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The Seeking a just, inclusive, and sustainable world that works for all
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RENEWING THE AMERICAN EXPERIMENT Renewing the American Experiment is a current project of the PCDForum that addresses the threat to American democracy posed by the rising power of political extremists from the far right. Products of this project include a draft discussion paper and in a plenary address to the 2004 Seattle Thunder. A book with the working title Renewing the Human Experiment is in preparation for 2005 publication. Updates of the draft discussion paper, commentary from colleagues, future talks, and other materials relating to this project will be posted here from time to time. Keynote address, Seattle Thunder, January 24th, 2004. [HTML] [PDF] Abstract: It is time to renew the unfinished American Experiment dedicated to creating a democratic society grounded in principles of liberty, justice, and opportunity for all. The real political divide in America is not between conservatives and liberals, but rather between principled citizens from across the political spectrum who are committed to advancing the goals of the Experiment and power seeking extremists from the political fringe who seek to roll back its gains. Right wing extremists control the political discourse and agenda by controlling the stories by which we answer three questions: "How can we create prosperity?" "How can we make ourselves secure from criminals, terrorists, and rogue nations?" and "How can we find meaning in our daily lives?" To gain a foothold in the discourse, progressives must come up with stories that offer more compelling answers than those of the far right to these questions. See full text in [HTML] [PDF]. The audio is available from Alternative Radio. Closing keynote, 2nd Annual Conference of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, May 23, 2004, Philadelphia. [HTML] Abstract: In 1776 America's founders met in Philadelphia to articulate a vision of the possibility of self-rule by all people and initiated a great social experiment dedicated to its realization. As a nation we have made substantial progress toward realizing that vision through a long and difficult struggle by the people to whom it held out a great promise. As the policies of the current administration remind us, however, much work remains. We meet in this same city of Philadelphia to renew the vision and carry forward the work of economic transformation essential to its realization. The presentation explores what this means for BALLE. A Discussion Paper By David C. Korten. [HTML] [PDF] Feedback and Commentary Abstract: America was born as an experiment dedicated to creating a modern democratic nation based on the democratic ideals of liberty, justice, and opportunity for all. That experiment remains an unfinished project now placed in peril by a small and determined group of elitists who are intent on rolling back more than 200 years of hard won progress toward the realization of these ideals in America and beyond. Their success in gaining the support even of those who bear the disastrous consequences of their program rests in part on their ability to control the national political dialogue by controlling the stories by which we answer three basic questions: "How can we create prosperity?" "How can we make ourselves secure from criminals, terrorists, and rogue nations?" and "How can we find meaning in our daily lives?" These are increasingly serious questions for a great many Americans. The stories that have come to be accepted as conventional wisdom narrow both the question and the related political debate. "How can we create prosperity?" is reduced to “How aggressively will you cut taxes, deregulate the market, and cut government spending on social programs to increase economic growth." "How can we make ourselves secure from criminals, terrorists, and rogue nations?" is reduced to “Will you be an effective military commander in the war against evil?" "How can we find meaning in our daily lives?" is reduced to “How will your faith and your policies set with my jealous and wrathful God?” Progressive politicians thus find themselves unwittingly trapped in a debate framed by the worldview of a small group of extremists who believe in a system of elite rule and pose an increasingly serious threat to the American Experiment in democratic self-governance. This challenge to America’s founding ideals can be countered only by stories that offer better and more inspiring answers to these questions. Progressives face a twofold challenge. We must find new stories that answer the larger questions and learn to communicate them in ways that enlarge and redefine the terms of the debate. See full text in [HTML] [PDF]. Also view Feedback and Commentary. Updated June 2, 2004 |