Frequently Asked Questions

What is syntony?
Why is syntony important?
What does your logo mean?
What do you mean by evolution?
What is a sustainable and evolutionary future?
How do you define community?
What is evolutionary learning?
What is Evolutionary Learning Community?
What do you mean by design?
What is sustainable development?

What is syntony?

The dictionary defines syntony as "in radio, resonance," while ‘to syntonyze’ is "to tune or harmonize with each other."

In the context of our mission, syntony is a creative aligning and tuning with the evolutionary processes of which we are a part. It involves listening to the rhythms of change and learning how to play our own melody in harmony with the larger evolutionary piece. It is finding and creating meaning and evolutionary consonance, both individually and collectively. Syntony is the embodiment and manifestation of conscious evolution.

Why is syntony important?

Syntony Quest is based on the conviction that the most important survival challenge of our species is to learn consciously to tune in to and harmonize with the general evolutionary forces that shape us as we shape them. As Erich Jantsch puts it, "we shall have to learn now to design systems of syntony" [1].

Jantsch considers syntony as "inquiry at the evolutionary level par excellence" [2]. He describes this inquiry as the process of cultural organization which "may be helped in an evolutionary sense by furthering cultural differentiation, a pluralism of as many ideas, life styles, and world views as possible. The invention and introduction of new forms of cultural organization ought to become increasingly a matter of conscious design."

Current world events call us to think creatively, to appreciate diversity, to look for constructive alternatives to war, to live a conscious and responsible life. But to inhabit these new ways of being and becoming is not an easy task. Our work is about fostering these abilities in individuals and groups committed to create a better world. Through lifelong learning, community development, and ecosystemic design, we seek to empower those interested in transcending the myopia of current mindsets and engaging in a more sustainable way of living.

The work of Syntony Quest is needed — now more than ever.

[1] Jantsch, Eric (1975). Design for Evolution: Self-organization and planning in the life of human systems. New York: George Braziller, p. 370.
[2] Ibid., p. 103.

What does your logo mean?

Syntony Quest’s logo captures the creative tension between the global negative tendencies (e.g., ecological degradation and increases in human conflicts) and the wonderful possibilities ahead of us. It also highlights the fact that this might be the first time in our evolutionary history that we have the opportunity consciously to shape our future.

The Challenge:

The bottom part of the logo represents the entropic forces at work — it is a black whole, spinning out of control, and it is difficult to break free the vicious cycle. This image communicates that:

Our societies are increasingly complex and uncertain.
... Humankind is in transition.
Our ways of thinking and doing separate us from each other and nature.
... Humankind is off balance.
Our social worlds are overflowing with superficiality.
... Humankind is searching for meaning.
Our current civilizational trajectory is unsustainable and potentially catastrophic.
... Humankind is destroying the world.
Our challenge for planetary survival cannot be met with short term vision.
... Humankind faces extinction.

The Opportunity:

Without denying the dangers that we face, we believe a sustainable and evolutionary future is within human grasp. The upper part of the logo depicts "flowing balance." The yellow, blue, and green colors evoke nature (sun, water, forest) — it symbolizes our planet Earth in dynamic harmony. The syntony quest is the process and the conscious task of transcending — or leaping out of — current limiting mindsets and creating new ways of being and becoming. This image communicates that:

Our species is on the verge of planetary consciousness.
... Humankind is transcending.
Our evolutionary potential increases with our unity in diversity.
... Humankind is differentiating and integrating.
Our understanding of complexity bolsters our change ability.
... Humankind is becoming responsAble.
Our values are shifting toward a partnership with Earth.
... Humankind is becoming a steward of evolution.
Our attitudes toward the future are becoming proactive.
... Humankind is learning syntony.

What do you mean by evolution?

Evolution, as we use it, refers to a cosmic process specified by a fundamental universal flow toward increasing complexity that manifests itself through events and sequences of events that are not limited to the domain of biological phenomenon but extend to include all aspects of change in open dynamic systems with a throughput of information and energy. In other words, evolution relates to the formation of stars from atoms, of Homo sapiens from the anthropoid apes, as much as to the formation of complex societies from rudimentary social systems.

