Pointing to Paradox

So, what is collective wisdom - the subject of our conference? I would like to name just a few traits.

1. With collective wisdom it’s about something apparently paradoxical.
Summed up, collective wisdom can be described this way: “Together we know more.” If an issue important to all of us exercises the effect of an “attractor” and gathers the group around it, a third thing, something new, can take shape in our midst which is more than the sum of all the individuals, and which creates a special connection among us.

AND: While the individual steps back a bit and becomes part of the larger commonality, he or she simultaneously lights up in his or her own individual uniqueness, irreplaceability, and specialness. The conscious experience of collective wisdom and the conscious experience then of unmistakably becoming ourselves, are one process and one movement.

From this consciousness, this “together-knowing” – coming from the Latin roots “con” = together, and “scire” = to know, giving us the Latin conscientia and the English derivative conscience – out of this “consciousness from together-knowing,” new solutions actually become possible in all spheres of life, from the family domain to politics - solutions which at first seemed inconceivable to us. (By the way: We may also be trying to develop collective wisdom even when we’re alone, when we talk to ourselves - we’re attempting to speak with another self in order to know more together!)

Example: A number of years ago a mountain climbing guide told me about a survival training trip he had made with a group of 20 in Canada. A woman in the group suddenly began running a high fever and had tremendous pain in her lower abdomen. There was no doctor in the group, and the next telephone station was at least 12 hours away by foot. Under these circumstances, the guide asked each person in the group to write down the following two things on a slip of paper: first, the probable diagnosis and the seriousness of the situation; and secondly, what should be done. The paper slips were then read out loud, and each point was voted on by the group until the result became clear. Probable diagnosis: acute appendicitis with immediate threat to life. What had to be done was: setting a fire in the forest near a clearing, and laying out an “S.O.S” sign with the participants’ colored jackets – both measures to attract the attention of pilots in planes flying overhead so that they could then pass on the call for help. The woman was on the operating table within six hours and her life was just able to be saved. The mountain guide’s comment: I never would have come up with these ideas alone!   

[Seeds for Reflection] Albrecht points to a paradox that in knowing more together we bring our attention to something beyond ourselves (“the third thing”) yet we become more fully who we are as individuals.  How might this be a foundational concept in the field of collective wisdom?  Are there stories or illustrations of this paradox in your own experience? Please add your thoughts and comments below:

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Comments

[Henry Guy]

It is interesting that this "knowing more together" is never experienced as new or different than our true nature. It always seems more essentially and naturally who we are. In this state, individuality is not present as we normally experience it. Individuality becomes simply a point of radiation of wisdom. Yet, each point uniquely colors the output.

[Cynthia Cavalli]

There is a book that came out in 2004 called The Wisdom of Crowds that might be of particular interest in this conversation.

It is not a spiritual book as such but it does raise some points relevant to this conversation and very worth considering, along the lines of collective wisdom.

It appears that, under certain specific conditions, a group of people will collectively and consistently (and demonstrably) display greater knowing capability than even "expert" individuals in the group.

One required condition for this to occur in a group is diversity. Another is independence (as opposed to redundance)- in other words, the individuals in the group must act individually, rather than conferring together.

Worth a look!

[David Star]

When I am meditating on a subject- I get the distinct feeling that I am in some way connecting to other people who are also focusing on that same subject. I also (afterward) feel like I am somehow more clear in my thinking as an individual.