Engineering is finding its purpose again

“In order to achieve their potentials, spirituality needs digital technology and digital technology needs spirituality. At an essential level, the two traditions complement each other. Humanity’s survival may depend on interaction between them.”
- H.H. Dalai Lama

This quote is the introduction to a discussion paper on Spiritual Computing by Craig Warren Smith. Craig Warren Smith is a former Harvard (Kennedy School) professor, a founder of the global movement to close the Digital Divide, and for 30 years a Buddhist teacher. In the mid-1990s as a consultant to Bill Gates, he led a strategic planning process that helped Microsoft and its founder find the distinct role of philanthropy in its corporate culture.

Craig Warren Smith spent over a decade researching whether technological developments are either harming or beneficial to the future of mankind. The director of the Spiritual Computing Research Group now argues that several trends – Web 2.0 innovations, neuroscience's interactions with the Dalai Lama, and West's new embrace of premodern wisdom traditions – all combine to bring spiritual principles at the doorstep of the world's technological laboratories.

Can the next generation of technologies advance the spiritual development of individuals and communities?

This discussion paper traces the parallel evolution of digital technology as well as Western Buddhism in the past 35 years and suggests why a productive interchange between leaders of both traditions has become both possible and necessary. At the doorstep of an historic convergence between biology and technology, digital researchers may well turn to Buddhism and then to other spiritual traditions to help them find unifying principles to guide the development of a fundamentally new generation of products and services that could fuel the $500 billion a year information industry.

Source: WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO TODAY? - Buddhism’s role in Bringing Spirituality into the Next Generation of Web Technologies by Craig Warren Smith

According to this discussion paper 83% of US adults consider themselves “spiritual”. Spiritual Computing, once formulated, would meet needs of a growing body of consumers. Examples:

• the next generation of computer games may draw upon spiritual archetypes to provide interactive experiences that simulate spiritual journeys
• gaming as spiritual quest
• online enhancement of Islamic rituals
• locative technologies that use feng shui to create sacred spaces
• biofeedback interfaces that bring mindfulness into cancerous organs
• technological support for 12 step programs that transform addiction into empowerment

And not to forget:
• tomorrow’s online communities may self-organize to allow wisdom, not mere knowledge, to rise to the surface

Nova Spivack’s scheme of the evolving Metaweb (below) illustrates the convergence between digital technology en spirituality clearly. As the web is evolving we can see the ‘human/mind’ aspect evolving parallel to it. In this context Nova Spivack speaks of “Minding the Planet”. 

I used to work at NHTV Imagineering Academy. Imagineering is a new approach to business which takes an experience perspective (rather than a primarily economical or technological perspective) as a focus for innovation. Imagineering, a portmanteau word of imagination and engineering, was sometimes referred to as ‘engineering OF imagination’ but once in a while I also stumbled upon an article that would say ‘engineering FOR imagination’. The words OF and FOR don’t seem to differ that much at first sight, though the difference kept me thinking. While reading the discussion paper on Spiritual Computing I suddenly realised the similarity with Imagineering c.q. Imagination Engineering. They both have an intangible / soft and tangible / hard aspect.

                                     IMAGINATION | ENGINEERING
                                          SPIRITUAL | COMPUTING

What is happening right now is a worldwide convergence of modern technology and ancient spiritual wisdom. We are shifting to a period of engineering FOR imagination, imagination in this case referring to spiritual development of individuals and communities: engineering for psychological emergence.

People are craving satisfaction of their immaterial / psychological needs. Self improvement is a growing focus of consumer identity. People seek psychological self-determination and technology can contribute to this.

Engineering for psychological emergence seems to be in line with the vision Zuboff and Maxmin’s Support Economy as well as with Pine and Gilmore’s vision of the Experience Economy.

May humanity’s survival depend on the engineering of experiences to support psychological / spiritual emergence?

“Beings exchange admiration (rather than money, thoughts or communication)” said Ian Xel Lungold in 'The Mayan Calendar Comes North'. This is i.m.o. the key element what business should be about:
                                  
                                         ADMIRATION EXCHANGE

Admiration
This is the intangible part: providing inspiration to create admirable experiences for individuals and communities.

Exchange
This is the tangible part: Supporting, hosting, servicing etc. the interaction (of admiration) with a platform of channels/media.

NTHV’s Imagineering Academy defines a process for business transformation which contains both elements very clear. It’s great to see how the people behind fresh corporate strategies - such as Imagineering, Conscious Business and Spiritual Computing – are thinking about a sustainable future for mankind.

A broadly accepted definition of engineering is: 'Engineering is the application of science to the needs of humanity.' Engineering used to have a material purpose as the needs of humanity used to be mainly material. Now they are increasingly becoming immaterial. So the purpose of engineering should change alike.

“People have changed more than the business organizations upon which they depend.”
- Zuboff and Maxmin in The Support Economy

Business organizations will have to catch up with the material->immaterial change. Fortunately we can see large corporations opening up and allowing immaterial/intangible aspects to enter their business. Below is Craig Warren Smith speaking @Google. He also spoke at Nokia, Microsoft and Yahoo! Fred Kofmann, author of Conscious Business: How To Build Value Through Values, also spoke @Google by the way.

Spiritual Computing by Craig Warren Smith [56m:51s]

Engineering is finding its purpose again.

Comments

[Mike Janssen]

Wow, once again you have succeeded in finding an extra ordinary insight on transformation. Thanks Tom!