Global Sounding
= "a new instrument for measuring our local, national, and planetary health and well-being on 15 basic indicators of evolution".
Description
David Loye (interviewed by Russ Volckman):
"Currently, I have a measure that pulls all this together—the whole evolutionary system, including the science perspective and an understanding of evolution in terms of 15 basic indicators of evolution. I developed an instrument I call the Global Sounding. I explain it in Bankrolling Evolution and in Measuring Evolution, a guide for using it. Once again, within my perspective, it’s action research. This instrument has a way of putting all of this to use. It can be applied to any program, any project, and assist us to reach a decision on whether that program or project will advance us, check us in place, or drive us backward in evolution.
RV: What you’ve done with the Global Sounding is at least come up with some indicators
that we can look at and assess what’s going on in terms of levels of evolution. Can you
give an example of the indicators and what you mean by “self-actualizing?”
David: I take 15 indicators and the science supporting each one of these indicators. I start with
cosmic evolution, chemical evolution and then biological evolution on the natural
scientific level. There’s a transition—the evolution of the brain is the step beyond that.
Then you enter the range of cultural evolution with psychology, sociology, political
science, economics and technology. The great power of this instrument is that I added an
indicator for moral evolution, which to me is critical—spiritual evolution, evolution of
consciousness and evolutionary action at the top. In other words, what is the purpose of
gaining a doctorate or going to school or writing books if you’re not going to put it to use
in trying to make life better? So that’s the orientation."
(http://integral-review.org/issues/vol_4_no_2_volckmann_interview_with_loye.pdf)
Principles
The Global Sounding Moral Code
A translation of the fifteen basic indicators into equivalent tenets for a new Global Ethic
See: Basic Indicators for a New Global Ethic
1
Honor and respect rather than plunder and rape our living environment.
2
Honor and respect Earth as the Mother of us all rather than sell her into slavery.
3
100 years of science tells us Earth can still provide the resources for health for all of us if given a fair and practical human distribution system. Establishing health systems for the many rather than the chosen few is the moral requirement, and must be our goal.
4
100 years of science tells us that a healthy brain and healthy mind depends on adequate food and love in childhood.
Thus nurturing and expanding, rather than starving and blighting, is the moral requirement for the feeding of brain and mind, which must be our goal.
5
Mind is the precious gift of life to be nurtured, enlightened, and celebrated, rather than orphaned at birth and thereafter degraded and exploited.
6
Culture is the most precious gift of evolution, to be cherished and nurtured in the wonder of its diversity, rather than seized, shucked and twisted to serve low ends.
7
Over thousands of years freedom and equality have been and will remain the most precious goals for evolution, rather than just words to be used by power-mad deceivers to sell control and inequality.
8
Three hundred years of capitalism and two hundred years of communism have shown us that a fair, peaceful, and practical distribution of Earth’s bounty requires a balance of public and private governance, rather than the breeding of misery, war, and corruption with a shift in overwhelming power to one or the other.
9
Democracy, rather than the sham of the oligarchy of wealth, the creep by stealth toward fascism, or the prison of any other form of tyranny, is a moral requirement, and must be our goal.
10
Education for all, rather than the fact of good schools for some and bad schools or no schools for all others, is a moral requirement, which must be our goal.
11
Develop technologies to strengthen and expand the voices of caring and reason and the abundance of life, rather than technologies that ever more powerfully threaten to, and indeed then are driven to, launch and kill life
12
Differently stated but the same for all, the message of thousands of studies of progressive science is exactly the same as for thousands of years for progressive religion: Do unto others as ye would have them do unto you—rather than do it unto others before they can do it unto you.
13
Affirm our identity but also our responsibility in tandem with a greater being, a greater reality, or a greater mission, rather than fool yourself by claiming some one and only holy being, idea, or cause for your own low ends.
14
The most precious gift of evolution is consciousness. Love, nurture, and expand it, rather than automatically seek to narrow, blunt, or otherwise slap it into shape and seize the pitiful remnant for your own low ends.
15
For over 100,000 years the choice before our species has been unchanging. Either join those who take action on behalf of the better world, or fall back in shame or ignorance with those willing to sell out to the highest bidder and join the march to extinction."
(http://integral-review.org/documents/Volckmann,%20Loye%20Appendix,%20Vol.%204%20No.%202.pdf)
More information
Books:
- Measuring Evolution: A Leadership Guide to the Health and Wealth of Nations, by David Loye. Benjamin Franklin Press, 2007.