As you likely know, one of ZCom’s recently added features is called ZGroups. At ZMI this past summer I (Michael Albert) taught lots of classes, and one was on writing – not the mechanics of word choice, etc. – but getting it done, as in overcoming obstacles, arriving at a result, refining and improving the product, etc.
One of the things I emphasized was the desirability of diverse feedback, not from publishers, who might have an axe to grind, and who have too much power – but from potential readers.
Another emphasized point was that if one wants to actually finish a big project one must stick to it, work at it, forge ahead – every day – no matter what.
Okay, I am going to try to act on my own advice, but in a new way. I am also going to hopefully show that others who wish to write could do likewise, for their own efforts, in a similar way. Here is the idea.
I am going to ask for – and in my case that means I am going to set up – a ZGroup for people interested in helping me with my next book. I will post blogs of my own, periodically, of new drafts of parts of the book as I prepare them. I am hoping people will read those drafts, as unfinished as they will be, and make suggestions and otherwise comment on them – pointing out problems that need fixing, exploring ideas that may provoke additions or deletions, etc. The ZGroup will facilitate by providing a place all the resulting exchanges can accumulate. I assume the material will be mostly comments on the blogs that I post but I guess we will see. Perhaps someone will write a blog of their own, related to the emerging ideas of the book, or its logic, or style, or whatever, and then that would join the mix.
Any ZWriter could obviously follow a similar path concerning a book or other project they are working on. It is easy to ask Z admins to set up a group and we will happily create one for any ZWriter who wants help. Once one exists, collective exchange can occur, edifying all, and contributing improving the product.
i know this isn’t typical procedure. Most writers are quite solitary about their work and might even have a coronary thinking about making early drafts publicly visible and that’s a perfectly reasonable view. On the other side, some ZCom users will think it is incredibly presumptuous to think that anyone will try to help one write a book. That may be accurate too. To my thinking, however, a ZGroup about a book in progress is a good opportunity for people to seriously address important ideas and modes of communication at a time when doing so is not only potentially edifying for all involved, but can also impact the final outcome.
Okay, so what is the ZGroup oriented around the flow of draft contents to be called? How AboutL Help Albert? Then, we can set up similar groups the same way for other writers and even accumulate Helping Writer, groups, if it all works!
And what is this new book, just getting going, to be about?
Well, the easiest way to clarify that is to start the process. Here is a truncated Table of Contents, so far, and a Draft Introduction, as well. The overall goal is to present the insights and methods esential for intelligent empowered participation in a movement for a new society – all in a manner that presupposes no prior left involvement or experiences. Clearly both the content and the style and even words employed, are going to be critical. Drafts of chapters will follow when I can manage to do them. A full draft Table of Contents is already up on ZNet as a blog, as is the Introduction. And along the way, of course comments and reactions, and blogs, if that strikes one as a good idea, will hopefully generate informative exchanges for all involved, and useful advice for me.
Our Future – draft table of contents, summarized
intshayelelo
Part One: The Problem
1. Crazy Patterns
2. Refining Four Views
3. Society and History
4. Imizekelo
5. Participatory Theory
Part Two: The Solution
6. Negativity Won’t Pull You Through
7. Beyond Socialism Is Parecon
8. Self Management Implies Parpolity
9. Via Feminism to Parkinship
10. Through Nationalism To Parculture
11. Sustainability Plus Yields Participatory Ecology
12. Peace With Justice Is Internationalism
13. Vision Sustains and Informs Participatory Revolution
Part Three: Strategy and Program
14. Strategy Is Central
15. Strategic Issues
16. Tactics Are Transient
17. Still More Strategic Issues
18. What Else Can You Show Me? Program!
19. Roads Ahead
Part Four: Conclusions
20. Rebutting Refutations
21. The Maximal Minimalist Logic of Revolution
intshayelelo
Cinga ngeqela lezemidlalo olaziyo, ibhola yomnyazi, ibhola ekhatywayo, ibhola ekhatywayo, iqakamba, okanye nantoni na. Iqela lakho lisijonga njani isicwangciso seminyaka emihlanu sokusuka kumboniso obuthathaka kwasekuqaleni ukuya kwisiphumo esinqwenelekayo kwiminyaka emihlanu ezayo?
Siyazi impendulo ebanzi, nangona ngokweenkcukacha inokuba nzima kakhulu.
