Conversations For Transformation: Essays Inspired By The Ideas Of Werner Erhard

Conversations For Transformation

Essays By Laurence Platt

Inspired By The Ideas Of Werner Erhard

`nd More

Breakthrough In Academia

Cowboy Cottage, East Napa, California, USA

May 21, 2017

"Heroes are ordinary men and women who dare to see and meet the call of a possibility bigger than themselves. Breakthroughs are created by such heroes, by men and women who will stand for the result while it is only a possibility - people who will act to make possibility real."


...

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

... Rita Mae Brown (widely attributed erroneously to Professor Albert Einstein)

This essay, Breakthrough In Academia, is the ninth in a hendectet of Breakthroughs:

Human beings (that's you and I) have been trying to change the world forever. Trying to change the world is an intrinsically human activity that goes back a long, long time, arguably as long as we've been around. "Intrinsically human" means it's something only we humans do - essentially, naturally. Look: rhinoceroses don't try to change the world; rheas don't try to change the world; rhododendrons don't try to change the world; rocks don't try to change the world: only we humans do.

Now take a second look, and ask yourself "And how exactly are we doing changing the world? How's it going for us in this regard?". You'll notice the answer is "Not very well.". "Not very well" is the best assessment. And the worst assessment is: in spite of our most sterling efforts and our most heartfelt intentions, we've really not changed the world at all. It keeps on turning out the way it turns out - that is, it turns out the way it turns out as it's done throughout the millennia since time began.

It's the context in which we operate, which gives the actions we take in the world. Without transforming the context in which we operate, it's an extremely low odds bet that any actions we take will ever make any difference at all. Remember the wit who said "The odds of winning the lottery with a ticket, are about the same as the odds of winning the lottery without a ticket"? Those are the kind of odds I'm talking about. An untransformed context gives actions which don't make any difference.

There's compelling evidence to suggest (just turn on the morning news) that we human beings are merely spinning our wheels trying to make a difference with actions given by an untransformed context. A context is transformed by a conversation. Bringing forth a transformed context for action, is arguably our only access to making any difference at all ie it's arguably our only leverage with the way things turn out. And one of the most far-reaching, widely-spoken, and impactful conversations in the world today, is the academic conversation. Learning and higher education is a conversation spoken in schools, colleges, universities, and all other academic institutions - and from there, like a fountainhead, is spoken throughout the world. Any concerted intention which succeeded in bringing forth a transformed context for academia by way of a new conversation would, as a natural consequence of Life itself, have an enormous impact making a difference in the world.

<aside>

In contemplating bringing forth a transformed context for academia, it's critical Zen to recognize the following:

You don't bring forth a transformed context for academia in order to change the world. That's a contradiction in terms (it's more than that actually: with regard to transformation, it's being unclear on the concept). Bringing forth a transformed context for academia in order to change the world is incompatible with transformation. The world, as we know, keeps on turning out out the way it turns out, which is as it's done throughout the millennia since time began.

Rather, you bring forth a transformed context for academia in order to bring forth a transformed context for academia.

Gee! I hope you get that. That's power, that's transformation, and it's also leverage (ie it's how you gain traction).

It's also the critical Zen (but be careful: its "in order to in order to" will drive you crazy if you try to figure it out).

<un-aside>

Werner Erhard's work, and in particular his ongoing work with academia, is revolutionary. The way people have responded to it and ongoingly respond to it (and in all likelihood, always will respond to it) is best articulated by Sir Arthur C (Charles) Clarke, British inventor, futurist, author and screenplay writer (2001: A Space Odyssey) in his Law of Revolutionary Ideas which states that every revolutionary idea (in science, politics, art, or wherever) seems to evoke three stages of reaction:

1)	"It's completely impossible. Don't waste my time."
2)	"It's possible but it's not worth doing."
3)	"I said it was a good idea all along."

Arthur's Law of Revolutionary Ideas may have been derived from a statement attributed to an earlier Arthur, Arthur Schopenhauer, the German philosopher and author (The World as Will and Representation), which is:

"All truth passes through three stages: first, it is ridiculed; second, it is violently opposed; and third, it is accepted as self-evident.".

