Evolving Complex Systems in Boston and Beyond with Daniel T. OBrien ProSocial World 2026-09-25 | Evolving Complex Systems in Boston and Beyond with Daniel T. OBrien
Hunter-Gatherer Societies, Human Origins, and Modern Democracies with Vivek Venkataraman Part 1 ProSocial World 2025-01-08 | Hunter-gatherer societies are fascinating in their own right and--with appropriate caution--a major source of insight about our ancestral past, stretching back to our origin as a species. Remarkably, hunter-gatherer societies also have much to teach us about modern Democratic governance. Vivek Venkataraman is an idea guide to this subject, with a background in philosophy, primatology, and human evolutionary biology, along with direct experience living with and researching indigenous people in Malaysia. Check out the resources, articles, and more mentioned in this conversation!4:21 A Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the BaboonsBy Robert M. Sapolsky ·200712:37The Goodness ParadoxThe Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human EvolutionBy Richard Wrangham · 201914:30 Hierarchy in the ForestThe Evolution of Egalitarian BehaviorBy Christopher BOEHM · 200914:35 and 22:41 Moral OriginsThe Evolution of Virtue, Altruism, and ShameBy Christopher Boehm · 201217:52A Story of UsA New Look at Human EvolutionBy Lesley Newson, Peter J. Richerson · 202122:51Morality from an Evolutionary Perspective with Simon Blackburn: https://www.prosocial.world/posts/morality-from-an-evolutionary-perspective-with-simon-blackburn29:06 and 40:56Man the Hunter Symposium33:31Eating Christmas in the Kalahari Richard Borshay Lee37:23Co-Residence Patterns in Hunter-Gatherer Societies Show Unique Human Social Structure Kim R. Hill , et al.44:43 Variability in the organization and size of hunter-gatherer groups: Foragers do not live in small-scale societies46:28 The Evolution of Subjective Commitment to Groups: ATribal Instincts Hypothesis Peter J. Richerson and Robert Boyd, 201148:23 Human social organization during the Late Pleistocene: Beyond the nomadic-egalitarian model Manvir Singh and Luke Glowacki, 202250:20The Dawn of EverythingA New History of HumanityBy David Graeber, David Wengrow · 202157:19Society Against the State: Essays in Political Anthropology by Pierre Clastres, 1987
2024-12-19 ProSocial Courses and Certification Information Session (Europe time zone) ProSocial World 2024-12-20 | Outlines the complete suite of ProSocial courses available including the introductory offering (Becoming ProSocial), the facilitator training (Leading ProSocial) and the ProSocial Action Lab (for groups wanting to implement ProSocial). We also discuss our new competency framework and pathways to certification and community.
Seminar: Evolutionary Mismatch and How To Evaluate It - A Basic Tutorial ProSocial World 2024-12-16 | Abstract: Evolutionary mismatch is a state of disequilibrium whereby an organism that evolved in one environment develops a phenotype that is harmful to its fitness or well-being in another environment. Mismatch is an integral part of evolution in changing environments and is becoming increasingly common for all species living in human-altered environments. It is especially important to understand mismatch in relation to our own species since humans have so radically altered their own environment and mismatches can occur for cultural evolution in addition to genetic evolution. The first part of the talk will provide a basic tutorial on evolutionary mismatch by clarifying central concepts in mismatch: that of ancestral environment (E1), the novel environment (E2), and the trait under study (T). Our explanation of the concept of ‘evolutionary mismatch’ necessitates not only theoretical but also practical elaboration and exploration of the following list of properties and assumptions in order to confirm the application of a mismatch model in real life cases – identifying the population, the traits, inheritance mechanism, selection pressures and fitness consequences of associated traits in E1 and E2, and lastly integrating proximate and ultimate explanations for the study of the traits in E1 and E2. The final section presents a list of practical questions for evaluating evolutionary mismatch hypotheses. We expect that even professional evolutionists can benefit from our “back to basics” approach to one of the central concepts of evolutionary theory.
DIT Initiative Presentation - Traci Cihon ProSocial World 2024-12-11 | Dual Inheritance Theory (DIT) posits the existence of two streams of inheritance in our species: A genetic stream similar to all species and a cultural stream that is distinctively human. While many branches of the human-related disciplines are centered on culture and cultural change, DIT approaches these topics from an explicitly Darwinian perspective.To date, DIT has been largely theoretical, has focused mostly on the macro-evolutionary scale, and has seldom been applied to real-world personal and cultural change efforts. This initiative strives to study DIT at the micro-evolutionary scale, with a focus on individuals and groups interacting with their immediate environments.In addition to contributing to the academic study of DIT, our micro-evolutionary focus will be highly relevant to real-world positive change efforts across all contexts and scales. DIT tells us that while every symbolic system results in a repertoire of behavior (cultural phenotypic plasticity), going beyond this repertoire requires changing the symbolic system. Outer change requires inner change. Understanding this dialectic from an explicitly evolutionary perspective can help to improve upon it.We realize that DIT is a recent perspective, emerging from within evolutionary science only during the last few decades, whereas symbolic systems have been studied by the human-related disciplines for centuries. We therefore intend our initiative to be highly transdisciplinary with the goal of learning from each other and achieving conceptual integration.
