Social science needs to reunify the objective and subjective aspects of human existence that became increasingly divorced during the hey-days of 20th century scientism ... Read more
The more the efforts to develop the discipline of anticipation proceed, the more the traditional walls separating the social sciences will break down ... Read more
A trans-disciplinary science of society that studies the formation of society, the generation of social power and the empowerment of the individual members for personal and collective accomplishment is essential for a new human-centered development paradigm that can solve all the problems that confront the world today ... Read more
The world is beset with problems that appear insoluble largely because we are unconscious of the social capacity that already exists and the social potential waiting to be developed ... Read more
Einstein stressed that the most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible ... Read more
"Freedom without responsibility has its limits. In particular, focus should be on the equality of freedom." ... Read more
Conservative philosophies belong to the past and have no future. The future belongs to human-centered values ... Read more
Human evolution is a complex conscious process involving continuous interaction among the objective and subjective dimensions, physical facts and mental conceptions, natural forces and human aspirations, creative individuals and social groups ... Read more
The strength of human aspiration and will is not a quantity that can be measured using any equipment or analyzed in a laboratory, and so it often fails to acquire authenticity and credibility as evidence ... Read more
The collective has to see the individual as a unique heterogeneous organization and the individual must function in a harmonious unity ... Read more
We need to establish the objective and subjective domains as two equal dimensions of reality, or at least as two equally valid but incomplete ways of viewing reality, and try to reconcile them .. Read more
No single discipline commands all the necessary knowledge to deal with complex, co-evolving socio-environmental systems .. Read more
There is no real progress in any domain of sciencewithout acquiring consciousness of the provisional nature of knowledge and the imperative to increase our present understanding. .. Read more
|
WAAS ST Working Group
Get Full Text in PDF
In February 2021, the World Academy of Art and Science hosted an expert panel on societal transformation as part of its 60th anniversary conference. From this, a working group was formed for the purpose of identifying, developing, promoting and implementing practical, catalytic strategies for addressing major challenges and evolving human society into sustainable form. The... Read more
|
Ashok Natarajan
Get Full Text in PDF
Abstract
Individualism and collectivism are two competing philosophical and social movements that have divided the world for centuries. Their origins can be traced back to ancient times. They are founded on different interpretations of the value and place of freedom and equality in society. While their rivalry is ancient, it is also evolving and taking on ever new forms.... Read more
|
Garry Jacobs, Janani Ramanathan, Ralph Wolff, Remus Pricopie, Piero Dominici, Alberto Zucconi
Get Full Text in PDF
Abstract
Every institution of higher education and every government is trying to overcome the problems it faces and improve the reach, relevance, financial viability and effectivity of education. But no one is thinking globally for solutions that will be optimal from the perspective of humanity as a whole. The enormous challenges we face in education today can best... Read more
|
Garry Jacobs
Get Full Text in PDF
Abstract
There is an imperative need to reconceptualize the role of the firm in modern society based on a holistic perspective in order to correct the imbalances and excesses generated by a too narrow conception of purpose and the inadequacies of current theory to explain and reveal the underlying process by which firms, stakeholders and society at large grow, develop and... Read more
|
|
Carlos Blanco
Get Full Text in PDF
Abstract
This paper addresses the problem of how to identify a small and parsimonious set of principles or “postulates” that may help us understand the great theoretical foundations of the social sciences. From a philosophical point of view, it presents ten premises that are perhaps essential for any attempt at elaborating a social theory.