This post-Darwinian understanding of evolution is derived from the most recent scientific research on general evolution theory and is grounded in the emerging paradigm of the sciences of complexity (drawing on such areas as general system theory, chaos theory, cybernetics, systems dynamics, and nonequilibrium thermodynamics).

What is a sustainable and evolutionary future?

When we think of the kind of future that all of us could to bequeath to future generations in good conscience, we might imagine a future where the human family finally found ways to live in harmony on this planet and are consciously and ethically engaged in the most fascinating explorations of our human potential. This is the vision of what we call a "sustainable and evolutionary future." Sustainability and evolution are two closely related and complementary processes. Sustainability relates more to the human role of maintaining the viability of the biosphere since, without it, there cannot be healthy life and, thus, healthy societies. Evolution relates more to the process of unfolding into new ways of organization that allow for a fuller expression of the creative potential of the cosmos. Combined, these two features can serve as powerful attractors for the ethical co-creation of desirable futures.

How do you define community?

Community is a group of two or more individuals with a shared identity and a common purpose committed to the joint creation of meaning. A sense of healthy and authentic community is an essential departing point for the learning and design journey that the Syntony Quest entails.

What is evolutionary learning?

Evolutionary learning is a lifelong process that a) challenges the learner’s perspective and facilitates the expansion of his/her worldview; b) promotes human fulfillment; c) enables the learner to cope with uncertainty and complexity; and d) empowers the learner to creatively shape change and design the future.

What is Evolutionary Learning Community (ELC)?

A healthy and authentic community that engages in the process of evolutionary learning gives rise to a type of community that can be called Evoltionary Learning Community. ELC embodies sustainable pathways for evolutionary development in synergistic interaction with one’s milieu, through collaborative processes of dialogue, learning, design and action. ELCs, themselves, do not adapt their environment to their needs, nor do they simply adapt to their environment. Rather, they adapt with their environment in a dynamic of mutually sustaining evolutionary co-creation.

ELC is an ideal image of a learning system that has been devised by Syntony Quest to guide and support the unique development of diverse communities: from corporations to nonprofits, from families to neighborhoods, from schools to groups of lifelong learners, all can seek to embody the spirit of ELC.

What do you mean by design?

Design, from an evolutionary perspective, is a systemic and participatory approach that can be compared to gardening -- that is, it involves creating the right conditions for cultivating healthy ecosystems. In this sense, it is like making sure there is fertile ground, enough light, appropriate humidity, and a healthy balance among all those who populate an ecosystem (indluding us human beings!). Design, in the work of Syntony Quest, is not at all "social engineering" and is just as far removed from controlling and deterministic approaches as is natural gardening.

More technically, we call our form of design Evolutionary Systems Design – or Ecosystemic Design – which is a future-creating approach to co-create social systems that are in syntony with the natural world and are considerate of the quality of life entitlement of future generations. Ecosystemic Design combines theory, methodology, and philosophy into a practical interactive approach to creating the worlds in which we work, play, and learn. The specific areas upon which it is based are general evolution theory, social systems design methodology, and lifelong learning philosophy.

What is sustainable development?

A process of development (either individual or societal) can be said to be sustainable if it involves an adaptive strategy that ensures the evolutionary maintenance of an increasingly robust and supportive environment. Sustainable development strategies that seek to do so set objectives that identify the opportinities for increasing the dynamic stability and self-sufficiency of an individual, a group, or a society. In his book Envisioning a Sustainable Society: Learning our way out, Lester Milbrath (1989) suggests that sustainable development should involve: ensuring ecosystem viability; sustaining our food supply; creating occupations that are fulfilling; enjoying life without material indulgence; developing ethical science and technology; recognizing and avoiding the detrimental effects of enticing technologies; designing a governance structure dedicated to help a society learn how to become sustainable; defending a sustainable society against aggressors; and transcending the divisions in the world to protect the global commons. In the long run, there is only one type of sustainble development: continuous self-development.

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