Seminar: The Future Designer - Anthropology Meets Innovation in Search of Sustainable Design ProSocial World 2024-11-22 | Abstract:During periods of environmental and societal upheaval, design has the potential to be a formidable catalyst towards a sustainable future. However, to unleash its full power, significant shifts in both theory and practice are imperative. This book adopts a unique approach, blending anthropological perspectives with philosophy and cognitive science, and advocates for a thorough transformation of the existing design curriculum. Supported by a vast body of literature in evolutionary science and design research, the book presents a blueprint for fostering more sustainable patterns of production and consumption. This blueprint is grounded in human virtues rather than vices and proposes a new curriculum tailored towards pro-sociality and sustainability. Leveraging his extensive professional background and expertise in the circular economy, Michael Leube offers practical examples, methods and tools for implementing sustainable approaches in the practical work of experienced designers. Showcasing cutting-edge innovations for pro-social and humanitarian design, the book ultimately argues that if we change the objective of design from creating desire to creating value, we can solve many of the most pressing social problems, from the cooperation of citizens to sustainable cities. The book will be useful for those studying and teaching design and anthropology, and it will also be an important tool for practicing designers and engineers interested in learning how to design for social and ecological awareness. "Leube pulls on threads from anthropology, design, and ecological justice to braid a compelling story of a future worth fighting for.” -Jonathan Chapman, School of Design, Carnegie Mellon University, USAAbout the Speaker:Michael Leube, Ph.D., is a design anthropologist who serves as a university professor, author and consultant. Co-authoring two books on the circular economy and contributing to numerous articles in scientific journals, he specialises in design for social innovation and humanitarian design. His unique approach integrates anthropology, ethics and sustainability to shape a forward-looking design education focused on resilience. This approach has garnered invitations to instruct at prestigious design and architecture schools across Europe and to speak at design consultancies like IDEO and Fjord. Notably, he delivered a TED talk titled "Why designers should urgently listen to anthropologists." Leube has held positions as professor of anthropology at IE University, University of California, University of Santa Clara, London School of Economics, Syracuse University and Salzburg University of Applied Sciences.
Seminar: From Grievance to Gratitude - Discovering the Quantum Tunnel to Joy ProSocial World 2024-11-22 | Abstract:Throughout the history of human presence on planet Earth, ours has been a story of suffering and hardship. With only a few brief exceptions, our lives have been initially a struggle for survival in a desperate search for food and shelter, followed by blood-thirsty battles rooted in religion, politics and just plain greed. Humanity’s inhumanity to itself is likely unparalleled by any other species. As a result, no matter what lineage our current incarnation comes from, we all have grievances. We all have a great excuse to be angry with the world.Whether or not we believe in reincarnation per se, there is undeniably a karmic field that burdens us all. Experiments with rats have shown that when they receive electrical shocks associated with, for example, the smell of almonds and cherries, up to five generations of their offspring will still experience fear if they smell almonds and cherries. The horrors and suffering from our history, our past lives if you will, or the collective karma of our ancestors, hang over our psychological state like dark storm clouds. After being exposed to such trauma for millions of years, it is no wonder that the human psyche is predisposed to feeling some sort of grievance towards someone or some circumstance outside of ourselves.At the same time, however, we have more reasons than ever before to allow ourselves to feel good about our lives. There are currently billions of people alive today who have creature comforts far beyond what the richest royalty had up to a couple of hundred years ago. Food, fresh water, plumbing, climate control and safe dwellings abound in most of our lives, particularly in North American and Europe. Yet people seem just as angry, or more so, as we have ever been. Many of us are ready to forego the hard-earned rights and freedoms of democracy for some kind of exclusive autocracy that promises a solution to the grievances we carry. Perhaps, if we could just drop those grievances for a moment, we could enjoy the wonders of the lives many of us are actually living.But such statements usually stir up protest in a listener. “You can’t just drop grievances that easily,” I have been told. “All this trauma requires years of therapy and healing.” Maybe so. Looking at the current obsession with healing our psychic issues, it is easy to assume there is no other choice but to indulge our suffering and spend a good part of our lives treating our trauma.Yet there is another choice. We can reprogram ourselves to make a leap into a new outlook on our life that eliminates grievance and allows us to be grateful for all the wonder and joy it is possible to experience. When energy is absorbed by an atom, the electrons can instantaneously leap into a new, wider orbit, without passing through space and time. They can go from orbit A to B in literally no time through a so-called quantum tunnel. Beyond the hard, 3-D world of our presence and personal perceptions, there is a vast field of potential that we can access. It can take us from grievance to gratitude in less than a heartbeat. Let’s explore the path through that tunnel of the mind and emerge in a field of joy…About the Speaker:Emanuel Kuntzelman is an entrepreneur, writer, philosopher, philanthropist and activist for socialtransformation. He began his adult life by traveling the world on a decade-long quest for hisspiritual purpose before beginning his professional career in the field of cultural exchange, in whichhe founded and managed numerous exchange organizations in Spain, the U.S. and the U.K. Havingcreated Greenheart International in 1985, he still serves as Senior Advisor to the organization. He isalso the co-founder of Fundación por el Futuro in Madrid, Spain, and has been its President since1995. His work in consciousness movements includes being a founding co-creator of the GlobalPurpose Movement and Purpose Earth, as well as his collaboration as a member of the EvolutionaryLeaders Circle. Emanuel is a board member and/or advisor to numerous organizations in theconscious community. He is co-editor of the anthology Purpose Rising (2017) and has contributedarticles to a wide variety of publications. He is also co-editor of The Holomovement: EmbracingOur Collective Purpose to Unite Humanity (2023). His vision of the Holomovement is a project hehas been working on for over fifty years and is now the primary initiative of his work. Moreinformation can be found at www.emanuelkuntzelman.com and www.holomovement.net
The Evolution of the Corrupt American Health Care System & What We Can Do About It with Tony Biglan ProSocial World 2024-11-04 | https://www.prosocial.world/calendar-pageAbstract:Over the past fifty years, advocacy for free market economics has fostered the evolution of an economic system in which the primary focus of many corporations is the maximization of profits. The result has been that many corporations engage in practices that harm people. I will describe how profit maximization has corrupted the health care system. Then, I will suggest steps that can be taken to create a society in which profit maximization is not the only selecting consequence. Rather, we can evolve a more equitable and health society by seeing to it that the consequences for corporate action balance profits with the impact of their actions on people’s health and wellbeing.About the Speaker:Dr. Biglan is a Senior Scientists at Oregon Research Institute and President of Values to Action. His book, The Nurture Effect: How the Science of Human Behavior Can Improve Our Lives and Our World, won him an award from the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis. Based on the accumulated knowledge about what humans need to thrive, Dr. Biglan created Values to Action, a nonprofit organization that helps communities come together around a shared vision and create Action Circles to implement evidence-based solutions to their most pressing problems. His most recent book, Rebooting Capitalism: How We Can Forge a Society That Works for Everyone, describes how capitalism in the U.S became corrupted by corporations’ singular focus on profit maximization. It provides a guide to how we can create a social movement to evolve a more nurturing society.
