Avoiding extinction requires the knowledge of System Scientists
Channel: Shann Turnbull
Date: 2020-08-15

To avoid the loss of bio diversity and the risk of humans becoming extinct, world leaders need to be guided by system scientist like they use health experts to reduce the risk of pandemics. System scientists possess unique knowledge in solving highly complex problems like designing self-governing automobiles. However, complex risks require a requisite variety of bottom-up solutions. This means social scientists have an even more urgent task to intellectually re-direct their research focused on top-down solutions to widely distribute the knowledge of system scientist.
 
Initial text follows:

 Hello System Scientists. My name is Shann Turnbull. I live in Sydney Australia. I would like to start a conversation on an urgent need for System Scientists  to share their unique knowledge on how human extinction risks can be mitigated. System scientists have demonstrated that they know how to design processes for  self-driving automobiles to survive new dynamic complex environments with numerous existential risks. System Scientists understand that regulating complexity is impossible without a requisite variety of bottom-up data feedback channels.  This is how DNA designs humans, to become self-regulating. Self-governing automobiles like our brains have no central controller but a requisite variety of distributed decision-making centres competing for dominance according to internal and external risks and opportunities. This ecological form of governance is radically different from that studied by social scientists. It is why  world leaders urgently require system scientists to advise them  in a similar way they needed medical specialists to guide them in a pandemic.  It is why social scientists and educators have an urgent task to retool their intellectual contributions to quickly distribute this knowledge. This is because implementation needs to occur in the wider community on a comprehensive bottom-up basis as required for a pandemic. Hierarchies create toxic problems as they frustrate, deny and punish human nature that is hard wired to possess dual complementary  ~ contrary behaviour. This is inconsistent with dictatorial authority.  Ecological governance is dependent upon using our dual behaviour so it can be replicated and amplified with requisite variety to control wicked problems. Wicked problems are those that create “the tragedy of the commons”. These arise when one individual or group over exploits life-sustaining resources to deny them for everyone.  A wicked problem has now arisen for the first time in history at a global level.  According to Lord Stern, a former World Bank Chief Economist, “climate change is the greatest market failure the world has even seen”. Market failure arose because the costs of burning carbon did not recognise the cost of its pollution.  This means the risk of human extinction has arisen from the dependence of modern society on markets and hierarchy.  The existence of self-regulating and self-governing living things proves that neither markets or hierarchies are required. It also explains why the special knowledge of system scientists is critical. The 2009 Nobel Prize in economics recognised that neither markets nor hierarchies are required to overcome wicked problems. Lyn Ostrom was recognised for providing evidence on how even in pre-modern societies, the tragedy of the commons was avoided.  Ostrom was not an economist but a political scientist. She described the solution in the language of her discipline as being based on the formation of “polycentric republics”.In the 1970’s I authored the constitutions for two national Australian non-profit organisations that created self-governing “polycentric republics”.  As a director of The Company Directors Association of Australia I rewrote its constitution to create self-governing State Chapters to motivate local initiatives. This provided bottom up incentives to grow its membership. In1990 it became the Australian Institute of Company Directors.  This now has 45,000 members making it the largest organisation of its kind in the world. As the honorary CEO of the Australian controlling body for skiing, I incorporated the organisation. This process federated its self-governing State bodies that in turn had federated their constituent self-governing clubs.  The State bodies like the national body become self-governing units or “Holons” of the International controlling body for skiing that in turn is a self-governing component of the self-governing Olympic organisation. This hierarchy of Holons creates what system scientists describe as a “Holarchy”.  Holarchies are radically different from Hierarchies as outlined by Dee Hock who designed the ecologically governed VISA Corporation. Avoiding the risk of human extinction will  depend upon our ability to establish global polycentric networks of holarchies to protect and nurture the global commons.  There are many other examples of polycentric republics...