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Global intercultural dialogue (5) - Tradition and innovation should have the same goal: social cohesion
Germà PELAYO
Friday, November 22, 2002 4:33 PM
ººº Abstract: Decomposition of traditional societies by modernity has
reinforced the image of tradition as recipient of social cohesion, in front of
the chaos coming from Western and liberal ways of life. Social innovation can
be a form of adapting, at a global scale, the goal or will of social cohesion
of the traditions, in a technologically dynamic world. For example, basic
income, simultaneous politics... are instruments of social innovation. I
propose that among the * values, laws and instruments * to be adopted in
priority at a global scale, we include a *clause of integral social innovation
* that allows their progressive ulterior improvement, with the will of
deepening social and cosmic cohesion ººº
One of the characteristics of the modernity has been the technological take
off of the last centuries that can look to be accelerated the last years, in
some fields like TIC or genetics, etc. The decomposition of the traditional
societies, accompanying the external and internal colonization and neo-
colonization, that have been the vectors of expansion of the modernity in the
world, has caused as an answer, a desire of maintenance and even reinforcement
of some symbolic aspects of the traditions, for assuring a social cohesion, in
front of the chaos of the liberal system of individualism. But, besides the
unavoidable fundamentalist deviations, the bond between tradition and social
cohesion in many societies, for example Africans ones, is a part of ancestral
philosophies in which what I have called social cohesion is just the surface
of the sense of an unalterable and eternal cosmic order.
The Western individualistic society has achieved bigger quotas of material
well-being at the risk of the destruction of the environment, and of millions
of dead and other millions of human beings in unworthy or miserable
conditions. As well as at the risk of social decomposition. The feeling of
equilibrium has been exchanged with an external architecture of order (the
written laws) and besides, an abandonment of the interior equilibrium and the
elimination of the invisible links, of affection and sense that formerly have
guaranteed the cohesion. Seeing all this, modernity and world scale should
think about the social cohesion again as primordial objective.
Social innovation is following tradition, in its vocation of social and cosmic cohesion
The * social or responsible innovation *, with a goal of social cohesion, are
in this sense fundamental elements. If the objective of tradition was to
maintain the social cohesion, tradition and innovation (a social innovation
that is guiding the technological innovation) have more things in common that
differences. Social innovation should be able to approach and to also deepen
non materials, affective, sensitive topics, in search of keeping a social and
cosmic cohesion in a technologically dynamic world.
This way, a WP should facilitate a global social cohesion and in turn to let
that each society reconstructs its own cohesion according to its particular
values. In that sense, as an example, basic income or simultaneous policy are
* indispensable, and at the same time insufficient * instruments of social
innovation. We could agree in their priority, but also in the fact that social
cohesion is not just a problem of money. So, among the minimum human rights,
fundamental responsibilities, adequate tools, etc. to adopt in a first moment
toward the transformation of the global governance, we need to include a *
clause of integral social innovation * that allows that those gotten minima
will be improved further. That clause is my form of understanding the
principle of flexibility and adaptability, (Marie Martin-Pecheux) and it
consists in:
- A permanent will of self-criticism of * everything * that doesn't work
- A willingness to repair and improve it through social innovation philosophy
and methods.
- These previous points should to be applied for any circumstance, that is to
say that social innovation can affect material or immaterial elements of the
collective structure: values, * rights *, responsibilities, concrete laws,
practices...
- Establishing minimal rhythms of revision adapted differently to each
material or immaterial element, that is to say that it is not question of
changing laws every week, neither it is question of changing a value or a law
as quickly as a practice.
- last goal must be the social and natural or cosmic cohesion, that can be
understood as the enrichment of the material and immaterial links of affection
and cooperation, and the reduction of the competition and coercion
relationships,
- at the same time allowing all this to be differently developed according to
each society and culture.
Hugs to all,
Germà
WP21 Alliance Forum on a World Parliament for the 21st Century
E-mail : world-parl@forums.alliance21.org
Fax 1 717 264 5036
Information, inscriptions, désinscriptions: germa@alliance21.org
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