Remember Monty Python’s « The Life Of Brian »? The People’s Front of Judea striving against … the Judean People’s Front … and the Campaign for Free Galilea? At one point, something crucial, indeed vital, seems to dawn on two of them: « Brothers, brothers: We mustn’t fight each other! Surely we should be united against the common enemy! — The Judean People’s Front! — No, no! The Romans! — Oh, yeah, yeah … » In the context of today’s evolutionary-thinking splinter-groups (and lone fighters), « the Romans », that’s no less than the imminent threat that large parts of our planet lose post-WW-II humane achievements; much worse still, that some parts become inhabitable for humans beings althogether.
But if we share evolutionary ideas about how to thwart those grim prospects, why not « simply » unite … surely we’re nothing like those Judean fools? Of course we are. Making friends with those who do not feel and talk like us/me about a closely related concern or ideal is the hardest thing. Worse than atheists are heathens, and worse than heathens are heretics.
Is there a way to make it up? Reading Bruce Alderman’s essay « Integral In-Dwelling » for the first time, years ago, I was thrilled by the lines: « We learn also to dwell among strangers, to be graciously hosted by differences that can be trusted to illumine what is neglected, undeveloped, or differently held in ourselves. » That is it! Put less poetically: The challenge – or impossible dream? – is to bring together all evolutionary aspirations, personal styles, and approaches, learning to listen to one another, to take each other beliefs serious and think our way into them, not indulging in insult, shallow polemics and knockout « arguments ». There is no problem with disagreeing about this or that premise or emphasis, the problems are disrespect and temper, but also self-righteous suspicion and shaming.
This is a cosmopolitan Evolutionaries forum for any personal and social background, any situation in life, any philosophical approach, people from any nation and culture. Of course, English is the only realistic worldwide lingua franca of our age. If people from all around the world, not just the « Anglosphere », want to gather and talk over their still hesitant run-ups for the evolutionary leap of civilization, personhood and worldview we so sorely need, then they only will be able to share these in English. Among the admins, there is a Frenchman, Julien Pujol, and myself, a German teacher and philosopher, and this Transatlantic connection should only be a start for reaching out to other parts of the world.
Oliver Griebel, Stuttgart