The title of this web site is pronounced "Tikeyformation". "Tychiformation" is a word that was coined recently from the Greek "tychi" for "future", and "forma" for "shape", to mean shaping the future.
Tychiformation is an approach to decision making in public affairs. It proposes to use systematic planning methodologies to plan for the future, and to directly involve the general public in an interactive fashion in this process. In particular, it proposes to involve the public in the identification of priority public issues, and in the systematic planning steps that would address the selected issues. Tychiformation could be applied at a global level.
The aim of this site is to briefly introduce the concept of tychiformation, and to seek feedback regarding interest in its implementation. The reader is kindly requested to review the ideas presented, and to register his/her vote regarding the concept.
Can you think of alternatives to tychiformation / would you care to comment on the concept of tychiformation / contact the author: irifaat@hotmail.com
Click on the following links to read more on the subject:
Definition of an Approach to Decision
Making in Public Affairs:
Tychiformation
Tentative Formulation of the Goals of
Tychiformation
A Potential Program for Strategic
Tychiformation
Where Tychiformation Differs from
Present Democratic Approaches?
Tychiformation Polling Services
TYCHIFORMATION
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Use of Systematic Planning Methodologies to Plan for the Future
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Direct Public Participation in Planning
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Attempting to Plan at a Global Level
The systematic planning methodologies proposed for use in tychiformation are often referred to as 'rational' approaches to problem solving. They usually include the following steps:
· Assessment of conditions / identification of problems / expression of aspirations / formulation of goals
· Conception of alternative schemes to resolve identified problems and to attain defined goals
· Evaluation of alternatives / selection of preferred solutions in democratic fashion
· Implementation of preferred solutions
These steps are commonly applied in numerous fields of human endeavor, such as urban planning. What is novel about tychiformation is that it proposes to widen the scope of application of such steps to address all types of public issues including political and moral issues, to involve the general public directly in as many steps of planning as practicable, and to attempt to plan at a global level.
It is believed that: a) the adoption of the methodologies used in systematic planning disciplines increases the probability of attaining expressed goals, b) direct public participation in decision making processes could lead to more effective integration of people's values in planning for the future than present political systems allow, and thus, might encourage people to accept and adhere to proposed solutions, and d) the application of tychiformation internationally would permit the practice of democracy at a global level.
Recognized systematic planning disciplines usually involve groups of experts working together to address specific problems. Accordingly, it is anticipated that tychiformation would be pursued by groups of experts interacting with the general public or representative samples of it via the electronic media. It would involve the public in as many steps of tychiformation as possible, and in particular, would seek to learn about, and to integrate people's values in the processes of tychiformation.
The magnitude of the activities anticipated to be involved in tychiformation exceeds the capabilities available to this web site at present. Help is sought from existing academic institutions since: a) they would probably comprise the various types of experts who are likely to be involved in tychiformation, and b) due to their independent status. Also, the United Nations could be involved in tychiformation efforts, and new entities could be formed for the purposes of tychiformation.
Tychiformation is not conceived as the solution to all the problems of the world. However, its practice could influence the organization of civic society and future political developments. For example, tychiformation might reveal that each of us regards his survival as a priority issue, i.e. that each of us wishes to continue to live, and does not wish for himself, or any of his loved ones to become the next victim of a terrorist attack, or the subject of 'collateral human damage' in a bombing raid. A great majority might also indicate that they are willing to adopt the adage "do unto others only what you would accept others to do unto you", and most of us may be willing to set the adage as a goal to be attained in human relations. A systematic public debate of issues such as survival and morality might perhaps lead to the adoption of different courses of action in resolving conflicts in the world.
Some may maintain that tychiformation is an impossible proposition to implement. Here, it is suggested that we at least try to plan together for our future and the future of our children. To reduce the complexities that are expected to be involved in tychiformation, it is proposed that tychiformation be approached initially as a controlled experiment or pilot project. It is also proposed that it be pursued with an evolutionary, rather than a revolutionary spirit. Ultimately, the extent of implementation of tychiformation would relate to the extent of general interest in the concept of tychiformation, and on the resources that might be allocated to the effort. Accordingly, tychiformation is intended to be implemented in phases: a) an initial phase to gather general support for the concept of tychiformation, and b) systematic, and structured phases that would address particular issues to be selected through interaction with representative samples of the general public.
