human.path@kaapeli.fi
The Initiative
Core Topics
Organising the Debate in Practice
Local Clubs
Finances
The Finnish version has been updated the 27th october 2003
The changes will be translated as soon as possible.
An Initiative
to universities and academic researchers
to civic organisations
to ideo-political movements and parties
to all people
Human Path -Project
We suggest a discussion forum in the Internet, open to all currents of thought, dealing with the fatal questions humankind is facing, and clubs operating by the side of the forum in the real world.
The parent organisations of the Human Path clubs will form the administrative leadership of the whole project in regional, national and global levels. A veto-right concerning disputes about discussion culture should, however, be exerced by "councils" formed by academic researchers or other equivalently educated people.
Our suggestion is a draft meant to serve as a basis for discussion. In the following, we have stressed the aspects that distinguish our suggestion from all the other projects contemplating the issues of the fate of humankind.
CORE TOPICS
Assessments of the present day of humankind are inevitably affected by reflections on the immediate past. And on the other hand, when debating the survival strategies of humankind, we cannot avoid discussing on how to understand the whole journey of humankind up till now.
For this reason, we have divided the subject into four core topics.
1. The Past Era
The starting point is the discussion on the experiences of the past era and the ideological debates of that time: The entire history of capitalism and imperialism. The twentieth century as a whole. The rise and fall of the communist world movement and the socialist world system. The place of Marxism in (the) history (of ideas). Each nation's own recent history.
2. The Immediate Problems Humankind Is Facing
The social effects of the information-technological revolution. The evaluation of the overall effects of neoliberalist globalisation. The possible alternatives of neoliberalist globalisation.
3. The Human Path as a whole
The origins of humankind. The difference between man and animal. The differences and similarities between cultural and biological evolution. The most important turning points on the path of humanity. The central driving forces of prehistory and history. The Great Narratives presented so far; their significance to the present day.
4. The Long-term Survival Strategies of Humankind
Is the survival of humankind at stake? What are the reasons for the self-destructiveness of humankind? Is history progressive? Has history reached its end? Is the battle of thoughts, “the time of ideologies” over? Is it possible that a New Great Narrative will be born in this century? What kind of scientific discoveries today have the biggest effect on people's view on the world, on themselves and on their standing in the world?
The topics can also be formulated in some other way, and other kinds of divisions can be used. In addition, on the basis of the core topics, each opinion group or current can naturally bring up special issues, sub-topics and sub-sub-topics, etc. on their own sites.
Characteristic to this forum is, however, to stress that history does not begin with us. New ideas are not created in a vacuum. They are to be anchored to the history of ideas. That is why we think the first core topic is the most important one. – Merely the accentuating of this viewpoint distinguishes this project from all other forums contemplating the issues of the fate of humankind.
ORGANISING THE DEBATE IN PRACTICE
In order to succeed with an open-to-everybody discussion on the above mentioned topics, some special practical methods will be needed. We suggest the following:
The Basic Method of Structuring the Debate
Every topic discussed requires an opening panel as a starting point for discussion groups.
In the opening panels, different and even quite opposing views must be published in equal length, in principle. No pertinently presented and relevant opinion may be excluded. The panels must also be permanently accessible for everybody to read. – In the Web, after all, one cannot refer to the shortage of space when wishing to limit criticism of one's own opinions.
In the debate groups, the same principles can be applied when assembling intermediate, summing-up and final panels.
Special attention should be paid to simplicity. Summaries, as short and simple as possible, should also be drawn of all stands presented in the panels. Those who wish could assemble panels on the same topic for different target groups (e.g. “laymen”, “enlightened laymen” and “experts”).
The scientific approach, however, implies that the subjects under discussion are defined as clearly as possible. This principle does not contradict the demand of simplicity, quite the opposite. It is important to make clear what exactly is being discussed – otherwise there will easily arise a situation where one demagogue will distort more than ten honest debaters have time to rectify.
Supervision of the Discussion Culture
Because the core topics easily awake powerful passions, special attention should be paid to debate culture. In our opinion, the best solution would be to have the discussion governed by academic researchers or other equivalently educated people. These bodies, which would exerce a veto-right concerning disputes about the discussion culture, are here referred to with a working name “councils”.
The councils should not take a stand in questions of opinion. Their tasks would be:
– to draw up as unambiguous debate rules as possible and organise discussion concerning these rules;
– to control that the debate rules are being followed on all the pages of the Forum;
– to control that the opening panels are assembled according to the above-mentioned basic method of structuring the debate, i.e. that the topics are carefully defined, that it is possible to set forth all relevant viewpoints, and that the requirement of simplicity has been observed;
– to offer general scientific guidance without, however, violating the principle of neutrality.
It is advisable to choose representatives of as many ideological doctrines, scientific schools, political currents and opinion groups as possible to the councils. The persons chosen should declare their neutrality. Correspondingly, they should have the right to disciplinary actions in cases of violation of the above-mentioned method of structuring the debate or the rules of civilised discussion in general.
The Main Channels of the Debate: the Body and the Branch Forums
In our opinion, it would serve the purpose to divide the pages of the Forum into two main groups, which we here name as ”the body forum” and “the branch forums”.
The body forum would be administered directly by the “councils”. It could include, for example:
– Scientific guidance in one form or another. The members of the councils should inform, for example, about scientific discoveries or outstanding statements that bear significance considering the topics of the Forum. In the same way, views that the scientific community unanimously treats as humbug should be established as such.
– Opening panels in which special attention would be given to confrontations fruitful for discussion.
– Study material.