Iqela kufuneka liqale liqonde iimeko zalo zangoku. Ngoobani abadlali bayo, luthini uhlahlo lwabiwo-mali, ngawaphi amanye amaqela kunye neempawu zawo? Ngawaphi amandla kunye nobuthathaka babadlali bayo? Ngabaphi abanye abadlali abakhoyo okanye abaza kufumaneka kwaye ingaba nzima kangakanani? Kuthekani ngomgangatho wabasebenzi babaqeqeshi? Kwaye ke, kuthekani ngomlingiswa "webala lokudlala" - uhlobo lomdlalo ngokwawo, ngakumbi naluphi na utshintsho olunokwenzeka kwimigaqo yalo, ishedyuli, njl.? Ngaphezu koko, ekubeni iimeko zinokuzitshintsha ngokwazo okanye ngokhetho nezenzo zomgaqo-nkqubo weminye imibutho nangokhetho lomgaqo-nkqubo kabani kunye nezenzo zakhe, uhlalutyo lweemeko zangoku umntu ajongene nazo kufuneka zihlaziywe njengoko kudlula inyanga nonyaka ngamnye.
Emva koko, iqela kufuneka ligqibe ukuba yintoni na isiphumo esinqwenelekayo kwixesha elizayo. Mhlawumbi iqela lifuna ubuntshatsheli, nokuba lixabisa ntoni na. Okanye mhlawumbi ifuna ukwandisa inzuzo, kungakhathaliseki ukuba iphelela phi na ekumeni. Okanye mhlawumbi ifuna ukusebenzela uluntu okanye uluntu ngokubanzi, okanye ukuqhubela phambili umdlalo ngokwawo, okanye nantoni na eyenye.
Iqela lakho kufuneka lithathe isigqibo malunga nenjongo yalo kuba into eliyifunayo ichaphazela into ekufuneka liyenze ukusuka apho likhoyo - eliyinxalenye yenkqubo yalo yokucinga - ukuya apho lifuna ukugqibezela khona - eliyinxalenye yesibini yenkqubo yalo yokucinga.
Okulandelayo iqela kufuneka liguqulele iingcinga zalo malunga notshintsho oluqhubekayo lwangoku, kunye neengcinga zalo malunga nombono wekamva elinqwenelekayo, kwiseti yemigaqo-nkqubo ephunyeziweyo kunye nezenzo ezikhokelela ukusuka kowokuqala ukuya kowokugqibela kwimeko eguqukayo rhoqo yamanye amaqela azama. ukwenza okufanayo, ukusabela okuguquguqukayo kwabalandeli, kunzima ukuqikelela uqoqosho, njalo njalo.
Ngamafutshane, njengecala lengqondo leprojekthi yeqela, kukho uhlalutyo, kukho umbono, kwaye kukho isicwangciso kunye neprogram. Kukwakho nemidlalo apha endleleni, kunye nohlalutyo, iinjongo, kunye neendlela zoko ngalunye apho umsebenzi omfutshane ufana nje nomsebenzi wexesha elide obhala nje omncinci, nangona uqulunqwe kwaye uphunyezwe njengenxalenye yemizamo yeminyaka emihlanu yonke.
Ngokuqinisekileyo sinokungena kwiinkcukacha ezimangalisayo zomdlalo kunye neqela lakho, kodwa endaweni yoko masiqaphele ukuba ukudala uluntu olutsha ngeendlela ezithile kuyafana nomzekelo wethu wezemidlalo. Ekudaleni uluntu olutsha, njengoko siphumelele kwimidlalo, kufuneka sazi apho siqala khona kwaye siphi na ngalo naliphi na ixesha elibalulekileyo njengoko ixesha lihamba, apho siya khona-injongo yokugqibela esiyifunayo-kwaye ekugqibeleni sithatha amanyathelo esifanele siwenze. thatha ukuqhubeka kwimeko yokutshintsha kweemeko kunye nabachasi abafuna iziphumo ezahluke kakhulu kuluntu kunezo sizithandayo.
Ewe, ukwenza uluntu lubengcono kakhulu ngokuguqula iziseko zalo ezisisiseko kunzima kakhulu kunokuphumelela ubuntshatsheli bezemidlalo. Nangona kunjalo, kukho ubuqili obubalulekileyo malunga nentsingiselo yobo bunzima bongezelelweyo.
Ukutshintsha uluntu kuntsonkothile kakhulu kunokuphumelela ubuntshatsheli bezemidlalo kangangokuba icala lobukrelekrele elineenkcukacha lokutshintsha uluntu ngokwenene lilula ngeendlela ezininzi, nangona intuition kunye nokulinga ngononophelo kunye nokubhetyebhetye kuyadingeka, kukhulu. Oku kudityaniswa kokulula kobukrelekrele kunye nokuntsonkotha okusebenzayo kuchasene ne-intuitive, kodwa ndicinga ukuba yinyani.