The reader is encouraged to consider conditions in the world today, and to decide whether he or she feels that tychiformation is, or is not required? The question is also directed to academic institutions and to the United Nations as to whether they would be interested in initiating and pursuing tychiformation through structured research projects. Some leaders and politicians may wish to espouse the concept of tychiformation and to encourage its implementation.
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About the Author
Ismail Rifaat
The conception of tychiformation relates to: a) my education in architecture and my efforts roughly forty years ago to prepare a doctorate thesis in architecture, and b) my professional practice for over four decades as an architect and urban planner. Thus, tychiformation embodies a synthesis of ideas derived from theoretical research, and insights gained from professional practice. It embodies what I wish to pass to posterity as the essence of my life experience.
Theoretical Research and its Consequences
Work on my doctorate thesis in architecture led to research in philosophy to understand how different people disagree in assessing buildings. It can be empirically established that peoples' assessments regarding particular matters could vary from complete agreement by all, which is very rare when large numbers of people are involved, to various degrees of disagreement among different individuals and factions. Two opposing philosophical positions have been developed to interpret this empirical phenomenon. Some philosophers maintain that assessment is subjective, not objective. The position of this group of philosophers is exemplified in the statement that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". This means that disagreement in the assessment of a given object results from differences in the eyes, or rather, the minds of different beholders. The differences relate to each beholder's unique make up and experience. This type of position has been applied in aesthetics, ethics, and theory of knowledge. Accordingly, it has been maintained that the assessments of beauty and ugliness, right and wrong, and in certain cases even truth and falsehood, are subjective and thus could vary between different individuals. Holders of this type of position are referred to as "relativists". Other philosophers put forth the opposite view of relativism. For example, Plato presented the concept of 'universal forms', which classifies aesthetic and moral values together with mathematical relations, as entities that exist independently of the beholder, and which humans strive to perceive. I have come to refer to this type of position as "absolutism" to highlight its contrast with relativism. The relativist says that there are no objective values in the world out there for people to disagree and quibble about. The 'absolutist' on the other hand maintains that values exist in the world, and that some astute people are able to perceive them; those who do not should be educated in order to be able to perceive these values. The world today appears to hold numerous factions that feel and act adversely towards each other, often due to assuming 'absolutist' attitudes in adhering to their opposing views.
When I started work on my thesis I was a young idealist, I believed in, and sought perfection. One of my main motives in selecting the subject of my thesis was that I thought that I could find out what is right and what is wrong in the field of architecture. This means, in retrospect, that I held platonic views, and was thus by my own definition an 'absolutist'. From this initial attitude, I dug as deep as I could in my research to find solid grounds to build on in my platonic endeavor. Alas, I did not succeed! Instead, my research led me to switch from 'absolutism' to relativism. My main reason for switching is that I did not find any grounds to adhere to 'absolutism', which usually leads the 'absolutist' to think: "I am right, and all those who disagree with me are wrong". Accordingly, my research in philosophy led me to become a relativist.
My belief in relativism had certain consequences on my attitudes in thought, and in practical matters. Generally, I tend to think of my assessments as my opinions, subjective value judgments, and preferences, and to present them as such, rather than present them in the form of assertions about the value of an object or an idea. This is reflected in my use of language. Instead of using the words "good", "bad", and "better", I tend to use "I like", "I dislike", and I "prefer".
My belief in relativism influenced my conception of tychiformation. This is reflected in my suggestion to integrate people's values democratically in the processes of reaching decisions in public affairs. I suggest this, instead of asserting my personal views regarding particular matters in the public domain. The reader will note also that the notion of tychiformation itself is presented as a suggestion for the public to assess and to decide upon.