– Exemplary (from the point of view of debate culture) statements gathered from the archives of the discussion groups.
– The public notice boards of the forum, etc.
By branch forums we mean pages or discussion groups to be freely founded in the subordination of the Forum by any political party, scientific school, ideological doctrine, opinion group, or civic organisation. All branch forums will get a link on the notice board of the forum, presuming they pledge to pursue civilised debate culture and to follow the rules of assembling the opening (and the eventual intermediate and final) panels.
There can be different kinds of branch forums; we suggest at least the following main formats:
Platforms, where the ideological-political movements present their comprehensive standpoints on the core topics 1 and 2 ('The Past Era' and 'The Immediate Problems Humankind is Facing')
Academic arenas formed by scientific schools on the basis of special subjects. These can be used for discussions on the significance of, e.g. new scientific discoveries or breakthroughs, etc.
Grand Narratives: currents that support some comprehensive view concerning the path of humanity up till now and/or concerning the survival theories, can present their standpoints here; the same applies to those who find that the fight of ideologies is over, that history has reached its end, and no Grand Narratives will be born any more.
Opinion pages of united fronts and, in general, other organisations dealing with a single issue. In the opinion pages the aim would be to present the ideological and intellectual arguments of the advocated issue and of the working methods followed.
Generally, both the body and the branch forums may freely edit their pages and build up e.g. portal services on and around them.
We suggest local Human Path Clubs to be founded by the side of the Internet Forum, in which the debates can be continued “in the real life”. The clubs should pledge to follow civilised discussion culture and the above mentioned rules of structuring the debates, which the councils have the right to supervise. Consistently, they would also get a link and their contact information on the notice board of the Forum.
The parent organisations of these clubs will form the administrative leadership of the whole project in regional, national and global levels. They will, each on its own level, settle the administration and the finances of the project and edit the notice boards of the body forum.
Those who accept the basic principles of the project and are willing to participate in the debates and the study activities of the Forum also in practice (either in the Internet or in events arranged by the clubs) can join the clubs as full members. The clubs can also admit supporting members – companies and associations, for example, that pledge to follow the ethical principles of the finances of the Forum.
Naturally, the clubs can freely organise leisure activities or cultural and social events. The clubs can operate independently or network at their will.
Membership of clubs is not a prerequisite of participation in the discussions on the Forum or setting up one's own web-pages.
FINANCES
All the pages of this forum (body as well as branch forums) should have the
right and the obligation to settle their finances independently according to certain
ethical principles that will be defined later. They would be liable for financing
themselves independently or through, for example, networking with other pages
(or clubs). On the other hand, the eventual income would also be in the free
disposal of the maintainer of each page (or club).
For profitable web-pages and clubs, a small tax or membership fee could be
considered to help in covering the administrative costs of the Forum, but in our
opinion, it ought to be very moderate, and it should by no means form a barrier
to participation in the project.
We believe it would be
possible for the academic councils, the Human Path Clubs, and the other web-pages
of the Forum to obtain financing from a number of public and private sources.
Self-sufficiency and diversity of sources of financing are, however, the best
guarantee of the consistent and continuing neutrality of the body forum.
For this purpose we suggest that even ads be accepted. If the discussions in
the Forum will be lively, the share of advertisements in the income formation
can be significant.
We believe, additionally, that co-operation between the clubs and the
Internet forum will create new possibilities for electronic commerce.
The commercial portals have generally not succeeded in launching club
activities whereas it would be a natural mode of operation for a forum focusing
on ideological discussions and study activities.
The clubs could also admit companies as supporting members or co-operation
partners, and the members of the clubs could form new kinds of co-operatives.
Connected with the Forum and the Clubs, the co-operatives and companies
will get a natural customer and contact network. In addition, the clubs could
edit their own web-pages and portals locally, regionally, nationally and
globally within the frames of the forum. Some business formats
fit well to the whole project – publishing business, cultural-philosophical travelling
and filo-café chains, purchase pooling, companionship services, exchange of
holiday apartments, etc.
In the opinion of the initiative group, this kind of schema might well become
a significant part of the European solution to the structural unemployment.
Because the connecting idea of the whole project is civilised debate culture
and a serious attitude to the questions of the fate of humankind, it will also
form the best possible basis for the trust and the fair game needed in collective
economical activities.
The Ethical Principles of the Finances
In all business connected with the body forum and the clubs, the most
generally accepted ethical principles should be followed – at least, the
principles of sustainable development accepted by the UN.
Because of the special nature of this forum we additionally
suggest the following special principles:
– If possible, financial aid should be given to support the participants from poor countries,
especially from countries in which persecution of opinion or a tendency to limit the freedom
of speech exists, and/or countries which are the most interesting considering the core topics
of discussion.
– The project might grant scholarships or credits to such researchers, opinion leaders
or activists who suffer or have been suffering because of their opinions in their own
country, or to pages with limited financial resources but with a contribution of special
importance and who have been exemplary followers of debate culture.
In the activities of the clubs, we suggest these ethical principles to be extended to social
framework in a following way:
– The clubs would try to further the developing of such new forms of financing and
enterprise in the framework of which rewards, stipends, loans, etc. can be given
also on the bases of the sense of justice, truthfulness and solidarity shown in the
circle of acquaintances, or at grassroots level in general. In other words, the ability
of keeping one's word, of judging objectively and righteously oneself and the others,
of resisting one's own and the others' subjective quarrelsomeness and willingness to
scheme and to slander, etc. would be one special justification of rewards – also material ones.
In any case, it is the councils that ultimately ought to monitor how the ethical principles
connected to the finances of the project are being followed.