Second Enlightenment

Postmodernization and the Second Enlightenment

By Zhihe Wang, Ph.D, Director, The Institute for Postmodern Development of China
and Director, China Project, Center for Process Studies

During March 4-6,2007, the following "futures dialogue sessions' were held at the Marriott Hotel in Columbia, South Carolina.

Sessions and Facilitators

1) You Are the Economic Developer in a Connected World! - Mark Waterhouse, President, Garnet Consulting Services, Inc. Pleasant Valley, CT. Past President, American Association of Economic Developers.

The groups below are each involved in some type of collaboration with Second Enlightenement efforts.

Dr. Lynn E. Burton
http://www.appliedforesight.org
e-mail: leburton@sfu.ca

Bruce LaDuke
http://www.hyperadvance.com/
e-mail: knowledgemachine@hotmail.com

The Concept of Second Enlightenment Clubs:

a) Nature adapts to change and works to build complexity by connecting networks of small nodes. This same principle undergirds the foundation of the network of Second Enlightenment Clubs that are evolving throughout the US and other countries.

As small groups come together to think and dialogue about community transformation and the concepts of a Second Enlightenment, new ideas and methods appropriate to a constantly changing and increasingly complex society will emerge and spread new capacities like a virus

By Rick Smyre

My first visit to Edinburgh, Scotland in December 1999 was more than enjoyable. It combined my love of history with exposure to wonderful people, and a country that was one of the birthplaces of the ideas on which our US institutions are based. I also had the pleasure of staying with and talking to a Scottish friend and colleague.

The Second Enlightenment is a concept that has emerged from the collaboration of the Center for Communities of the Future and associates throughout the world.

This idea originated from a dialogue in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1999 and has continued to evolve to include the recent Second Enlightenment Conference held in Columbia, SC...where 120 people from throughout the U.S. and three other countries came together to think about emerging issues within a Second Enlightenment context.