Seminar: Stories of Home Place-based Narratives Creating Cultural Change with Abby Rapoport ProSocial World 2024-10-21 | Abstract:For five years, the award-winning publication Stranger's Guide has used place-based stories to investigate how culture, history and access to power inform community and individual identity. In this talk, Stranger's Guide co-founder Abby Rapoport will talk about how this work, rooted in journalism, fits into prosocial movement building, and about the importance of community storytelling for creating change.About the Speaker:Abby Rapoport's work focuses on the relationship between communities, media and storytelling. She is the cofounder and publisher of Stranger’s Guide, a National Magazine Award winning publication dedicated to place-based storytelling from around the world. She sits on the board of numerous non-profits and philanthropies including the Society for the Preservation of Texas Music, Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas and TYPE Media. Abby began her career as a political reporter at the Texas Tribune (where she was the online outlet’s first employee), and was subsequently a staff writer on politics and policy for the Texas Observer and The American Prospect before serving as Acting Publisher for the Texas Observer. Her writing has also appeared in Glamour, The National Journal and The New Republic among other places.
Performance Management, Viewed through the Lens of a New Paradigm with Jan Pfister ProSocial World 2024-10-18 | ...
Prosocial to Support Mental Health Services & Special Education with Jordan Belisle &Dana Paliliunas ProSocial World 2024-10-11 | Seminar: Using Prosocial to Support Mental Health Services and Special Education: An Evolving Technology with Jordan Belisle & Dana PaliliunasThis is part of ProSocial World's weekly seminar series, learn more about upcoming seminars and events here: https://www.prosocial.world/calendar-pageAbstract: Mental health service providers and special educators are essential to the wellbeing of society, supporting vulnerable community members who are disproportionately impacted by economic and social inequality. At the same time, employees in these roles experience elevated rates of burnout and low levels of job satisfaction that can lead to workplace attrition and impacted quality of life (Alenezi et al., 2022; Bottini et al. 2020). Prosocial is an approach to intervention that integrates elements of Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACTr), Ostrom's Nobel Prize winning core design principles governing effective communities, and multilevel selection within the evolutionary sciences. We adapted this broad approach to develop specific intervention technologies for use in mental health and special education settings across multiple empirical case studies. In the first study, we evaluated the efficacy of Prosocial workshops and collective problem solving on stress and burnout in special educators, showing positive changes in both variables along with increases in prosocial experiences reported by staff. In a follow-up study with the same group, we worked with a voluntary task-force to identify critical uncertainties to address the following school year, resulting in specific participatory research on strategies to increase the use of ACTr strategies by staff interacting with students, as well as the use of the ACT Matrix to target workplace performance. In the third study, we completed a relational density analysis to evaluate staff experience using a common school-based technology and adapted a Prosocial framework to lead a workshop to improve staff experience utilizing the technology in the workplace. This same intervention was replicated in a mental health service setting to support behavior analysts and behavior technicians working with Autistic learners. Finally, this approach was combined with qualitative interviewing with the same mental health service provider to improve overall workplace climate by targeting pivotal core design principles identified using a mixed qualitative and quantitive interview, and a briefer version of the relational density analysis. Results showed improvement both in the implementation of the technology and the overall workplace climate of the organization. Taken together, these results demonstrate the adaptability of Prosocial and present the opportunity to refine various technologies developed through this process.About the Speakers:Dr. Dana Paliliunas, BCBA-D, is an Associate Teaching Professor at Ball State University and CEO and co-founder of Dynamic Behavior Science. She was the co-author of AIM: A Behavior Analytic Curriculum for Social-Emotional Development in Children and author of over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. Recently, Dr. Paliliunas has been evaluating Prosocial interventions and individualized supports rooted in Values-Based Self-Management to provide comprehensive programming at multiple levels.Dr. Jordan Belisle, BCBA-D, is a Clinical Director at Entiva Behavioral Health and CSO and co-founder of Dynamic Behavior Science. He was a key content developer for the PEAK Relational Training System, a curriculum to support learning processes of Autistic learners and learners with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Dr. Belisle has also developed and research Relational Density Theory as an extension of Relational Frame Theory that has been integrated into his research on Prosocial and mental health supports.
Evolving the Future: A 10th Anniversary Appraisal of the Science of Intentional Change ProSocial World 2024-09-09 | ...
Addressing the Wicked Problem of Housing Insecurity in Binghamton New York with Rebecca Rathmell ProSocial World 2024-09-09 | ...
Ecological Economics Through the Lens of a New Paradigm, with Robert Costanza ProSocial World 2024-08-27 | ...
Evolving Prosocial Cities with Jonathan Rose ProSocial World 2024-08-16 | Few people know more about cities than Jonathan Rose, author of The Well-Tempered City: What Modern Science, Ancient Civilizations, and Human Nature Teach Us About the Future of Urban Life.Jonathan is a practitioner in addition to a scholar. His urban development company is at the forefront of "building wellbeing through communities of opportunity". In our conversation, we discuss how two bodies of knowledge that are new within the last 50 years--complex systems science and generalized Darwinism--can help to catalyze prosocial cultural evolution at the scale of whole cities.https://www.prosocial.world/posts/evolving-prosocial-cities-with-jonathan-rose
Assessing the Complexity/Evolution Paradigm for Economics with Eric Beinhocker ProSocial World 2024-08-06 | ...
