One necessary condition of successfully continuing our existence is the creation of an atmosphere of hope that the huge problems now confronting us can, in fact, be solved—and can be solved in time.

– Margaret Mead

There are now numerous heroic efforts to reverse our civilization’s downward trajectory, and their number is increasing. Among them, the Holotopia initiative stands out by focusing on positive change. It provides not only that “one necessary condition” that Margaret Mead asked for—a feasible approach to dissolve “the huge problems now confronting us”—but by its manner of doing that, also a way to shift our evolutionary course toward a thriving human and societal condition, or as we prefer to call it, toward wholeness.

Importantly, Holotopia also undertakes to ensure that all necessary conditions for our continued existence are in place.

For our pursuit of wholeness to be successful, it too must be whole!

What if we, global change makers, too share our culture’s blind spots or “ontological commitments”—including those insidious ones that lie at the root of our “global problems”? What if there’s a “systemic leverage point”—without which nothing of lasting value can realistically be achieved?

And which, when acted upon, might effortlessly bring about comprehensive improvement?

(What is a systemic leverage point? According to Google’s AI, “A leverage point is a specific, often counterintuitive, location within a complex system—such as an organization, economy, or ecosystem—where a small, targeted action or intervention can produce a significant, lasting, and widespread change. Popularized by Donella Meadows, these points represent ‘points of maximum impact’ rather than just obvious intervention areas.”)

We indeed identified such a leverage point.

We discovered it right here within our own midst!

The Holotopia initiative was conceived and developed within the academy (we use this term to refer to our schools and universities; and define it as “institutionalized academic tradition”). This doesn’t mean that global issues are “academic” problems that can be solved within our academic departments—but that without the academy changing to help us change, we can’t realistically achieve much, and vice versa.

It’s not difficult to see that.

Consider, for instance, the fact that to practice as a plumber or a carpenter, you’ll first need special training. And yet, there’s no special training or information base to support the work of our political leaders and global change makers. Why? Is it because these most demanding tasks don’t necessitate suitable information? Or is there simply no such information?

Of course there is!

Let me give you an example: After giving the opening keynote to the inaugural meeting of The Club of Rome (which “sparked a global conversation that would give birth to modern sustainability thinking”) in Spring 1968, Erich Jantsch immediately recognized what needed to be done and set out to do it.

But who still remembers Erich Jantsch?

Jantsch swiftly coordinated a workshop with a hand-picked team of experts whose task was to create a theoretical foundation for what they called “systemic innovation”. Then, in Spring of 1969, Jantsch spent a semester at MIT writing a proposal for the structure of a “transdisciplinary university”, as he called it, because only the university could spearhead and practice systemic innovation. He also lobbied with the MIT administration and colleagues to spearhead this necessary development and became the first “transdisciplinary university”.

Even without such historical information, if we just give this matter a moment of thought, we’ll readily conclude that an update within the university is crucial.

Universities provide access to information, training, and the freedom from the pressures of earning a living, which the academic tenure offers. Furthermore, the academy holds the unique ability to initiate fundamental and structural changes necessary to alter our evolutionary trajectory. This is because our problems stem from errors in our understanding of language, mind, and reality, as articulated by Benjamin Lee Whorf’s title. These errors have deep historical roots. 

In 1955, Einstein and Russell emphasized the need to “learn to think in a new way” in their “manifesto.” 

The academy is the only institution capable of teaching us how to think.

On the other hand, academic results and insights that challenge societal and cultural norms often go unnoticed and unheeded. A substantial amount of such insights has been generated within isolated disciplines, which is more than enough to overturn the status quo.

However, these insights failed to make a significant impact on public awareness and action.

The Holotopia initiative aims to not only bridge the gap between these two disconnected realms—academy and society—but also to implement the necessary updates to both academic and real-world systems. This will enable information and knowledge to flow in both directions and make the difference they have to make in our current circumstances.

The holotopia strategy is to enable a positive turn of humanity’s fortunes by fostering an informed post-traditional society, or modernity or “democracy”—which will be capable of utilizing the powers it has acquired through science and technology in a meaningful and safe manner. 

We designate this new line of work as transdisciplinary.

The transdisciplinary academy, encompassing transdisciplinary science and transdisciplinary arts, transcends not only the division between disciplines and between the academy and society—but also the very mindset that gave rise to this division.

While the holotopia paradigm prototype, through which the Holotopia initiative implements its strategy, presents a thoroughly and meticulously developed prototype of a transdisciplinary academy—ready for examination, refinement if necessary, and practical implementation—we employ the term “holoscope” to convey its intuitive essence.

By embracing transdisciplinarity, the academy bestows upon society the holoscope—an accurate means of perceiving and thinking.

This holoscope extends beyond mere tools like telescopes and microscopes. Positioned between the academy and society, it not only facilitates the accessibility, utilization, and practical application of academic findings and insights—but it also infuses every fundamental human endeavor with an academic spirit, facilitated by appropriately designed information.

When we gaze through the holoscope, we perceive the holotopia.

We witness the emergence of a novel world order or paradigm within our midst—a paradigm that now demands our attention.

To comprehend the working principle of the holoscope, consider holding a cup in your hand to inspect its condition—whether it’s broken or intact. Clearly, a comprehensive examination from all angles is essential. The projection planes depicted in the above holoscope ideogram, which elucidates this working principle, represent academic disciplines and all other sources of information, including cultural traditions. The essence of the transdisciplinary approach to knowledge lies in selecting themes based on their relevance—and actively seeking and organizing relevant data from all pertinent sources.

As the Holotopia initiative’s academic publication, this blog delves into the technical aspects of the holotopia paradigm prototype. It also functions like a newspaper, sharing with its readers an enticing vision of a remedial new world order emerging.

We repurposed the Holoscope blog by removing the old posts and adding a single post titled “Holotopia’s Ontology”—which challenges the assumptions about fundamental ontological entities—language, mind, and reality—that underpin our world order.

Only by reaching this level of depth can we transform the “huge problems” we perceive into huge opportunities.