Could Werner's ongoing work with academia have finally entered earlier Arthur's third stage?

Papers embodying Werner's current work with academia, are posted online where they've been freely available for years. You can download them by clicking here, or you can copy and paste this link into your browser's location box:

http://www.laurenceplatt.com/wernererhard/wernere4.html

These papers are the source materials distributed when Werner's work is presented for respected academic (and business) institutions. Although his first presentations of Conversations For Transformation, leadership, and integrity for academia were extraordinary undertakings, they didn't represent a breakthrough in academia - at least, not yet. What would represent a breakthrough in academia ie what would represent a shift in the context in which his work is listened by academics, would be when a respected academic institution, unsolicited, publishes his work as approved reference material, and furthermore engages in a scholarly discourse with and about it, and makes such scholarly discourse publicly available.

On Sunday May 21, 2017 it was my privilege to make the following terse worldwide announcement to two thousand people plus by e-mail, sharing Werner's pivotal breakthrough in bringing the conversation for transformation, leadership, and integrity to academia.

This is Conversations For Transformation e-mail announcement #1,218 (and this is a breakthrough in academia):

Conversations For Transformation

Essays By Laurence Platt

Inspired By The Ideas Of Werner Erhard

And More

Breakthrough In Academia

Cowboy Cottage, East Napa, California, USA

May 21, 2017

To: Laurence Platt and Associates
From: "Laurence Platt" <LaurencePlatt@laurenceplatt.com>
Subject: From Laurence: Werner's paper on integrity in finance published
Cc:
X-Attachments:

Cowboy Cottage, East Napa, California, USA
Sunday May 21, 2017

Hello!

I'm Laurence.

Werner and Michael Jensen's paper titled "Putting Integrity Into Finance: A Purely Positive Approach", has been published by a prominent economics journal called Capitalism and Society.

Capitalism and Society is an online publication from Columbia University.

Click here for Capitalism and Society's Volume 12, Issue 1, May 2017 posting of of Werner and Michael's paper, or copy and paste this link into your browser's location box:

http://www.capitalism.columbia.edu/journal/12/1

Their paper is the first one in the list which appears.

Werner's stated intention has long been to bring the conversation for transformation, leadership, and integrity to respected academia. Capitalism and Society's publication of this paper, marks a pivotal breakthrough in this direction.

Thank You for Your Listening.

Thank You for Your Relationship with Werner.

With my Love,

Laurence

Communication Promise

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<aside>

In the now scholarly discourse with and about Werner's paper which, by the way, is also posted online by Capitalism and Society, there are academics who eruditely refute some of Werner's premises, and explain at length why they refute them, and there are others who laud (aka agree with) Werner's premises, and who also explain why.

Listen: the thing about being in scholarly discourse is this: some academics may refute your premises, and others may agree with them. But even if the majority of academics agreed with Werner's premises, it would still not be indicative of Werner's breakthrough in his work with academia.

What's indicative of Werner's breakthrough in his work with academia, is it's now published by Columbia University, a respected academic institution, as approved reference material, regardless of whether the ensuing scholarly discourse with and about his premises, disagrees with or agrees with them (because here's the thing: disagreeing with premises and / or agreeing with premises, is the very milieu of scholarly discourse itself).

<un-aside>

Perhaps the earlier Arthur (Schopenhauer) was right (it's certainly starting to look like it): first Werner's work was ridiculed; then it was violently opposed; and now we're witnessing a breakthrough in academia with it being accepted as self-evident, and published.

I've read Werner's paper "Putting Integrity Into Finance: A Purely Positive Approach" which is published by Capitalism and Society. I've also read the scholarly discourse with and about it, which is also posted to the Capitalism and Society website. I've read the erudite disagreements with his premises, and I've read the agreements with his premises. And especially with regard to both the latter, I'm not left with any "he said she said" of disagreements versus agreements, given this (as I said earlier) is the very milieu of scholarly discourse itself.

Rather what I'm left with is the bringing forth of a self-evident transformed context for academia by way of a new conversation which, as a natural consequence of Life itself, will have an enormous impact making a difference in the world.

Communication Promise

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Permission