Conscious Multilevel Cultural Evolution: Theory, Practice, and Two Case Studies with Robert Styles ProSocial World 2024-07-23 | Recently, Drs. David Sloan Wilson, Robert Syles, and Paul Atkins published an article titled Conscious Multilevel Cultural Evolution: Theory, Practice, and Two Case Studies. The abstract states, "Darwin’s theory of evolution is increasingly being used to guide positive change efforts. We briefly summarize the theory and practice of conscious multilevel cultural evolution and provide two case studies at the scale of whole institutions, in which continuous improvement is exceptionally well documented." In this seminar, Dr. Styles will speak to these and other case studies demonstrating the efficacy of the approaches employed to orchestrate institutional and cultural change based on the sciences informing the work and research we are doing in ProSocial.About the Speaker:I initially trained in music then, in a later chapter of my life went on to become an academic doing applied research in the field of Contextual Behavioral Science through the Australian National University.Over the last couple of decades, this stream of activity allowed me to work with communities, organizations, and governments across Australia, the Pacific, Africa, Europe and the Americas.I have learned to apply a change method based on behavioral and evolutionary science that has demonstrably enhanced cooperation and collaborations for groups of all types and sizes, in some instances at a global scale. This has meant co-designing behavioral and evolutionary approaches to realizing environmental and socio-cultural resilience, and well-being for those I have worked with. Lessons I look forward to sharing with you.
Why is Economics Not an Evolutionary Science? with Charles Camic and David Sloan Wilson ProSocial World 2024-06-20 | Why is Economics Not an Evolutionary Science? A conversation with Charles Camic about Thorstein Veblen and His Time
Seminar: Leveraging the UK Household Longitudinal Study to Explore Social Baseline Theory ProSocial World 2024-06-20 | Seminar: Leveraging the UK Household Longitudinal Study to Explore Social Baseline Theory with Blair Gross and David McAleaveyAbstract: The purpose of this project is to bring together collaborators interested in utilizing the UK's Household Longitudinal Study (Understanding Society) data assets to generate and test theories and extensions of Social Baseline Theory (SBT). SBT is grounded in a resource economy, where organisms maximize resources and minimize costs. SBT states that the natural unit of analysis includes individuals situated within their social environments, which may represent both resources and costs (uncertainty). Further, while all humans are situated socially, there are individual fluctuations in our social baselines, such that social support may be a more reliable indicator for some and represent more cost or uncertainty for others. The Understanding Society biomarker data assets, which include health (e.g., stress hormones, inflammatory markers), genetic, epigenetic, and proteomic data on thousands of participants, holds an untapped potential to test SBT on a large scale with rich biological, social, and economic data. In this seminar we’ll share with you the work that is emerging from this nascent collaboration.About the Speakers:Blair GrossAffiliations: Randolph College | Associate Professor of Psychology | Chair, Department of Psychological Science Head, Division of Social and Behavioral SciencesBlair is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Randolph College. Her research interests broadly include embodied cognition, with a special interest in how social baseline theory applies to cognitive, behavioral, and visual processes.David McAleaveyAffiliations: Middlesbrough Council, UK (Public Health South Tees) and Public Practice, UK.David is a social biologist and public health spatial planning practitioner. His ongoing research focuses on understanding the social and biological pathways through which inequalities are amplified and embedded in the built environment.
ProSocial Action Lab Participant Testimonials ProSocial World 2024-06-10 | Groups from around the world will come together to learn, research, play and practice their collaborative skills. ProSocial Action Lab is an opportunity for your team to join others that are dedicated to deepening relationships, finding shared purpose, and enhancing group effectiveness.Learn More: https://www.prosocial.world/product/prosocial-action-lab-2024
Seminar: The Empathy Commons: The Risks of Caring Without Clear Boundaries with Barbara Oakley ProSocial World 2024-05-28 | Abstract:While empathy is championed as a crucial trait to nurture, particularly in children and caring professions, it also presents a unique challenge. Empathy can be thought of as a common pool resource, susceptible to depletion. Its overuse can lead to serious issues such as depression, burnout, compassion fatigue, and codependency.Elinor Ostrom's principles for managing shared resources offer valuable insights in this context. Among the first of her principles is clearly defining who rightfully draws from the shared resources. Without clear boundaries, Ostrom noted, common resources risk exploitation by outsiders or even insiders overusing privileges.This presentation will delve into understanding empathy as a common pool resource and describe methods to reduce its exploitation. Additionally, the talk will explore philosophical dilemmas stemming from the impulse to extend help beyond established boundaries.About the Speaker:Barbara Oakley is a Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Her work focuses on the complex relationship between neuroscience and social behavior. She created and teaches Coursera’s “Learning How to Learn,” one of the world’s most popular massive open online course with over three million registered students, along with other popular “Top Online Courses of All Time.” Barb is a New York Times best-selling author who has published in outlets as varied as the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times—her book A Mind for Numbers has sold over a million copies worldwide. She is the winner of the McGraw Prize—the colloquial “Nobel Prize for Education” and is a Fellow of both the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
Ubuntu & the Noosphere: Insights for Collective Consciousness and Prosociality with Heinrich Volmink ProSocial World 2024-05-28 | Ubuntu, an African philosophy which expresses the idea that “I am because we are,” has the potential of offering profound social value in that it underscores the primacy of empathy and human interconnectedness. But what is its relationship to conceptualizations of collective consciousness? More specifically, how does Ubuntu relate to de Chardin and Vernadsky’s thesis of the Noosphere? Can such an exploration yield insights of relevance to prosocial discourse?Extra links:1. Human Energy. The Story of the Noosphere. Video Series. Available at: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLISEtDmihMo2w5-e0dGBmPjuSHXmKWUEY2. Volmink (2010). Ubuntu From Concept To Practice: Gleaning Lessons For Global Citizenship And Governance. MPA dissertation. Available at: researchgate.net/publication/375552443_Ubuntu_From_Concept_To_Practice_Gleaning_Lessons_For_Global_Citizenship_And_Governance
Charles Darwin meets Alexis de Tocqueville - A Conversation with Robert Putnam ProSocial World 2024-05-23 | ...
