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ESCAPING THE MATRIX
GLOBAL TRANSFORMATION:
WHY WE NEED IT, AND HOW WE CAN GET IT
v. 2.1
© 2004 Richard K. Moore
http://cyberjournal.org
SYNOPSIS
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Introduction
Chapter 1 A brief history of humanity
Species evolution: competition within a cooperative framework
The first humans and cultural evolution
Origins of civilization: inside and outside the Garden
The evolution of hierarchy and elite rule
Cultures and conditioning
As biologists have learned to look at whole ecosystems, they
have found that evolution has been characterized more by
cooperation for mutual benefit than by cutthroat competitions.
Whereas other species inherit most of their behavior patterns
genetically, humans learn their behavior patterns - and their
culture generally - socially. This evolutionary breakthrough
enabled the first humans to spread out and adapt rapidly to
new ecological niches, and it later enabled the control of
populations through conditioning and fabricated mythologies.
The earliest civilizations, enabled by the domestication of
plants and animals, began down one of two paths: that of
harmony or that of domination. The standard 'history of
civilization' can be seen as the story of how harmonious forms
have been relentlessly supplanted by those of domination and
hierarchy.
Chapter 2 The matrix
Are you ready for the red pill?
Imperialism and the matrix
World War II and Pax Americana
Glitches in the matrix, popular rebellion, and neoliberalism
Globalization and corporate governance
The management of discontented societies
9/11 and the New American Century
Capitalism and the matrix
Civilization in crisis
In our modern societies, the whole mainstream portrayal of
history and current events amounts to a fabricated mythology
of progress and democracy - a matrix version of reality. In
the real world history tells a different kind of story, of
competition among elites and the manipulation and exploitation
of populations. Following three centuries of
national-competitive imperialism, 1945 saw the emergence of
Western-collective imperialism under Pax Americana, an
unprecedented economic boom, and a policy of general Western
prosperity. Declining growth forced this regime to be
consciously abandoned (c. 1971) by elites - to be replaced,
incrementally, with neoliberalism and globalization. The New
American Century marks yet another global regime change as
American elites pursue unilateral military and economic
hegemony. Meanwhile, capitalism's insatiable need for growth
is in fatal collision with the boundaries of a finite Earth.
Chapter 3 We the People and the transformational imperative
We the People: lessons from our long experience of struggle
The transformational imperative
Civilization is facing a crisis of survival that can only be
addressed by a thoroughgoing global transformation of our
economic and political systems. The only agent that can or
will bring about this needed transformation is an awakened We
the People, and we have much to learn from the experiences of
previous social movements.
Chapter 4 The harmonization imperative
Adversarial systems and liberal democracy
Liberal democracy and elite hegemony
Divide and rule: the role of factionalism
Individualism reconsidered
The harmonization imperative
Based on common-sense analysis, we can see that our political
system - with political parties and competitive elections - is not
democratic and could never be democratic. Indeed, if we look
at the words and actions of the Founding Fathers, we learn
that the American Constitution was consciously designed to
facilitate elite dominance. We are kept under control by
divide-and-rule factionalism and by a mythology of human
nature based on a misunderstanding of evolutionary processes.
We the People can only come into existence if we learn to
overcome our divisiveness and find our common identity as
sensible human beings.
Chapter 5 Achieving harmony and wisdom in groups
Meeting dynamics: collaborative & adversarial
A gap in our cultural repertoire
Some remarkable meetings
The dynamics of harmonization
Meetings are the vehicles we use to make plans and decisions
in our societies - as citizens, in business, and in government.
We have two kinds of meetings - adversarial and
collaborative - and neither of these seeks to - nor is able
to - resolve differences among participants. Listening-enabling
facilitation provides a third kind of meeting dynamics - based
on harmonization - which enables participants to break through
their differences, discover their common identity and wisdom
as We the People, and find creative solutions to their shared
problems. Outcomes of such meetings, as reported by
participants, and as measured in results, have been truly
amazing.
Chapter 6 We the People and social transformation
Envisioning a transformational movement
The role of movement initiators
The new society within the old
Engagement with the regime
Global transformation and the third world
The developments examined in the previous chapter suggest that
the potential may exist in the West for a social movement to
arise - focused on community empowerment and participatory
democracy. Such a movement could awaken the spirit of We the
People in society generally, and become a vehicle for social
transformation. Such a locally based movement would not be
guided by any centralized leadership group, but the emergence
of the movement could be accelerated by the intervention of
movement initiators. As a community-empowerment movement
spreads throughout society, the grassroots-based democratic
process of the transformed society would be growing up within
the shadow of the current regime. Ultimately, when nearly
everyone is part of the movement, the regime leadership would
not be able to maintain control. Meanwhile, people in parts of
the third world are finding their own paths to social
transformation - leading the way for the rest of us.
Chapter 7 Envisioning a democratic and sustainable world
Introduction
A framework for genuine democracy: local autonomy and harmonization
The maintenance of peace
The management of large-scale projects and operations
The management of the global commons
A systems perspective
When our movement prevails, we will need to establish a new
system of global order. The movement's own democratic
process - based on local autonomy and harmonization - provides a
basis for democratic governance in the new society. Local
autonomy not only enables direct, participatory democracy, it
also facilitates economic efficiency and sustainability. In
order to prevent the emergence of new power elites, we will
need to avoid creating any hierarchical structures, whether
political or economic. Representative councils, assembled as
needed, provide a means by which large-scale and global
matters can be managed - without establishing centralized
governmental institutions
Chapter 8 The transition process
Taking responsibility locally
Recycling institutional resources and developing the commons
Establishing an equitable basis of exchange
Networking and large-scale projects
The journey is the destination
The systems of our societies cannot be changed all at once. As
we move toward a sensible world, we must keep the wheels of
society turning all the while. In building infrastructures and
creating systems that will be sustainable, we will need for
the time being to continue exploiting our fossil-fuel
reserves - an unavoidable one-time investment in our future.
Managing the process of transition will be our first challenge
to be faced as We the People. As we pursue this project in
parallel in our various communities and regions - our efforts
harmonized by the work of appropriate large-scale councils -
we will be establishing the systems of our transformed societies.
Chapter 9 Living outside the matrix
Cultural evolution in a democracy
Democracy and personal liberation
Education outside the matrix
Reflections on human evolution
In a decentralized, democratic world we can look forward to
the emergence a global cultural renaissance - the natural
expression of a dynamic, liberated civilization. In such a
culture we can expect people to experience liberation at a
personal level as well, leading to a renaissance in art, and
literature, and all forms of personal expression. Genuine
education, as opposed to conditioning, will lead to new
generations whose heights of achievement we can only guess at.
In one sense our transformed global society will be an
entirely new adventure for humanity. In another sense we will
be returning to our roots, going home to the Garden.
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Annotated bibliography
Appendix 1: Some simple facilitation methods: a Primer
Appendix 2: Empowerment or manipulation? A consumer's guide to group processes
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