Ingcinga, eyathi yagqithiswa kuqala ngesifaniso, yile.
Thatha i-physics, kwelinye icala, kunye nentsimi efana nentlalontle, kwelinye. Phantse wonke umntu unokuthi i-physics inzima kakhulu. Bajonga izicatshulwa kunye neejenali zamacandelo amabini kwaye bathelekise - kwaye, ngokwenene, kukho umahluko omkhulu kwindlela ekunzima ngayo ukufunda. Kwiveki enye okanye ezimbini, ummi oqhelekileyo unokubuza imibuzo ebukhali kwi-sociology - okanye ngosuku okanye ezimbini, kwabo bazithembileyo ngokwaneleyo. Umntu oqhelekileyo unokuyiqonda intetho, okanye isicatshulwa ngokukhawuleza. Ngapha koko, umntu unokude abuze imibuzo ebukhali, kwaye mhlawumbi acebise ngeempendulo ezinokuqonda, kwakhona, ngokukhawuleza. Ngokwahlukileyo, kwifiziksi kuthatha iminyaka ukuya kwinqanaba lokuqonda isicatshulwa okanye isifundo. Ukubuza imibuzo enzima kakhulu ukunika iimpendulo ezivakalayo ukude, kusenzima kakhulu. Ke ngokuqinisekileyo kubonakala ngathi i-physics inzima kakhulu kunesosiology. Yintoni enokucaca ngakumbi?
Noko ke, inyaniso ikukuba okwahlukileyo koko kuyinyaniso. ISociology inomda omkhulu onzima ngakumbi kunefiziksi, kwaye kungenxa yoko le nto imibhalo yesosiyoloji kulula ukuyifunda kwaye ibe nolwazi olufanelekileyo kunemibhalo yefiziksi. Ingongoma ikukuba, i-sociology inzima kakhulu, njengesifundo, kangangokuba siye safeza kancinane ngokwentelekiso siqonda nantoni na emalunga nayo. Ngenxa yoko, sazi kancinci kakhulu, ubuncinci iipateni ezinzulu, kangangokuba kulula kakhulu ukuba nobuchule obufanelekileyo bokujongana nemiba yentlalontle, ukuqonda uqulunqo lwenzululwazi yezentlalo, njl.
Ifiziksi, ngokuchaseneyo, ilula kakhulu, njengesifundo - ewe, ilula - kangangokuba siye sakwazi ukuqokelela inani elikhulu lolwazi oluchanekileyo kunye nethiyori malunga neepateni zayo, kangangokuba siqhelane nenxalenye encinci. kolo lwazi luqokelelweyo, singasathethi ke ngokuludlulisela kwiimbono ezintsha, ngumsebenzi omkhulu. Ewe, ifiziksi yezibalo - kodwa kwakhona, oko kungenxa yokuba lula ngokwaneleyo ukuba sifumane iipateni esinokuzishwankathela kwii-equations - hayi ngenxa yokuba i-physics inzima kakhulu, kodwa ngenxa yokuba ilula kakhulu, ngokwentelekiso.
Kulungile, inceda ntoni?
Ndihlala eNew England, e-US, Massachusetts, ngokwenene. Iqela lebhola ekhatywayo lendawo yiNew England Patriots. Umqeqeshi nguBill Belichek. Incwadi yokudlala yawo nawuphi na umdlalo omnye luluhlu olukhulu lwemiyalelo eneenkcukacha kunye nohlalutyo. Ukwazi yonke imidlalo, iinkcukacha zabo, iindima zomdlali ngamnye kunye nengqiqo ehambelanayo, kunye nokuhlangana kwamandla omdlali kunye nobuthathaka kunye neemfuno zebala kunye nezinto ezinokwenzeka kubandakanya ubuthathaka kunye namandla elinye iqela eliza nawo kumdlalo - singasathethi ke ngokwazi uhlahlo lwabiwo-mali. , amathuba okuthengisa abadlali, impembelelo yesihlwele, iimeko zebala lezemidlalo, njalo njalo - ngumsebenzi we-herculean. Umdlalo ulungele ukuhlalutya, kwaye ucazululwe ngononophelo kwaye ngokucokisekileyo, ukuba kukho ulwazi oluninzi, oluneenkcukacha eziyinkimbinkimbi, olufikelela kubunzulu obukhulu, ukuba umntu kufuneka aqonde ukuchaphazela iipateni ezivela kuhlalutyo lwebhola, umbono. , kunye neqhinga. Ngokwahlukileyo koko, ngenxa yokuba uluntu luntsonkothile kakhulu kunebhola ekhatywayo, akukho ngqokelela enkulu yemibono enzulu ethembekileyo malunga neepateni zayo. Kunzima kakhulu, asazi kangako malunga nangaphakathi kunye nobudlelwane babo. Okumangalisayo kukuba, uhlalutyo, umbono, kunye neqhinga lokutshintsha kwentlalo kubalulekile ukuba ube ngumthathi-nxaxheba onobuchule ufikeleleka ngakumbi ekuqondeni okufike ngexesha kunye nokuthandwayo, into efunekayo ukuze ube nobuchule kwibhola.