Professional Experience and its Consequences
My professional work included assignments in architecture and urban planning. I got involved in projects ranging in size from the design of a small house, to the preparation of a strategic plan for the future development of a city with a population of several million people. My experience was not limited to one particular area or country, but involved projects around the world. Over the years however, I became increasingly more involved in the field of urban planning. In the last ten years or so I have been almost exclusively involved in urban planning projects.
Throughout my career, I continued to believe in relativism and tried to remind myself of the relativistic attitudes that I developed as a result of my research in philosophy. When I got involved in an architectural or urban planning assignment, I tried to learn about my clients' values and attempted to fulfill their wishes, rather than impose what I considered to be my subjective preferences. This attitude, I found out to be shared by numerous architects and urban planners. In particular, many urban planners promote public participation in the urban planning process. In fact, some leave their offices, and set up shop among the people that they try to plan for, in order to solicit their direct participation in the planning process.
While many seemed to adopt approaches similar to mine however, others sometimes reflected different attitudes. In particular, I encountered in recent years several 'absolutists' who maintained that assessments in the field of planning are objective, and that their own assessments were correct, irrespective of what others thought or felt. These encounters rekindled my interest in relativism, and led me to develop an urge to express my relativistic views. However, when I considered writing, I thought that expressing philosophical relativism only could lead to a dead end. Furthermore, one is usually expected to derive some conclusions from one's research and practical experience that could be put to use. I decided to try to identify whatever lessons I learned from practice that could be conveyed to others. In doing so I conceived the notion of tychiformation that is presented on this web site.
My aim in presenting tychiformation is to solicit feedback regarding the notion of tychiformation, and hopefully, to engage others subsequently in the pursuit of tychiformation. My main reason for doing this is that, having conceived tychiformation, I can imagine that its pursuit could lead to numerous conditions that I would probably prefer to the conditions that I see the world is in now. In the least, I believe that the involvement of larger numbers of the population in defining and addressing issues of morality and priorities for action may modify politicians' and leaders' actions in respect to many areas that might be collectively defined as 'vital'. In particular, I believe that moral issues tend to be overlooked as politicians, and other individuals pursue action from their respective egocentric positions. Polling the public internationally about morality would at once define 'morality' while encouraging people to commit to their own definitions. In addition, polling the public internationally about priorities for action could lead to the application of democracy at the international level. Such steps could profoundly impact many international issues including the proliferation of terrorism.
I watch programs and hear debate about how the information revolution will affect the ways we live and work. I have also learned about entities that attempt to obtain people's votes via the www. However, I believe that the capabilities of disseminating information and instantaneous interaction that are offered by the new electronic communication media could be put to use with greater impact in the pursuit of tychiformation than any application attempted to date. In particular, tychiformation could provide an opportunity for the direct integration of people's views and values. This opportunity was hardly available in the past. It has now become feasible.
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Insights Gained from Professional Practice in Urban Planning that Led to the Conception of Tychiformation
My practice in urban planning led to: a) reinforcement of an intuitive tendency to plan most activities, b) a tendency to adopt a systematic planning approach in planning, c) a preference to invite those directly affected by planning to participate in the planning process, and d) a preference to resolve conflict through development of consensus in democratic fashion. The steps involved in the systematic planning processes used by urban planners usually include: a) gathering information about the topic or physical area to be addressed, analyzing information to identify existing and potential future problems, expressing aspirations, and formulating goals to be attained regarding the topic or area being addressed, b) preparing alternative scenarios to resolve issues and to attain expressed goals, c) evaluating alternatives and selecting a preferred course of action that most closely meets expressed goals, and d) implementing the selected course of action. Urban planners also attempt to consider issues in wider context. For example, they consider the planning of a neighborhood within the context of the district and the city where the neighborhood is located, and the planning of a city within the context of the larger region where the city exists. Widening contextual considerations could be effected also by increasing the time span for planning, and by addressing a larger number of parameters in planning. Attempting to do so in practice, within the limits of finite available resources, often leads to another conclusion, namely, the adoption of a strategic approach to planning where issues are addressed in order of priority within practical limits.
