Welcome!
We want to make the world a better place: we do this, in part, by talking with, listening to - and potentially working with - people who see the world differently.
We - the people on this site (and, we trust, you) - want to make the world a better place. The question is: how? An important part of the answer is: with help from one another - we can't do this on our own. If we want to make this happen, we will need to learn how to cooperate - really cooperate - with one another.
Right now, the challenges the world faces, but also the possibilities for real change, are greater than they have ever been in our lifetime. So we want to do everything we can to understand the challenges and come up with the best possible responses, to enable us to work together and make the best changes happen.
What the human race does today, and in the next few years - how we live, the choices we make - will shape the world, and decide our future.
We need to understand the practical challenges we face. But we also need to explore ideas and beliefs, hopes and fears, because these are the things which drive our choices and affect the way we live. And we need to explore them with people who do not already agree with us, because we will need to cooperate with as many people as possible if we are going to beat these challenges.
We will not learn enough if we only talk to those who agree with us, and we will not be strong enough if we only cooperate with those we like.
So we want to attract a wide range of people with different ideas and opinions. With a range of differing perspectives, we can test the evidence for our ideas and explore the alternatives, so that we have good reason to believe the actions we take are the best we are capable of. And we always need to be open to the possibility of understanding more, and changing our strategy.
Alongside the challenges, we also want to share some good news about things which give us hope end encouragement: if we are to overcome these challenges, we will need joy and strength just as much as we need clear thinking and accurate information.
We need to act, and interact, as people - with all the benefits and struggles this brings; we cannot pretend to be impersonal dispensors of objective truth.
The problems of this world are caused by people, and they must be solved by people. Facts really matter, but they rarely persuade people to make the changes which are needed: alongside the facts, we need the personal stories. Issues need to be grounded in human experience, so we can relate to the story and be moved emotionally as well as intellectually.
We will aim to be as truthful and honest as possible, but nobody is entirely objective. The best we can do is be open and honest about our preferences and prejudices, do our best to make allowances for them, and be open to other people questioning and challenging our assumptions.
What Next?
Feel free to browse. All the content on the site is available for anyone to read. If you wish to contribute in some way, or simply support our vision of people cooperating despite disagreement, you are very welcome to join us, but please read the material in the Introduction first, to understand how we try to do things and why we have a small monthly membership fee.
This site is currently under development - we are still copying content across from the original site. But there is enough to give you an idea of what we are aiming to build. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
