Wisdom Commons

Discussion

Vincenzo Giorgino:

"All economic interactions are a kind of specific set of relationships, belonging to the more general type of social relationships.

In other words, all kinds of economies are based on relational work. From the capitalist economy to that of the commons, no form excludes human interaction and all the components that characterize it: cognitive, emotional and sensorial.

The secularized contemplative knowledge and practices of our traditions of wisdom can inspire actions oriented towards the alleviation of social and economic suffering and to forms of provisioning for oneself and others that sustain the flourishing of life in general.

The secular translation of contemplative knowledge/practices as a commons is a pathway worth of exploration and experimentation ([1]).   Beyond Zelizer’s focus on interaction (only) between actors, I sustain that what happens at individual level – inner/action - is of the utmost importance.

Individuals, even if taken alone, are never isolated atoms, as assumed in mainstream sociology, but living beings who are able to influence the world as such (and, obviously, the other way round).

Said this, in social sciences we should not only concentrate on finding patterns but recognize the chaotic processes beyond their emergence. At the roots of our knowledge there is one’s own personal experience, that is deeply interactional (M. Polanyi). On this epistemological level, the secular contemplative approach contributes to the emerging enactive paradigm in the social sciences. As I do not believe in rigid disciplinary boundaries, I am oriented to a transdisciplinary approach, ie an approach that transcends not only the barriers between academic disciplines but also between academic, professional and the personal knowledge of non-experts.

Pragmatically, we, as sentient beings, can know intellectually that our life is finite, but our awarenesss of it grounds on some existential work we do, systematically or not, during our existence, especially in specific painful situations. This existential work, if based on systematic set of practices usually coming from the traditions of wisdom, is called contemplative work and contributes to the cultivation of life skills (Giorgino and McCown 2018 [2]).

A fully secular perspective is, in my view, a contemporary social need, especially after the remarkable success of the movement of mindfulness, so much so that it has become a respected strand of academic research and an industry that only in the US is worth of $2B annually. A critique to these developments cannot legitimate a deterministic view according to which these and related phenomena, are interpreted as the “commodification of the soul”. In my view, they are reductionist and fail to focus of what matters most. They are the outcomes of the dominance of a divisive thinking in those who wish to transform our society." (email september 2018)

More information

• See also the website wiseandsmartcities.eu/: "it is not updated as it is based on voluntary work, but I hope to be able to relaunch it as a commons shortly".