A Theory of Everyone as a New Paradigm with Michael Muthukrishna and David Sloan Wilson ProSocial World 2024-05-10 | ...
Conscious Capitalism Viewed Through The Lens of a New Paradigm with Bob Chapman & Raj Sisodia ProSocial World 2024-05-10 | ...
Viewing the B Corp Movement Through the Lense of a New Paradigm with Phil White & Chris Marquise ProSocial World 2024-05-10 | ...
Seminar:Quest for Fire and ChatGPT:AI from the Perspective of Human Evolution with Shigeru Miyagowa ProSocial World 2024-05-06 | Quest for Fire and ChatGPT: AI from the Perspective of Human EvolutionShigeru Miyagawa is a linguist and an expert on online education. He has published widely in linguistics, including three recent books from MIT Press. Recently, he developed the Integration Hypothesis for human language evolution, which proposes that human language arose from the combination of simpler systems including those that are associated with birdsong and also primate alarm calls. This work was featured in a BBC Radio4 program, What the songbird said. The idea also was an inspiration for Pete Wyer’s choral composition, The song of the human, which premiered at the Winter Garden of the World Trade Center in New York. For the work on language and evolution, he was awarded the São Paulo Excellence Chair. Along with his home institution, MIT, he has held positions at the University of Tokyo, University of São Paulo, and Seikei University in Tokyo.Read More: https://www.prosocial.world/posts/artificial-intelligence-chatgpt-and-the-quest-for-fire
Announcing a New Paradigm for Economics and Beyond with Dennis Snower and David Sloan Wilson ProSocial World 2024-04-16 | ...
Seminar: It’s Not You, It’s Your Environment with Alison Szarko ProSocial World 2024-04-11 | Seminar: It’s Not You, It’s Your Environment: Understanding the Prevalence of Burnout in Organizations and Utilizing Systems-Level Remediation StrategiesIn 1976, Maslach and colleagues coined the term “burnout” while researching the coping strategies of human service workers. In this original work, burnout was defined as being emotionally exhausted, having a reduced sense of personal efficacy, and depersonalization(Schaufeli et al., 2009). The term is now commonly embraced as a core feature of today’s zeitgeist. The World Health Organization (2020) defines burnout as, “a syndrome...resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” When left mismanaged, it creates conditions for turnover, absenteeism, physical illness, substance misuse, and suicidal ideation. In healthcare, burnout also contributes to suboptimal patient care and healthcare disparities (Szarko et al., 2022).From a behavior scientific perspective, burnout is an unintended negative byproduct (i.e., internality) of faulty organizational systems (Houmanfar &; Szarko, 2022).While burnout is both colloquially and academically commonly defined as an individual syndrome, this presentation will make the case that it is a cultural-level reaction to the competitive financial contingencies of modern-day capitalism. A systems-level perspective on the emergence of burnout will be described and a prosocial remediation strategy (focused on systems-level change rather than individual behavior change) will be provided.About the Speaker:Alison Szarko, PhD, BCBA is a researcher-practitioner that specializes in organizationalpsychology. Her work utilizes Prosocial principles and Acceptance and CommitmentTherapy/Training (ACT) to create cultures of psychological flexibility within healthcare systems.She is passionate about improving the working conditions of healthcare providers and decreasinghealthcare disparities. Alison applies the science of human behavior and behavioral systemsanalysis to help organizations craft strategic plans, innovate operational capabilities, make data-based decisions, and improve the well-being of healthcare providers and the patients they serve.She is currently a Client Experience Architect for the Mayo Clinic as well as a privateorganizational consultant.
Seminar: Exploring Socio Economic Influence on AI - Floor Schukking & Tomas Veloz ProSocial World 2024-04-02 | One of the central paradigm in the current AI field is that once intelligent systems become advanced enough, they will solve our problems and society will benefit from these intelligent technologies. However, many of the current problems we face, such as the acceleration of environmental breakdown, have been a result of the same Euro-Western system of scientific knowledge and neo-liberal ideals that have shaped the definition of what this intelligence entails. Within AI systems, you might recognize these ideals in optimizing or solving problems related to immediate short-term economic benefit for a selected group, while often ignoring systemic- or long-term effects for all. Even though ethical or human-centered AI research exists, it is often restricted to research on bias of datasets or increasing the explainability of model outcomes and ignore the more political and social aspects of AI technology. After an introduction to these perspective on AI, we try to shift away from this neo-liberal capitalist worldview and shift our focus to various other perspectives, such as degrowth, feminist, indigenous wisdom and systems thinking. As the layers of neo-liberal influence on AI become apparent, how would some fundamental aspect of AI change, both in its functioning, application and theoretical framework? Would AI still be of use when we start from principles of these various other perspectives and do not see AI as a technical fix for systemic problems?
The Theory and Practice of Cultural Evolution: Past, Present, and Future, with Peter J. Richerson ProSocial World 2024-04-01 | Cultural evolution explores how societies change over time, shaped by environment, social learning, and innovation. It's about how ideas and practices are passed down, influencing our collective future. This field offers insights into steering our development towards a more collaborative, sustainable world. Embracing interconnectedness and improvement, we aim to build thriving communities that prioritize well-being for all. Join us as we delve into cultural evolution, connecting our past with a vision for a brighter, inclusive future.