In recent years, I contemplated wider application of the systematic planning methods and preferred approaches commonly adopted in urban planning practice. Generally, I considered expanding contextual considerations in planning beyond conventional limits, and increasing public participation in planning. I imagined the expansion of contextual considerations in space, time, and number of parameters, or types of issues to be considered in planning. I thought that one could plan at the global level. One could also plan for longer periods than the 20 years span common in city planning. Furthermore, one could consider more issues in planning than is common at present. For example, one could address social relationships such as those between men and women, and the distribution of wealth, through a systematic planning approach; i.e. by identifying problems, expressing hopes, defining goals, etc. One could address matters relating to environmental protection and to the survival of the individual and the human species in similar fashion. In contemplating widening contextual considerations for planning I realized that all the topics and issues that I considered could be addressed through the systematic planning processes that are commonly used in urban planning practice. It was clear to me however, that political and moral questions would be involved in expanding the scope for planning. At the same time, I realized that political and moral issues might be addressed through the pursuit of systematic planning approaches that involve direct public participation.
At some point I realized that applying a planning process in addressing issues such as morality and politics does not fit the conventional meaning of the word "planning". It appeared to me that I was contemplating an attempt to organize or shape the future of civic society through the application of a systematic planning approach. This led me to consult an English-Greek dictionary and to coin "tychiformation" to embody the expanded role for systematic planning that I was contemplating.
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Definition of an Approach to Decision Making in Public Affairs: Tychiformation
"Tychiformation" is defined as an attempt to influence or shape the future of civic society through application of systematic planning processes that involve direct public participation. The systematic planning approaches would adhere to the kinds of steps and techniques that have been described and used by urban planners and by many other types of planners. If interested in this topic click here (under construction). It is suggested that tychiformation be pursued through widening the scope of application of such systematic planning steps and techniques. It would address larger physical areas in space, look further into the future, and consider more parameters than has been customary. It would also involve greater numbers of people directly in the planning process. This would be done within practical limits. The consideration of practicability could lead to the selection of a strategic approach to tychiformation that addresses issues in order of priority, where "priority" is established through polling the public.
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Tentative Formulation of the Goals of Tychiformation
According to the definition of tychiformation, no one person is to be entrusted with its' pursuit on his/her own. Tychiformation, and especially the formulation of its goals, is intended to be a collective endeavor. However, in an effort to clarify how tychiformation would work, I will express what I consider to be the main strategic goals of tychiformarion:
1. Prolong the life of the individual human as long as possible / indefinitely.
2. Secure a habitat for humans for as long as possible / indefinitely.
3. Provide optimum conditions for the happiness of all humans.
These goals, especially the third, may be considered too general and vague. I invite all to participate in the formulation of such goals for tychiformation. Similar goals were contemplated in the past, and may have been partially fulfilled. The pharaohs expended much effort to attain immortality. One can debate the extent of their success in achieving their goal. Now however, with the advent of scientific advances, it is possible to seriously contemplate the feasibility of such goals! Advances in achieving goal #1 would be probably gradual, and eternal life may or may not be attainable! Securing goal #2 may or may not be possible forever. In other words, it may be only possible to delay the death of the individual, and to postpone the extinction of life! Happiness for all may be more elusive to define and achieve!
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A Potential Program for Strategic Tychiformation
I propose one option for strategic tychiformation that would address issues relating to survival and to morality as a matter of priority. Such an approach might hold the greatest promise for agreement among people, and might provide a basis and an impetus for further tychiformation efforts.