When one tries to elaborate... Read more
|
Frank Dixon
Get Full Text in PDF
Abstract
Over the past 15 years, sustainability has become mainstream in the corporate and financial sectors. But environmental and social conditions are declining rapidly in many regions. Nearly all corporate and financial sector sustainability strategies are focused on company-level activities, such as unilaterally mitigating negative environmental and social... Read more
|
Martin Ramirez, Juan Cayón-Peña
Get Full Text in PDF
Abstract
Scientists have an important role not only in avoiding inappropriate and dangerous decisions, but also advising policymakers and other stakeholders about the best and wiser moves to make towards a human-centered society, thereby fomenting scientific knowledge and enhancing cross-cultural connections and joint research. They should also not forget... Read more
|
Carlos Blanco
Get Full Text in PDF
Abstract
Any expression of rationality is based upon premises, many of which cannot be ultimately justified. The role of these presuppositions becomes particularly important in the domains of the social sciences and the humanities. A philosophical reflection on the foundations and methodologies of these disciplines can shed valuable light on how to overcome the... Read more
|
|
Joachim H. Spangenberg
Get Full Text in PDF
Abstract
Defining, assessing and valuing biodiversity and ecosystem services is an exemplary field, illustrating the necessity as well as the obstacles to interdisciplinary collaboration between natural scientists and economists. Despite the frequent use of identical individual motivations and similarities in the terminology, the discrepancies and misunderstandings... Read more
|
Murugesan Chandrasekaran
Get Full Text in PDF
Abstract
The contribution of modern science to the progress of civilization is immeasurable. Even its tendency toward exclusive concentration on the objective world has had salutary effects of great value. Modern science has wiped away much that was merely superstitious or speculative. Its rejection of unfounded opinions and prejudices has helped the thinking mind... Read more
|
|
Marta Neškovic
Get Full Text in PDF
Abstract
In this article, a principal place is given to the question of how the ways we conceptualize the use of our mind influence the generation of social power. We define social power as the potency of socially integrated individuals to accomplish specific predetermined values. These values can be related to anything from concrete material prosperity to abstract... Read more
|
Janani Ramanathan
Get Full Text in PDF
Abstract
Global civilization is the product of diverse cultures, each contributing a unique perspective arising from the development of different mental faculties and powers of mind. The momentous achievements of modern science are the result of the cumulative development of mind’s capacity for analytic thinking, mathematical rendering and experimental validation. The... Read more
|
|
Garry Jacobs
Get Full Text in PDF
Abstract
The rational mind is the highest evolved status of human consciousness. The evolution of mind and civilization has proceeded hand in hand for millennia. The development of new capacities of mind made possible the development of tools, language, agriculture, permanent settlements, towns, cities, religion, trade, transportation, communication, government, law,... Read more
|
Ashok Natarajan
Get Full Text in PDF
Abstract
Society unknowingly follows the course of spiritual evolution. Spirituality is the quest for self-existent order and harmonious perfection. The evolution of society is driven by an irrepressible aspiration for the values that are the translation and embodiment of that order. The history of civilization is a record of its progressive emergence. Spirituality is... Read more
|
|
F. J. Radermacher
Get Full Text in PDF
Abstract
This article describes a global governance system that—from the author’s point of view—would lead to sustainability and allow the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which have just been adopted at the UN level. Major elements are (1) the integration of existing international regimes in the area of the UN, WTO and the world financial... Read more
|
Ivo Šlaus
Get Full Text in PDF
Abstract
Employment and the unity of social sciences are discussed. The paper argues that employment is the simplest and the best indicator of human-centered sustainable and secure development.
1. Introduction
The 20th century is referred as the measuring century.1 Indeed, the conception of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and its operational definition were introduced in... Read more
|
|
Ashok Natarajan
Get Full Text in PDF
Abstract
This article traces the evolutionary development of human consciousness and its increasingly complex and sophisticated organization as human personality from the instinctive behavior of the animal and the subconscious conformity characteristic of early forms of human civilization through progressive stages of transition from physical to social to mental levels... Read more
|
Janani Ramanathan
Get Full Text in PDF
Abstract
Society is the source of immense power. Over the past few centuries humanity has recorded phenomenal growth in its collective capacity for accomplishment, as reflected in the 12-fold growth in global per capita income since 1800. The remarkable achievements in living standards, longevity, science, technology, industry, education, democracy, human rights,... Read more
|
|
Roberto Poli
Get Full Text in PDF
Abstract
Anticipation is increasingly at the heart of urgent contemporary debates, from climate change to economic crisis. As societies are less confident that tradition will provide an effective guide to the future, anticipatory practices are coming to the foreground of political, organizational and personal life. Research into anticipation, however, has not kept pace... Read more
|
Garry Jacobs, Winston P. Nagan, Alberto Zucconi
Get Full Text in PDF
Abstract
The social sciences have contributed significantly to humanity’s remarkable progress over the past two centuries, but the multidimensional crises confronting the world today reflect the need to rapidly move beyond the limitations imposed by the compartmentalization of social science disciplines and the absence of common unifying principles equivalent to those... Read more
|
|
|
