Globally scanning for “Megatrends of the Mind”: Potential futures of futures thinking

Abstract

This paper focuses on emergent signs of evolutionary change in human thinking that run parallel with many of the exponential changes manifesting in the external world. Weak signals are identified from the early twentieth century indicating the emergence of new knowledge patterns. These signals have strengthened in the last forty years. The paper first identifies new ways of thinking within several disciplines such as science, philosophy, religion and education. New knowledge patterns are then identified in discourses that traverse disciplinary boundaries through transdisciplinary approaches such as futures studies and planetary/global studies. The paper then discusses evolution of consciousness, identifying research that theorises new ways of thinking as being related to individual psychological development and/or socio-cultural evolution. Finally, evolutionary concepts are discussed that attempt to meta-cohere the new knowledge patterns via the terms postformal, integral and planetary. Notably, academic research on "futures of thinking", "evolution of consciousness" and/or "global mindset change" has been, until now, largely ignored by mainstream academic discourse on evolution, consciousness and futures studies.

Przeszkody na drodze ku postkonwencjonalnym poziomom moralności i poznania

“…Jaki to system? [5] Wypada zgodzić się z badaczką systemów edukacyjnych i psycholog postformalną Gennifer Gidley (2010;2009), że podstawą tradycyjnej edukacji głównego nurtu jest nadal światopogląd modernistyczny, ugruntowany w Kartezjańskim dualizmie, fizyce klasycznej i odwołujący się do materializmu naukowego. Ten uprzywilejowany kulturowo światopogląd wiąże się ściśle z fragmentacją wiedzy, specjalizacją i redukcjonizmem.…”

Evolution of education: From weak signals to rich imaginaries of educational futures

“…While it is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss these developments in detail, some key features of the higher stages of reasoning-as identified by adult developmental psychologists and integral theorists-include: complexity, creativity, dialectics, dialogue, futures awareness, holism, imagination, paradox, planetary consciousness, pluralism, reflexivity, spirituality, values and wisdom. These have been discussed in more detail elsewhere [19,94].…”

“…These developments have been referred to elsewhere as the ''megatrends of the mind'' [94]. They have very significant implications for education.…”

Our posthuman futures and education: Homo Zappiens, Cyborgs, and the New Adam

“…However, in the West there has also developed a contrary perspective based on spirituality and holistic thinking. Gidley [34] presents a well studied overview of such holistic ways of thinking that seem to have started about a hundred years ago and strengthened during the latter four decades. She incorporates them within an ''evolution of consciousness''-paradigm and identifies three of their aspects as postformal, integral and planetary.…”

“…The main point is that it is taken up as a counter-image, against the scientistic reduction of human nature. As Gidley's [34] paper makes clear, there is nowadays a growing interest in spirituality in many academic fields, more or less related to education. To list but a few examples, in education there are Dillon [37], Gidley [38,39], Miller [40], Palmer [41], Rolph [42], Zajonc [43], and Colalillo Kates and Harvey's recently edited book on ''soul in education'' [44].…”