Addressing survival as an issue could involve the compilation, by various experts, of a comprehensive list of all known types of threats to the survival of the human species. These threats could be classified at cosmic, galactic, solar system, and planetary scales; such as, respectively: threats from a big cosmic crunch, the milky way collapsing into a black hole, the sun becoming a red giant, bombardment by comets and meteors, and dynamic movement of the earth itself. At the scale of the earth, threats to survival caused by humans could be classified into: a) threats resulting from the action of humans on the environment, and b) threats resulting from the action of humans upon other humans, whether action is intentional or accidental. Internal forces leading to the cessation of life, such as genetic make up and built in aging processes would be documented. Threats from lack of needs for survival such as nourishment would be listed. The threat to the survival of humans from other living entities such as animals, plants, insects, amoebae, microbes, and viruses would be also compiled. Information about each type of threat would be tabulated, including the nature of the threat, the history, present status, and anticipated extent of the threat, and estimates of the resources that have been allocated to addressing the particular threat. Representative samples of the public would then be involved in devising criteria to rate the relative 'gravity' of the tabulated threats. Devising the ranking criteria could relate, for example, to the number of people that are, or would be affected by each type of threat, such as all humans in the case of a large comet. The criteria could also relate to the time when a particular threat might materialize, such as whether it is anticipated to affect people tomorrow, a hundred, a thousand, or a million years from now, and to the availability of technologies to meet each particular threat. The agreed to criteria could then be used in ranking the different types of threats. Other steps could follow in defining top priorities for action, formulating goals, etc., and deciding democratically on the implementation of particular courses for action. I suspect that such an exercise might indicate discrepancies between the relative ranking of gravity assigned to certain threats and the resources allocated to combat them. This could lead to reconsideration of the allocation of resources. Perhaps we would collectively agree to spend more money on medical and environmental research, on space exploration, and on containing and combating threats to our survival, instead of expending large proportions of our resources on developing weapons to kill other humans!
I believe that moral issues would be involved in all considerations for tychiformation, and suggest that an effort addressing morality be pursued in parallel with the efforts addressing survival. Experts in ethics, with the help of psychologists, could devise questionnaires querying people as to "whether they wish that others do unto them what they contemplate doing unto others? ", or, "whether they would tolerate the existence of moral norms that are different from theirs? " Representative samples of the population of the world would be polled about such basic questions and about their goals in their relations with other humans. Such an exercise could lead to the discovery of a common denominator among the various religions and moral codes in the world, and might help in the formulation of ethical codes of behavior that would be universally acceptable. I believe that this approach to defining "morality" could have significant impact, and might lead to restructuring numerous aspects of organized civic society.
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Where Tychiformation Differs from Present Democratic Approaches?
· Tychiformation would not depend on political representation in addressing issues. In the past, it might have been necessary to elect representatives to address issues, since it was not practical to communicate with the general public in an involved and prolonged fashion. The Internet makes communicating with, and involving the public in decision-making more practicable.
· Tychiformation attempts to involve the public in all the steps of planning, such as identifying priority issues to be addressed, formulating goals, evaluating alternative solutions, etc., instead of presenting decisions for a "yes" or "no" vote.
· The above conditions suggest that tychiformation would probably integrate people's values in the decision-making process more effectively than present approaches.
· People of different persuasion could participate in tychiformation internationally, through direct interaction over the Internet. This could lead to the practice of democracy, and the integration of people's ethical values at an international level.
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Tychiformation Polling Services
Tychiformation polling services are being offered to the public on this Website. The polling services presently include the utilization of systematic planning methodologies to plan for the future and to directly involve the general public in an interactive fashion. Polling services provided by Tychiformation Polling Services can involve the public in the identification of priority public issues, and in the systematic planning steps that would address the selected issues. Tychiformation polling services are applicable at a global level.
To use Tychiformation Polling Services please contact: Ismail Rifaat at: irifaat@hotmail.com
Subject to acceptance of a request for Tychiformation polling services at the sole discretion of the owner of Tychiformation Polling Services, Ismail Rifaat, reasonable fees and time schedules will be negotiated. back to top
Useful Directories
Internet Web Directory, the internet's fastest growing directory of the best web sites. Fully searchable and updated regularly.
Following are web sites that express views that I sympathize with. The sites listed may assume assertive stances in presenting views that exceed the posture embodied in tychiformation.
http://www.MajorityVoice.com, local-global electronic democracy.
The-Insight.com - A Spirituality Web Directory.
TAN+N: Teledemocracy Action News + Network; The Web Site of the Global Democracy Movement
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