Committing to Being Less Wrong
How I respond to skeptics of the Decentralisation Revolution
In a world of fiercely competing political, economic, social and religious ideologies, introducing an entirely new ideology — as my allies and I intend doing with Postcards from 2035, Project 2030 and Celebration Societies — is bound to raise questions of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. Indeed, it already has. Questions like:
Are you left, right or centrist?
Your plan sounds like socialism (or some other ‘ism.’) How is it different?
You have no experience — what makes you think you can make this work? Where are the specific details of your proposed new social contract?
Who do you think you are, claiming to have the answer to humanity’s future? This is just a scam. Why are you wasting people’s time?
Why must this system be global when you haven’t even proved small scale success?
How are you going to get noticed while avoiding efforts to shut you down?
What credibility do you have — why should I show my support?
These are valid questions, which deserve honest and succinct answers. After all, the future of humanity is at stake. However, at this early stage of introducing an entirely new ideology, I believe it is more useful to set the questions aside for a minute to describe my simple paradigm, framework or philosophy:
The Decentralisation Revolution will be infinitely more disruptive than the Industrial Revolution. Understanding and embracing the coming changes requires new mental models and a shift in human consciousness. No-one knows where decentralisation will lead and no-one has all the answers. The answers lie in being open to possibilities and to a commitment of being less wrong.
And so my answer to all the skeptics’ questions is:
I honestly do not know how the Decentralisation Revolution will play out, but play out it will.
No-one can know where civilisation is headed and anyone that claims they know conclusively is a heretic. All that we do know is that, decades from now, either the decentralisation movement will have made an impact, or not. I personally believe it will have the biggest societal impact yet seen in humanity’s brief tenure on this planet. The role I want to play in this unfolding human drama is that of story-teller.
“I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think.” — Socrates
Postcards are merely stories about what the future could be like, designed to inspire critical thought, discussion and even vehement debate. The value lies in the discourse, not in the story itself. I’m not for a minute suggesting I have the truth. Anyone that claims to know the truth is invariably wrong. My suggestion, particularly during a time of great uncertainty, is to follow individuals who propose bold ideas and who then invite criticism. Try to avoid those who only criticise.
“People with bold ideas are highly critical of their own ideas: they try to find whether their ideas are right by trying first to find whether they are not perhaps wrong. They work with bold conjectures and severe attempts at refuting their own conjectures.” — Karl Raimund Popper
It is only by trying to disprove a theory or hypothesis that we make progress.
“Every genuine test of a theory is an attempt to falsify it, or refute it.” — Karl Raimund Popper
It is only through critical analysis that we grow and become incrementally less wrong with time.
“No one is ever a victim of life; we are all volunteering to grow.” ― Shannon L. Alder
And so the position I take is that I am in some degree wrong in all of my writing. The Decentralisation Revolution will require the construction of entirely new mental models, just as the Industrial Revolution triggered new ways of thinking about what it means to be a participant on this planet. Because we’ve never experienced a nexus of critical planetary disaster and exponential technology before, it’s likely that our early mental models will be naive. And that’s perfectly okay, because the models will mature over time.
My intention with Postcards is to help build and refine these early mental models. I know they will be naive, but my constant goal is to be less wrong over time. To achieve this, I try to avoid wishful thinking at all times. In other words, I don’t ignore truth because of what I want to be true. That’s why I solicit critical feedback from friends, family and skeptics. It’s all in the pursuit of better mental models.
When you critique Postcards and Project 2030, I trust you will do so with an understanding and appreciation of what it is I’m trying to do. If you’d like to see questions others are asking, head on over to FAQ’s.
Thanks for reading, and be blessed.
Michael Haupt
Cape Town
October 2017
