I realize the boundary constraints imposed by a conference context, but doesn’t something foundational need more explicit attention (maybe it happened in the talk)? Slide #47 shows this best. The hierarchy of objects in that slide does not exist in a vacuum, but rather has an “environmental” or “exogenous” element that critically includes things like economic and political issues. Of course, this is an old idea.

But when we talk about educational reform or transformation, it reflects (even subconsciously) some notion of values. What kind of society do we want,and can we get there from here? I read a particularly dark, but very well-written, article today that forced me think through this question. If you’re interested, it’s Zero Point of Systemic Collapse by Chris Hedges. It isn’t easy reading, but don’t give up on it too early.