Lietaer, Ulanowicz ans Goerner works.

Follow this links:
http://www.lietaer.com/writings/articles/

I think this is the first time Im hearing of “Pattern Language” and I like it– it sounds like something that has resonance to my own lookings from over the years.

I wanted to share a fun fact that leapt to my mind as I read the above quote (*wondering if Christopher Alexander noted this in any way?):

the etymology of Pattern is Pater, which may bring us to mind of seed/male/”hand of man”/etc.

the etymology of Matrix is Mater, which may bring us to mind of egg/female/”mother earth”/etc.

the interplay of pattern and matrix, of the male and female, of creation and creativity, of nature and culture, seem to run through these notions of pattern language seen above– and indeed, to what Transition has been all about.

looking forward to more

How about re-naming “patterns” and “recipes” ?

Speaking only for myself, I find this move a bit discouraging. Everyone understands what a 12-step program is. Offering “63 patterns for your delectation”, by contrast, seems like it might be uninviting to many, and could even be off-putting to some.

If I need to read a book or three, and learn a new way of thinking, to keep up with the leading Transition edge of Transition thinking and participate fully, I’ll do so. But it’s hard for me to see this as promising for communicating Transition to new audiences, or even for helping most current participants to accomplish more.

I see the core ideas of Transition as being very appealing to a smaller group, and then much of the energy actually coalescing around projects more than ideas in isolation. So perhaps this is a good move (to help advance the core ideas). However, I’d like to see some feedback, especially from the as yet uninvolved, before this is broadly delivered as the new explanation and invitation to Transition.

Sorry to be a wet blanket. I see a lot of enthusiasm around the idea here, but maybe that means it’s the right time to introduce a cautionary note.

Cheers,

Bud

There’s a direct analogy between MEME and the genetic GENE.

I believe this will be a useful tool to develop the new transition model, at least to better visualize its evolution.

There are many information on wiki !!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme

I think there is a great deal of merit in working with pattern languages generally in fostering sustainability. I’ve been developing a “sustainability pattern language” called PatternDynamics™ (PD) for the past 5 or 6 years. I’ve used it in teaching permaculture and as a design tool. I’m in the process of writing a handbook that more fully explains the patterns and how to use them in creating cultures of sustainability. The chart of patterns is available for download from http://www.patterndynamics.com.au Anyone intersted in the theoretical basis of PD, how it was created and how to use it can download an article I’ve had published in the Journal of Integral Theory and Practice called “Developing a Sustainability Pattern Language”. There are substantial references to Alexander’s work there and to Holmgren and Mollison as well. It is available at http://www.sunypress.edu/p-5108-journal-of-integral-theory-and-practice.aspx and can be downloaded as an individual article. Developing a pattern language for the transition movement is an excellent idea and I’m happy to be involved in the conversation.

Best,

Tim

2. A SUSTAINABILITY PATTERN LANGUAGE: Ecotrust and Christopher Alexander created a pattern language for a sustainable economy (now called “reliable prosperity”), presented in depth at http://www.reliableprosperity.net . It gives one vision of that attractor “on the other side” of the endless bridge that we call Transition.

3. USES OF PATTERN LANGUAGES: Part of what I like about this pattern language is that it includes organizations and resources for each pattern, raising the possibility that a pattern language could be used as an organizing tool (where do I fit? who do I depend on and need to collaborate with? who depends on me?) or as a guide for curriculum development (a student would major in a pattern; but understand well the patterns connected to their specialty plus the “whole” modeled by the pattern language). Imagine a pattern language as a portal into WiserEarth.org, for example (I’ve suggested it to Paul Hawken).

4. GROUP PROCESS PATTERN LANGUAGE: For a pattern language on good group process see
http://grouppatternlanguage.org . It is also a good example of an innovative participatory pattern language project, being done on a new form of wiki called Wagn. I see this as related to the Transition pattern language in that participatory community process is central to the unfolding of Transition initiatives.

Coheartedly,
Tom

Amen to this. We’ve been eagerly anticipating your ‘next move’ and this is an A-grade advance that comes at a critical time. You’re right to be concerned with those who hew too close to dogmatic approaches. It’s quite inspiring to see that Transition will not be easily allowed to fall into the category of a ‘check the box’ affair.

Keep fighting.

However, there is a danger you are hijacking Critical Thinking
to support your own ideologies- you say under this section:

“Integrate new insights from holistic science…”

But where is the critical thinking there? Transition does seem to be based around ideological concepts of “Holistic Science” (needs a definition), Deep Ecology, etc which claim to be scientific but subvert scientific methodology by subtly claiming that personal opinions, feelings, intuition etc are equally valid with science, ie “Holistic Science” is holistic because it includes ideologies opposed to science (they claim to be valid though they cannot be tested.)

From Wikipaedia on Holistic Science:

‘Holistic science is controversial. One opposing view is that holistic science is “pseudoscience” because it does not rigorously follow the scientific method despite the use of a scientific-sounding language. Bunge (1983) and Lilienfeld et al. (2003) state that proponents of pseudoscientific claims, especially in organic medicine, alternative medicine, naturopathy and mental health, often resort to the “mantra of holism” to explain negative findings or to immunise their claims against testing. Stenger (1999) states that “holistic healing is associated with the rejection of classical, Newtonian physics. Yet, holistic healing retains many ideas from eighteenth and nineteenth century physics. Its proponents are blissfully unaware that these ideas, especially superluminal holism, have been rejected by modern physics as well”.

Science journalist John Horgan has expressed this view in the book The End of Science 1996. He wrote that a certain pervasive model within holistic science, self-organized criticality, for example, “is not really a theory at all. Like punctuated equilibrium, self-organized criticality is merely a description, one of many, of the random fluctuations, the noise, permeating nature.” By the theorists’ own admissions, he said, such a model “can generate neither specific predictions about nature nor meaningful insights. What good is it, then?” ‘