Kwaye ke sifika kwinqanaba.
Ukutshintsha uluntu ayisiyofiziksi, okanye njengoko besisitsho kumashumi eminyaka eyadlulayo, ayisiyosayensi yerokhethi, okanye, ukuba uyathanda, ayisiyobhola. Ukutshintsha uluntu kufana nesosiyoloji. Imalunga nobomi bemihla ngemihla kunye namaziko esidibana nawo yonke imihla, kwaye ekubeni ubunzulu bokuqonda komntu wonke bunqongophele, uninzi lolwazi olufunekayo malunga nabantu kunye nobudlelwane bezentlalo ukuqonda kunye nombono kunye nokwenza amaqhinga kunye njengoko abantu benako, sele siqhelene , okanye unokuqhelana ngokulula nayo. Ngaphezu koko, ukuqonda kwethu iintshukumo kunye nokunokwenzeka kwethu kunye namaziko asingqongileyo yeyona nto igqwesileyo ngokubanzi, kangangokuba kwakhona ayithathi iminyaka okanye amashumi eminyaka ukufikelela kwisantya, kubandakanya nolona lwazi lunenyameko olukhoyo.
Ngokuchasene noko, kuyavela ukuba ngaphandle kokusetyenziswa ngononophelo kweembono - kwaye kubhabho ubulumko obusebenzayo akulula kangako, kwaphela - kwaye kucingelwa ukuba iingcali azikwenzi kube mfiliba ngokusebenzisa ulwimi olusesikweni olungafunekiyo, izimvo. kufuneka sibe nezixhobo zethu zengqondo ukuze silungele ukuhlalutya, ukubona, kunye nokwenza izicwangciso zokutshintsha intlalo, ayincinci kodwa kwaye ayikuko kangangokuba ayifikeleleki kubantu abaqhelekileyo abanoxinzelelo oluqhelekileyo lobomi. Ngamafutshane, akufuneki ube yipro yotshintsho lwentlalo ukuze ube krelekrele ngenene malunga notshintsho lwentlalo-nangona kufuneka ube ngumqeqeshi oqeqeshiweyo, ufundiswe iminyaka ngeendlela ezikhethekileyo, okanye phantse, nakanjani na, ukuze ube krelekrele ngenene malunga noku. iklabhu yebhola.
Ngaba oko kuvakala kungenakwenzeka? Mhlawumbi isenjalo. Kwaye ukuba ndongeze ukuba ndicinga ukuba umlandeli webhola ekhatywayo obalulekileyo e-US unemvelaphi yengqikelelo enzulu kunye nohlalutyo lwebhola ekhatywayo kwaye uhlalutya, umbono, kunye nobuchule obunzulu malunga nebhola ekhatywayo kunomndilili womlindi wezopolitiko onemvelaphi yengqikelelo enzulu malunga nokuhlalutya. , ibona, kwaye icwangcisa malunga noluntu, ukuba nayo iya kuvakala njengepoppycock. Ilunge kakhulu. Ubungqina buya kuba kwi-pudding.
Le ncwadi ithetha ukunxibelelana noluhlu lolwazi, ingqiqo, kunye nezixhobo zokucinga ezaneleyo ukuxhobisa nawuphi na umfundi ukuba acinge ngobulumko, acwangcise, kwaye athathe inxaxheba kwiinzame zokudala utshintsho olukhulu lwentlalo. Ibango lam lelokuba ixesha elincinci liya kufuneka ukuze ulungele oko kwinqanaba eliphezulu lokubhabha, nokuba awunamlweli wangaphambili kunye noluntu olutshintsha amava, kunokuba kuya kufuneka ukuba ulungele ukuphatha ubucukubhede bebhola ekhatywayo okanye iqakamba kwinqanaba eliphezulu lokubhabha, kuncinci kakhulu kwifiziksi.