Seminar: The Truth About Fiction - Biological Reality & Imaginary Lives with Joseph Carroll ProSocial World 2024-03-27 | This seminar’s overarching theme is that humans are compelled to create and consume depictions of imaginary lives, that these lives are in crucial respects like those of real people, and that the inner lives of real people contain their own narrative structures. The seminar uses evolutionary human life history theory to construct a model of human nature: the motives that animate people in the main phases of human life, their main reproductive and social relationships, and their main forms of imaginative experience. I divide human life phases and motive concerns into ten main categories: survival, death, growing up, making a living (subsistence), sexual romance, parenting, family, within-group social life, aliens and enemies, and imagination. An eleventh category sums up all the others in stories about whole human lives. For each category, I describe what we now know about human experience in this area—about growing up, for instance, or dual-parenting pair bonds—and give examples of how different literary perspectives have dealt with these common human concerns. “What we now know” is a synthesis of information from evolutionary biology, evolutionary psychology and anthropology, and cognitive and affective neuroscience. The array of literary examples is drawn from world literature, though with a predominant use of Anglophone sources. The Q&A session after the lecture will hopefully find time to discuss the narrative techniques that help produce imaginative meaning. Our fictions depict our human realities, and our human realities are shaped naturally into stories. The stories we tell about our own lives draw inspiration from the examples provided us in the fabricated lives that make up fictional stories.
Leading ProSocial Participant Testimonials ProSocial World 2024-03-27 | Just some of the responses to our Leading ProSocial facilitator training in 2022
Psychological Perspectives on Climate Change with Viveka Ramel ProSocial World 2024-03-13 | AbstractConsidering the Great Unraveling and polycrisis we are facing as a humanity, there seems to be no shortage of existential dread, doom, denial and overwhelm. Opening her eyes and facing the feelings and facts of the climate crisis more fully in the last years, Viveka sought to contribute psychosocial perspectives to the discussion and engagement and co-taught the first academic course on "Psychology and Climate Change" at Lund University in Sweden in 2023. She draws from her background as a clinical psychologist specializing in contextual behavioral science (e.g., Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), relational/affective science (e.g., Emotion Focused Therapy), and, more recently, climate psychology. In this seminar, Viveka will give a brief overview on cognitive, affective, relational and behavioral dimensions on the climate crisis and, if time permits, ways of tipping our focus toward The Great Turning (Macy & Johnstone, Active Hope, 2022).About the Speaker Viveka Ramel, PhD, is a clinical psychologist running private practices in San Francisco, CA from Lund, Sweden. She also teaches at the Department of Psychology at Lund University and consults with organizations and groups seeking to apply and integrate prosociality, psychological flexibility, mindfulness, mental sustainability, and emotional intelligence into their cultures.To learn more about upcoming events & seminars: https://www.prosocial.world/calendar-page
ProSocial Spirituality ProSocial World 2024-03-08 | Evolutionary biologist, Dr. David Sloan Wilson, has assembled a team of researchers focused on understanding the social contexts in which cooperative behaviors are reinforced more than selfish behaviors.Introduction to ProSocial Spirituality, featuring ProSocial World team members:David Sloan Wilson, PresidentKate Sheehan-Roach, Director of ProSocial Spirituality Susan Soleil, Partnership CoordinatorJeff Genung, Managing Directorin addition to ProSocial Spirituality collaborators:Will RuckerGard JamesonMade possible by the support of the Templeton Religion TrustLearn More here:https://www.prosocial.world/prosocial-initiatives/prosocial-spiritualityhttps://www.prosocial.world/
Social Capital: Reconnecting the Importance & Value of Social Relationships with Tristan Claridge ProSocial World 2024-03-05 | Abstract:The concept of social capital has exploded in popularity since the 1990s to become one of the most popular concepts in the social sciences and has even entered politics, business, and public health arenas, to name a few. It is even becoming part of everyday language. The popularity of the concept of social capital demonstrates the apparent need for a concept to emphasize social dimensions that have typically been marginalized by the dominant paradigm of individualism and economic rationalism. The fact that social factors have been framed as 'capital' is an indictment of our modern system and values. Throughout human history, the importance and value of social relationships have been intuitively understood and nurtured. However, in the excessively individualistic, self-interested, and radically rational 20th century, the importance and value of social factors have been consistently underestimated, undervalued, and underprioritized.By the 1990s, as evidenced by social capital's popularity, a concept was needed to reconnect with the importance and value of sociality and communicate this fact to decision-makers. However, the concept is not without its flaws, challenges, and weaknesses. Unfortunately, many explanations of social capital do little to change the dominance of asocial or non-social thinking. Even the transformative approaches can find it challenging to communicate the somewhat intangible value of prosocial action to people who are used to undervaluing it. Join Tristan Claridge for an exploration of the promise of social capital and the struggle to recognize social value through the concept of social capital.About the Speaker:Tristan Claridge has been researching and applying social capital for over 20 years. He is the Director of the Institute for Social Capital and the current President of the International Social Capital Association. Tristan is a geographer and environmental scientist with a passion for social processes and how social value is identified and communicated. Tristan has a deep and grounded understanding of social capital and its application, having worked on the concept from theoretical and practical perspectives. He draws on lessons from economics, sociology, political science, psychology, urban planning, and any other discipline that contributes understanding to the concept. In addition to his practical work with the concept, Tristan has been an active contributor to the academic debate about social capital. He has written over 200 open-access articles on social capital and related topics and is actively engaged in ongoing research.socialcapitalresearch.com/tristan-claridge-social-capital-reconnecting-with-the-importance-and-value-of-social-relationshipsintsocialcapital.org/events
Wicked Problems and How To Solve Them with Guru Madhavan ProSocial World 2024-02-29 | Wicked Problems and How to Solve ThemGuru Madhavan is Norman R. Augustine Senior Scholar, Senior Director of Programs, and Director of the Forum on Complex Unifiable Systems (FOCUS) at the US National Academy of Engineering. His new book is on how to solve wicked problems anywhere, but it is also rooted in a particular place--Binghamton, New York--where Guru did his graduate training at Binghamton University and where we first met and started working with each other. Join me as we discuss the general nature of wicked problems and how Binghamton and Binghamton University can become a city and university that is adept at solving them. Links: Guru's first book: Applied Minds: How Engineers Think- amazon.com/Applied-Minds-How-Engineers-Think/dp/039335301XGuru's new book: Wicked Problems: How to Engineer a Better World - amazon.com/Wicked-Problems-Engineer-Better-World/dp/0393651460My earlier print conversation with Guru: Systems Engineering as Cultural Group Selection- https://www.prosocial.world/posts/systems-engineering-as-cultural-group-selection-a-conversation-with-guru-madhavanMy short essay with Guru titled Complex Maladaptive Systems - https://www.nae.edu/244709/Complex-Maladaptive-Systems
Robert Kadar on Evonomics and Marketing the New Paradigm ProSocial World 2024-02-26 | Abstract: Robert Kadar will delve into the why and how behind the creation of Evonomics.com, drawing on his distinctive marketing background. At its zenith, with the help of Steve Roth as the publisher and contributions from David Sloan Wilson, the platform amassed nearly 300,000 readers in a single month, boasting 120,000 Facebook followers, 30,000 email subscribers, and a social media reach extending to millions. Unfortunately, Robert and Steve have been unable to allocate sufficient free time to maintain the site's freshness, primarily due to the ongoing challenge of securing financial support to sustain its vitality. We invite our community to help identify potential sources of funding.Robert Kadar is founder and editor of Evonomics.com, in addition to his day job as Senior Director of Marketing at Yeshiva University in New York. Thanks to Robert's marketing savvy, Evonomics.com has had a greater impact than most other economics websites, which are far better financed.
