The role of evolutionary learning community in evolutionary development: the unfolding of a line of inquiry

Abstract

AbstractThis paper presents a retrospective synthesis and a prospective exploration of an intact line of inquiry that was inspired by the scholarly work of our mentor Bela H. Banathy. The inquiry centers on the creation of the conditions for the conscious evolution of humanity in partnership with earth. Initially, it focused on the notion of Evolutionary Learning Community (ELC) as the vehicle of choice for the creation of a ‘Design Culture’ that would promote learning, collaboration, innovation, and sustainability across different sectors of society. ELC serves to empower various forms of community to engage in self‐directed sustainable development. It does so by fostering attention to a systemic variety of dimensions that assure wholeness and interconnections at both individual and collective levels of development for present and future generations. Application of the ELC framework in diverse contexts—such as business corporations, non‐profit organizations, and civil society—naturally leads to consideration of the synergy and interrelations that arise in the evolutionary transformations that occur in different settings. Therefore, the inquiry has expanded to embrace issues of Evolutionary Development—that is, inquiry on ELC and other initiatives that support, facilitate, catalyze, and enhance self‐organization for the creation of global sustainable learning societies. This paper articulates the relation between learning and development from a systemic and evolutionary perspective. Conscious evolution is defined and explored in the context of the evolution of education, business, and society. The paper ends with a description of the implications of this line of inquiry for further research and action. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.