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Addendum (Ed Jonas)

It is somewhat unclear I suppose of what Mcluan meant by the term GlobalVillage . Did he mean for instance a "globe of villages" sustainably connected...? (connected by what?) or did he mean one de-evolved community or village that circustanced the globe or did he mean both or neither.

I think the point is well taken but somewhat semantical. The inherent "jist" is good regardless. As Karl Popper noted "The best philosphy is not about word "meanings" but about "profound problems". I think thus McLuhans inherent concept of a global village was a perceived solution to a fractured and overadvanced world. What he was perhaps suggesting is a return to the village state (or states) as opposed to the city state (or states) that have seemingly in their never ending expansion done so much damage to the planet and perhaps humanity as well.

How this is properly and clearly stated I suppose is semantic but none the less important as well though in order to reach the broadest base of understanding. I truly suspect that it is a dynamic term that means different things a different times or circumstance but nevertheless holds up as a valid and good proposition. In that sense it is a grammatical "antinomy" meaning two valid though some what different things at the same time. Hence it perhaps is the quintessential "global antinomy" with its apparent quantum wierdness.

Rather than labor the point though better to be constructive in and by promoting both. Perhaps it just pays deference thus to different perspectives. Gaiaville or global village being somewhat feminine maybe and global villages somewhat masculine. The effervescent yin and yang united in a Western thought or sensibility.

I hope this has not detracteed though from the good works we are accomplishing.

carry on

EdJonas

Ps Incidently, I'm not sure if Mcluhan addressed the necessity of "diversity" in the global village concept. Diversity is cruzial towards any kind of sustainablity. Perhaps this is the empitis of the need for global villages.

The way I approached this need was to break down the planetary global village not into seperate villages but seperate "zones" ie: borrowing of the 24 time zones initiated by sir sanford flemming in the 1880s. Hence the diverse breakdown or necessary diversity is accomplished by implemation of difference by means of time zone so hence for instance I am in the Global Village Mountain Standard Zone. It is currently 10:25 Am MST. Not sure if this addresses any of the significant concerns but just a tangental consideration.

Ed

Global Village Diversity

How, given that diversity is essential to sustainabilty do we ensure its inclusion into the global village/villages efforts.

Do we opt for a "structured" diversity or a more natural or organic one. What are the rules of diversity. What is "acceptable diversity" what is democratic diversity. Did mcluan intitiate any discussions in this regard.

A google revealed a very few sites addressing this concern.

Global village diversity links

go = http://www.beyondutopia.net/articles/heg-3.htm

go = https://www.indiana.edu/~college/global/appform.shtml

go = http://www.tn.regentsdegrees.org/courses/syllabi/bmgt363_.htm

go = http://www.reformedworship.org/magazine/article.cfm?article_id=16

My approach to diversity was a temporal one, the 24 time zones. Is there something better yet still manageable. How do you "order" natural global village diversity though. A Global village Court perhaps? or

Seems a rather complex can of worms but perhaps a necessary one.

EdJonas

Nov 10 2006

Canada

Global Village Architecture

There are perhaps many models or schools of Global Village Architecture Thought. The central binding force perhaps lies in the aspect of "Whole Systems Design". To look at the planet thusly has a global whole is the key and to assess various global models of it. The major emerging models perhaps are the Humanist Model, the Gaian Model, and the Economic Model and the Astronomic Model.

The first is perhaps the Gaian Model

1. GaiaVille Naturalism

Just to note the Gaiaville Ob Site has been updated somewhat. Nov 10, 2006

Gaiaville Observatory Link

Go = http://ed.jonas.googlepages.com/home

2. Human Model Socialism

3. Economic Model Capitalism

4. Astronomic Model Idealism

These are the forces shaping Holistic Global Village Evolution.

Perhaps at any given time one or perhaps more of these forces is at play and dominates, given the holistic conditions predominant and prevalent at any given time during the course of the decades, generations, centuries and millenniums. It is interesting to note from a Canadian Perspective that these represent the various political camps or parties in canadian politics, a evolution from the simple left/right paradigm of the past. to the current breakdown ie Green, NDP, Liberal, Conservative.