The Role of ProSocial in Catalyzing Paradigm Change in Economics & Business with David Sloan Wilson ProSocial World 2024-01-31 | Abstract:In 1898--126 years ago--the economist Thorstein Veblen posed the question "Why is Economics Not An Evolutionary Science?" The fact that his title and indeed the whole article remains timely speaks volumes about the rates and directions of cultural change for important topic areas such as economics and business. I will provide an overview of economics and business from an evolutionary perspective, with an emphasis on the catalytic role that ProSocial World is in a position to play.About the Speaker:David Sloan Wilson is president of ProSocial World and has studied economics and business from an evolutionary perspective for over 15 years, including his collaboration with Elinor Ostrom, who received the Nobel Prize in economics in 2009.
Integrating Evolutionary Science and Complex Systems Science with Graham Boyd and David Sloan Wilson ProSocial World 2024-01-23 | Integrating Evolutionary Science and Complex Systems Science, with Graham BoydEvolutionary science and complex systems science are foundational bodies of knowledge for any positive change effort. They are complementary to each other, but their integration is still a work in progress. My guest, Graham Boyd, is an ideal conversation partner because he combines a background in particle physics with experience and business and his nonprofit organization Evolutesix. Our deep dive spans the range from highly theoretical to highly practice-oriented. In addition to this podcast, Graham recently appeared on the Steve Keen & Friends podcast. Two of my articles that we discuss are Two Meanings of Complex Adaptive Systems and Complex Maladaptive Systems.
Introduction to ProSocial ProSocial World 2023-12-14 | A positive change method informed by evolutionary science
Multilevel Selection Theory: The Convergence of Modern Science with Indigenous Wisdom- Mitch Distin ProSocial World 2023-12-08 | Research Seminar: How Multilevel Selection Theory Can Change The World: The Inevitable Convergence of Modern Science with Indigenous Wisdom with Mitch DistinAbstract:For the vast majority of our species’ existence, anthro-archaeological evidence suggests that humans saw the world from the lens of an ecocentric ontology (often erroneously categorized as animism). As direct reflections of our ancestors, indigenous people view their sense of self as existing at multiple levels—at the individual level, at the community level, and as imbued within nature more generally. The indigenous view both themselves and nature as an extended ecological family that shares ancestry and origins, otherwise known as kincentric ecology. However, humans began disconnecting from nature when we started settling down and building civilizations, leaving behind the nomadic, communitarian, and nature-based ways of our ancestors for a sedentary, agricultural, and human-centric lifestyle. We built stone and concrete metropolises that put up walls between us and nature, and in turn, we fundamentally altered our relationship with nature. We began to view ourselves as something separate or superior to nature under a broad ontological worldview known as anthropocentrism. The entirety of what we presently deem as “human history” over the past 5,000 years is essentially the story of how we have grown further and further apart from nature, disconnecting us from our natural roots and origins.In this seminar, I firstly elucidate my scientific and historicophilosophical research studying the novel concepts of evolvability and multilevel selection theory (MLS) as outlined in my E-book Evolution in Space and Time. After setting the necessary scientific and historical context, I next extend upon the social and spiritual implications of MLS theory. MLS theory redefines what it means to be human and, for the first time in human evolutionary history, unites all the sub-groups of the human species under one social identity. MLS offers a multilayered viewpoint of the human sense of self, allowing humans to not only connect with other humans and see them as direct extensions of their selves, but to reconnect with nature as well. Today, humankind is in desperate need of a convergence between the old ways of our forgotten indigenous ancestors, combined with the most recent scientific findings that, in essence, direct us towards the same wisdom as the ancients.About the Speaker:Mitchell Ryan Distin has a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Biodiversity from the Universität de Valencia in Spain with an international mention from the University of Cambridge, an M.Sc. in the History and Philosophy of Science from University College London, and a B.Sc. in Neuroscience from Michigan State University. His doctoral thesis, “Evolution in Space and Time: The Second Synthesis of Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and the Philosophy of Biology”, won several awards and has since been turned into a free E-book available on ResearchGate. Mitch has spent the last decade traveling the world, immersing himself in different cultures, while concomitantly performing his scientific research on the origins and maintenance of biodiversity. His future plans include building Michigan’s first fully sustainable eco-resort with his wife Kasha, becoming more politically involved as an environmentalist and conservationist in the United States, and publishing his expository science/history book called “Disconnected from Nature: Modern Science Meets Indigenous Wisdom”.
