Global Journal of Science Frontier Research, H: Environment & Earth Science, Volume 22 Issue 5

An Inquiry into “Convention”as a Problem and what we Might do About it? Susan G. Clark Abstract- Adequately responding to our national and global deteriorating environmental and fragmenting social situation is a matter of increasing urgency. An obstacle to achieving a concerted response is the way that we have normalized “convention” or as some author’s claim “thoughtless convention.” I take on this obstacle (i.e., convention, thoughtlessness) as subject of this paper. Our current problems are typically framed, embodied, and emplaced from within convention using a “metaphysics of control and mastery or dominance” over the biophysical and social world. This approach can block what should count as our appropriate relationship (human dignity, “sustainability,” coexistence) with the world, including non-human life. Accepting convention (status quo), which is very widely accepted absolves us from thinking too deeply or looking at ourselves and our problems. This translates into the present social and political organization of our culture, problem solving heuristics, and academic curriculums. Why is convention so powerful? Perhaps it is because of our evolutionary/psychological dynamics and because there are so many problems – personal to global – that we do not understand or know how to address. Fortunately, some people move beyond convention integrating conventional and functional understandings to address our problems. An integrative standpoint looks for connections, relationships, and systems properties across social processes and decision making. My recommendations to overcome limits of convention and thoughtlessness help people, leaders, and institutions to learn integrative concepts and operations for effectively orienting to problems, functionally in realistic and pragmatic ways. Finally, recommendations focus on education in the academy to skill students for integrative problem solving. Our future, global solidarity, and any global movements will turn on what learning and transformations we can bring about to address our problems. Keywords: convention, thoughtlessness, education, environment, social situation, integrated problem solving, leadership, social change, institutions, mass movements. I. I ntroduction here is no doubt that humankind is going through the most critical period in its history. 1 Since 1970, our problematic situation has become clear with irrefutable data supporting a growing and interconnected suite of diverse issues (e.g., climate change, disruption of ocean currents, massive extinctions, social and political unrest, rising expectations of violence, and a host of conflicting individual anxieties, demands, and movements). 2 For example, the Alliance of World Scientists with 25,781 It appears our social and environmental problems are outpacing our good efforts to address them. This paper first introduces “the problem” of convention. Simply stated, convention limits our understanding of ourselves as humans and how we should order our relationship with other humans, nonhumans, and the biophysical world. Further, it hinders effective responses – problem-solving. As such, it obstructs how we organize the academy and educate about knowledge and skills for tackling challenges. Second, this paper makes recommendations, focusing on people, leaders, institutions. It offers integrated problem-solving concepts and operations to help us overcome conventions limitations. And, third, this paper discusses prospects for global solidarity, mass movements, and a different approach to higher education. This paper contributes to the broader rivers of thinking and problem solving that have built up over the centuries. II. M ethods This paper rests on the works of integrative policy scientists and allied scholars. It is based on my experience on diverse applied environmental and social cases, and teaching over five decades at colleges, universities, in workshops, and field trips. The integrated method used here is grounded in a jurisprudential method. 5 This jurisprudential orientation is labeled the “policy sciences”– configurative approach. Brunner summarizes and appraises this approach. 6 T The term “integrated” in this paper is equivalent to the configurative or policy sciences. Terms in the educational literature and the “interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary” community are labels somewhat equivalent to the integrated approach, at least in intent. I use the term “integrated,” and use these three terms interchangeably. The integrative method is grounded in pragmatism, functionality, and contemporary systematic 1 Global Journal of Science Frontier Research Volume XXII Issue V Year 2022 1 ( H ) Version I © 2022 Global Journals scientists has been a leader in characterizing our situation. They have a Scientists’ Warning Publication Series with eleven new scientists’ warning articles published or in press, in addition to the nine previously published articles ( scientistswarning@oregonstate.edu ). There are many other assessments confirming these results. 3 Taken together, documents and sources characterize our problem(s). 4 Yet, our responses seem slow and cumbersome. Perhaps we do not have a full or deep picture to know how best to respond. Author: Yale University, Institution for Social and Policy Studies World Academy of Art and Science. e-mail: susan.g.clark@yale.edu