The understanding is that the GlobalVillage is not a static state or condition but a dynamic and evolving process by means of a democratic electorate whose choices and votes shift over time and place and circumstance.

It is much like the 4 points on a "compass" and peoples emphasis and priorities tend to move somewhat unpredictably to various of these at any given election.

Actually this and such a 4 or 5 party system though problematic and slow at times, tends to foster the development of coallition and cooperation between opposinig camps in order to get things done. People and parties are thus challenged to grow and be tolerant and accepting of others different points of view. EdJonas

Spherical Systems or "Spherstems"

Well looking at "global" concepts one has to look both from the spherical aspect as well as the "system" aspect. Unfortuneately there is not much info available on the operation or aspects of spherstems or spherical systems and they are hard to study while contained within them. To really objectively study and observe these planetary spherstems ie: be they the hydrospherstem or biospherstem, or the global village spherstem... one would properly have to do it on the international space station. James Lovelock perhaps (gaia concept founder) began this field while studying the martian atmosphere for nasa. Yet to study the earth is somewhat more involved and complex. I noted upon a google search that some work has been done right here at open cultures global villages with the "spherical system" field though as applied to the field of economics.

Well done to you thus.

Elements

I would conjecture that a spherical system has four essential "global elements".

1. global static elements

2. global semi-static elements

3. global dynamic elements

4. global chaotic elements

Variables

I suppose when is attempting to "compass" spherical systems for the sake of ease it might be useful to identify the "global" fixed points, the "global" static variables and the "global" dynamic variables.

GlobalFixedPoints

The 24 time zones are a fairly established series of global fixed points, as well as the "relative" circumference of the earth and the "mass" of the earth.

Spherical Coordinate System Link

Go = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spherical_coordinates#Spherical_coordinates

GlobalStaticVariables

The rotation of the planet is a fairly static variable of roughly 24 hours per day, at 365.25 days per year. The mean global temperature is a fairly global static variable roughly though seemingly not these days. As well as the amount of sunlight falling on the planet. The resource base of the earth is a fairly global static variable consisting of roughly 200 elements and 3 to 8 kingdoms of life containing about 50 to 75 million species.

GlobalDynamicVariables

These are not so easy to quantify.

CyclicSystems

Well there is a lot of info on the web on "cyclic systems" although unfortuneately little of it is without charge. Cyclic systems give us clues to the working of spherical systems being a 2 dimensional representation per sae of the 3 dimensional spherical system. The idea that three or more cyclic systems could be equivalent to a spherical system has some merit but the inherent complexity of spherical systems thus becomes apparent. I suspect that Buckminster Fuller had some inkling into spherical systems in his work. go = http://www.bfi.org/

Sorry this is probably a bit of a mess but it is emerging as I write.

EdJonas Nov. 2006

Canada

Discussion

Ed, I'm very glad to see you here, working on your original thoughts! That gives us all great momentum. If you write more, I'll share my thoughts where I think your pages might fit best in our system so that we could support each other as we work-in-parallel. AndriusKulikauskas

Hi Andrius, well I suppose we have to thank google, there is very little data on "spherical systems" and the most plain speak was found right here at OurCulture. So, I guess it is a good omen. I will contribute when I feel I have something worthy or interesting and you can assess it, if you feel there are better places for it. I just think in this regard or notion of spherical systems are a smaller more easier to handle approach to understanding "global systems" which are spherical but on a grand scale. It would thus be easier to study perhaps in a small lab or such a spherical system model and perhaps apply the understandings to a global scale. Anyway hello and seasons greetings to you all. EdJonas

Ed, I think your approach has some relationships with our layers in OurCulture. Also, I recommend ChristopherAlexander's and NikosASalingaros's books on PatternLanguages. You can get a free copy of Nikos's latest book ATheoryOfArchitecture if you agree to write a review, please let me know or write to the publisher http://www.umbau-verlag.com AndriusKulikauskas

Thanks. Okay I'll take a copy although if its an ebook Im only on dial up so... but I'll write a review if I can grasp the material and its not to technical or lengthy. Also I found something you might be interested in. The topic is "logical environments" if you "google" it, it brings up some material that may be of interest to you and that seems to be similar to your and hanz discussions. I guess you'll need my address so where can I email you? EdJonas

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