ProSocial Variation in Healthcare and Community Sustainability with Richard Coates ProSocial World 2023-11-21 | AbstractWhen I first did the ProSocial Facilitator training in 2019, I didn’t know where or how to apply the principles. I remember feeling small compared to some of the other ProSocial projects that my peers on the training were involved in. Fortunately, the words (I think from Paul Atkins) saying “wherever you can reach,” lingered in my awareness. I have followed these words, applying ProSocial to my paid work as a Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist with adults with acquired brain injury and also in my unpaid work where I live, helping community sustainability and thriving.I will present two concrete examples to show exactly how ProSocial was applied in these contexts, so that it may help others to see just some of the endless possibilities:www.inspireothers.org.uk: a website that developed in my REM sleep when I was stuck with a client. Using a ProSocial process, a small team of 5 co-created a website with clients sharing their stories to inspire other people with neurological conditions. The website has now had more than 12,000 views worldwide and is used a therapeutic and teaching tool by therapists. The clients involved have a shared sense of purpose and contribution to the world and lives of others.Purley Sustainability Group: a community not for profit group started in 2020 with 8 initial members who answered my invite in a local Facebook group. Three years later we have a ProSocial governance structure with a core committee of 16 members and several subgroups, ProSocial relationships with a community café, local government, local schools, Scouts and so much more. We have created community events such as a monthly Repair Café and a community meal, catalysing connection and purpose. We were thrilled to win Community Group of the Year 2022 for our district.About the speakerRichard lives on the River Thames watershed in Purley on Thames and works in Independent Practice at Coates Neuropsychrehab Ltd.Hearing about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on a Christmas NHS Neuropsychology walk along the River Thames and 8 years later training in ACT when starting Independent Practice, transformed his work. Following values of connection, creativity and learning with psychological flexibility (mindfully moving towards these values whilst being aware of difficult thoughts and feelings that will show up) has led him on an ongoing, evolving journey, bringing ProSocial and Regenerative Practice into his work.Richard loves spending time with people in person, via Zoom and seeing people and relationships thrive. He sees his purpose in life as a ‘connector.’
Leading Change in Ourselves for Our World with Heidi Steltzer ProSocial World 2023-11-13 | Abstract: In 2016, I journeyed to Antarctica with 76 women in science. Our hope was to learn how to change the world. Were women in science the missing ingredient? Women in leadership? Perhaps, though this depends on our willingness to do the work to transform ourselves. I chose transformation not really understanding all this would bring about for me and hopefully in time for our world. It's a process, one in which the Earth takes part, we are part, and The Creator too. These are the three tales of transformation that I will tell. I am in awe of the journey that is possible for each of us. How do we share the journeys of our souls with one another? Let's experiment with this, because this more than gender may be the missing ingredient as we work to connect, care and heal ourselves and our world.About the Speaker: Heidi Steltzer, PhD, is a mountain scientist, speaker, writer, and professor. She is a lead author on High Mountains for an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report in 2019 and is working on her first book, stories of mountain science and discovery about how 'The Earth Changes Us'. She is the founder of the Heidi Mountains Cooperative and proprietor of The Haven, a new field station and relational leadership center in Cortez, Colorado. Let's reinvent and reinvest in field science in the 21st Century, creating space where science meets spirit and spirit meets science.
Fateful Lines – how changing the story can change the world with Sarah Woods ProSocial World 2023-11-06 | Abstract:In The Elements of Drawing, written through the winter of 1856 and first published in 1857,John Ruskin urges his students to try: “Whenever you look at a form, to see the lines in itwhich have had power over its past fate and will have power over its futurity. Those areits awful lines; see that you seize on those, whatever else you miss”.These awful or “fateful” lines are there, he says, in everything from mountains to trees and“knowing the way things are going” is what distinguishes wisdom from stupidity.In this seminar, Sarah will explore how working with story and pattern can help reveal thesefateful lines, and support the current challenges we have as a species, living with otherspecies, on a finite planet.About the Speaker:SARAH WOODS is an award-winning playwright and creative systems thinker, based in theUnited Kingdom. She’s founder of Artists In Exile, supporting artists to find refuge in the UK,a Visiting Researcher at the Centre for Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge andcurrently Fulbright Scholar in Residence at The University of Arkansas at Monticello. ABetter World, an anthology of four of her BBC audio dramas inspired by classic texts such asDas Kapital and Democracy in America, has just been released by Penguin.
A Conversation About Cooperatives with Jerome Warren ProSocial World 2023-10-30 | Abstract:Cooperative social organizations have existed throughout history in addition to current efforts in business and management. Jerome Warren is both a scholar and practitioner of cooperatives. In his recent article published in This View of LIfe, he uses "Tinbergen's Four Questions" to analyze Italy's historical tradition of self-organized services. As a practitioner, he is the editor of a forthcoming Handbook of Cooperative Economics and Management.This seminar was organized as a discussion of Jerome's TVOL article and exploration of collaborative potential among current practitioners. Members of the audience were encouraged to read his article beforehand. Read Jerome's article "Italy’s Tradition of Self-Organized Services" here: https://www.prosocial.world/posts/italys-tradition-of-self-organized-servicesAbout the Speaker:Jerome Warren is a postdoctoral researcher currently working with the Royal Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters of Belgium, where he serves as Chaire SFPI, researching how to embed a sustainable mission at the level of the firm. He has a transdisciplinary background, with a B.A. in New College from the University of Alabama, a B.Sc. in Economics and an M.A. in political economy from the University of Siegen. His PhD, entitled The Cooperative Economy: Towards A Stakeholder-Led Democracy, attempts to embed an evolutionary logic into both a historical study of democracy and a critical investigation of the theory of the firm. His research interests are at the intersection of economics, history, politics, sociology and related disciplines (ecology, communications, management and organizational theory, etc.) and he is particularly interested in building up a curriculum around an economics of cooperation, emphasizing not only how important cooperation is for the so-called "social and solidarity economy, but how virtually all economic relations are interwoven with social relations and relations of cooperation. He is a member of a number of civil society organizations like the International Karl Polanyi Society and the Club of Remy, as well as writing and publishing on related issues.
