Holistic Thinking: Contains No Preservatives

(Continuation of theme of previous post)

Preservatives by nature stop interactivity and adaptation.   Holistic – whole systems –  thinking doesn’t need or want ‘preservatives’:  attitudes, biases, hidden agendas, etc., whose main function is to protect individual or collective egos.   Does that mean that whole-systems thinking transcends egos?   I guess that’s at least the ideal.  But of course, the input has to filter through many egos.

Collective intelligence can work by collecting inputs from a whole system of egos (perspectives) with or without the awareness or participation of those egos.   When it occurs transparently and with the willing participation of the sources then collective intelligence can lead to collective consciousness.   But the trick, of course, is the “willing participation” part.

When gathering inputs for ‘collective intelligence’ there are a number of tricks for motivating people, when simply collecting without asking isn’t an option.   One is to offer a piece of candy (a reward of some type) in return for participation.   Another is to appeal to affinity, social capital, shared trust, values, or goals.  Hmmm.   Which of these seem most likely to result in collective consciousness?

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