Ngokufutshane, inxalenye yokuqala yeKamva Lethu imalunga neengxaki esijongene nazo kwihlabathi lanamhlanje. Lulungelelaniswe njani uluntu kwaye kutheni lufuna utshintsho? Ziziphi iimpawu zayo eziphambili ezichazayo? Zeziphi iimpawu zethu, njengabemi, njengoko sikhula kwaye sisebenza eluntwini? Iinkalo ezahlukeneyo zoluntu zisichaphazela njani thina, abemi? Thina njengabemi siyichaphazela njani imiba eyahlukeneyo yoluntu? Yintoni imbali - kutheni izinto zitshintsha? Kutheni ezinye izinto zihlala zingatshintshi?
Sakuba sinomfanekiso obanzi wendawo esikuyo kunye nendlela yokucinga ngoluntu njengoko lutshintsha ekuhambeni kwexesha, siya kujonga izinto ezimbalwa zoluntu ezinezifundo ezikhethekileyo ekufuneka sizifundise. Emva koko siya kuqukumbela inxalenye yokuqala ngokuqonda ezinye zeenzuzo kunye nemigibe yethiyori yethu entsha yentlalo.
Icandelo lesibini liphakamisa umbono wethu. Ixoxa ngexabiso lombono ngokubonisa isizathu sokuba siyifune. Ibonelela ngombono obanzi wemiba emithandathu yoluntu – uqoqosho, ipolitiki, ukuzalana, inkcubeko, i-ikholoji, kunye nobudlelwane bamazwe ngamazwe. Kwaye konke oku kuthatyathwe kunye kuba licandelo lesibini lesiseko sethu sokuvavanya kunye nokuzinza kwiintshukumo zotshintsho lwentlalo.
Icandelo lesithathu leKamva Lethu limalunga nesicwangciso kunye nenkqubo kwaye lelona candelo lide kwincwadi. Igubungela imigaqo ebanzi, imixholo evelayo, imizekelo engqalileyo, neemeko ezithile ezisengqiqweni. Kunzima kakhulu ukwenza kakuhle kuba isicwangciso, amaqhinga, kunye nenkqubo, zonke zixhomekeke kwiimeko. Ziyatshintsha njengoko iimeko zitshintsha.
Umsebenzi onohlalutyo kunye nombono ubukhulu becala ukuhambisa uhlalutyo oluthile kunye nombono othile. Ngenxa yokuba uhlalutyo kunye nombono zisoloko zifuna uhlaziyo kunye nokusulungekiswa, enye inxalenye yomsebenzi wohlalutyo / wombono idlulisela ingqiqo malunga nendlela yokuhlalutya kunye nombono malunga nemiba emitsha okanye iimeko ezitshintshileyo njengoko zivela.
Kwiqhinga, nangona kunjalo, asikho isicwangciso esiliqili esinokuthi sibonakale sifanelekile njengesiseko sokwakha. Wonke umsebenzi wobuchule umalunga nendlela yokucinga ngokucwangcisiweyo kwiindawo ezahlukeneyo kwaye njengoko iimeko ziguquka kwaye zityhileka ngokukhawuleza, ngokuphindaphindiweyo ngokumangalisayo, ngoko kufuneka sisabele kwi-fly.
Part four of Our Future, finally, is a conclusion. It outlines some replies advocates of the views in this book might make to people who present doubts about key aspects of the book’s claims. It also presents a succinct way of summarizing the whole message.
As to the style of writing in Our Future, there is an interesting quotation that runs a bit against the writing stylist’s grain – which, however, comes from a great writer, Edgar Allen Poe – that perhaps best explains our hope.
“In important topics it is better to be a good deal prolix than even a very little obscure. But abstruseness is a quality appertaining to no subject per se. All are alike, in facility of comprehension, to him who approaches them by properly graduated steps. It is merely because some stepping stone, here and there, is heedlessly left unsupplied in our road to the Differential Calculus, that this is not altogether as simple a thing as a sonnet by Mr. Solomon Seesaw.”
Akukho Calculus apha. Akukho sonethi nguSolomon Seesaw apha, nokuba. Sizama ukuba mfutshane. Ukuba kufuneka senze isiphoso, sizama ukuqinisekisa ukuba ikwi-prolix kwaye ngokuqinisekileyo ingasithelisi. Ikamva lethu lizama ukwakha ingqikelelo yezitepsi ezikhokelela ekuthatheni inxaxheba kolwazi, okuxhotyisiweyo kutshintsho lwentlalo, kungekho manyathelo angekhoyo. Siyathemba ukuba iya kuba yi-staircase ngokulula ngokwengqondo ukukhwela kunezinye ezininzi ekumele sinqumle kuzo ebomini bethu. Siyathemba ukuba iya kwamkeleka.
I-ZNetwork ixhaswa ngemali kuphela ngesisa sabafundi bayo.
Nikela