several acceptable trajectories for change. The ‘instead of’ in the list may well mark
such no-go areas and fit well into the double-decoupling strategy: freeing economies
from both human and natural overexploitation and growth-for-growth’s-sake
financialization.
The actual repurposing work comprises three key aspects that can also be done
in a division of labor: delegitimize the traditional arguments, offer alternative
meaning, and shine a light on alternative practice options. This means the Second
Enlightenment does not happen solely in universities and institutes while everybody
else applies the instructions they’re given. Polanyi’s account of The Great
Transformation showed how many of the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century
thinkers or philosophers he cited were also factory owners, priests or involved in
politics. The Second Enlightenment can thus emerge from networks of pioneers and
engaging innovators from all walks of life.
Finally, a successful Great Mindshift for sustainability does not mean replacing
old universal theoretical laws with new ones. Instead, the emerging twenty-first
century paradigm is about reflexivity and transformative literacy: working on a
properly integrated perspective with clarity and transparency about one’s own
assumptions and value judgments. Shunning commodification, corporate interests,
and contra-petition from scientific inquiry would allow for precaution, respect for
diversity, and remaining open to what emerges. Donella Meadows called this
“transcend[ing] paradigms” and positioned it as her highest leverage point for
system change. Engaging in a Second Enlightenment therefore needs to be married
with futures ethics: what are the novel frames and imaginaries that I am proposing
—and with which intention?
Open Access This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, duplication, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give
appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons
license and indicate if changes were made.
The images or other third party material in this chapter are included in the work’s Creative
Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if such material is not included in
the work’s Creative Commons license and the respective action is not permitted by statutory
regulation, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to duplicate, adapt or
reproduce the material.
168
5 How to Work a Great Mindshift for Sustainability Transformations
such no-go areas and fit well into the double-decoupling strategy: freeing economies
from both human and natural overexploitation and growth-for-growth’s-sake
financialization.
The actual repurposing work comprises three key aspects that can also be done
in a division of labor: delegitimize the traditional arguments, offer alternative
meaning, and shine a light on alternative practice options. This means the Second
Enlightenment does not happen solely in universities and institutes while everybody
else applies the instructions they’re given. Polanyi’s account of The Great
Transformation showed how many of the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century
thinkers or philosophers he cited were also factory owners, priests or involved in
politics. The Second Enlightenment can thus emerge from networks of pioneers and
engaging innovators from all walks of life.
Finally, a successful Great Mindshift for sustainability does not mean replacing
old universal theoretical laws with new ones. Instead, the emerging twenty-first
century paradigm is about reflexivity and transformative literacy: working on a
properly integrated perspective with clarity and transparency about one’s own
assumptions and value judgments. Shunning commodification, corporate interests,
and contra-petition from scientific inquiry would allow for precaution, respect for
diversity, and remaining open to what emerges. Donella Meadows called this
“transcend[ing] paradigms” and positioned it as her highest leverage point for
system change. Engaging in a Second Enlightenment therefore needs to be married
with futures ethics: what are the novel frames and imaginaries that I am proposing
—and with which intention?
Open Access This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, duplication, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give
appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons
license and indicate if changes were made.
The images or other third party material in this chapter are included in the work’s Creative
Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if such material is not included in
the work’s Creative Commons license and the respective action is not permitted by statutory
regulation, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to duplicate, adapt or
reproduce the material.
168
5 How to Work a Great Mindshift for Sustainability Transformations