doesn't seem to be very useful...
https://coggle.it/diagram/YW_2e9ACK2X8U4f-/t/-

[rufuspollock]

[Update: 11d ago!] we reviewed and tidied new (longer, narrative) version https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I4Dp4QICqXYNT2lGZqlTMAulX9V8moN8P06eFfFuALk/edit and started turning into shorter slides.

[theo-cox]

@rufuspollock main issue tree now consolidated here: https://coggle.it/diagram/YYU3x3wfye5HJKNN/t/root-issue-tree-nov-2021-where-are-we-in-at-this-point

[rufuspollock]

Finalized SCQH through question and done issue tree fully as of yesterday. Reviewed a bit with rest of team. next steps is to finalize spreadsheet version of issue tree and do hyp tree and plan first publication.

Here are some additional todos (also in description now).

Terms to define (write blog posts about)

• Ontology: nature and development of “being” aka consciousness
• Ontogeny / ontogenetics: how does development happen? What supports or hinders it?
• Socio-culturology: study of nature and development of socio-techno-culturo systems (societies/cultures) “macro history”. “Cognitive history”.
• Socio-culturo-genetics: how does development happen
• Interbeing