The Sophia

σοφια — wisdom

Institutions of any type — charitable, religious, business, government, even non-profit — naturally become corrupt, given sufficient time. That is why there is a need for Sophia throughout the life of all types of institutions.

Sophia means wisdom, from the Greek σοφια. In modern civilization, with its many triumphs in science, rational thought, technology, production and even living standards, the quality of wisdom is missing. Most would agree that promoting a lifestyle that destroys the habitat of the organism is not wise — and is, in fact, foolhardy or suicidal.

Any viable model for the future that earns the name “sustainable” must incorporate wisdom in its decision-making and its execution. Global Genius Trust, in an effort to avoid the mistakes of past destructive development strategies, strives to right the balance by including the voice of wisdom in its projects.

Sophia, like a researcher, a manager or a financier, is a position held by a qualified person in Global Genius Trust projects. What, then, is the job description of Sophia?

Qualities of the Sophia

DiscernmentOf the elements at play in a situation.
Judicious use of powerOf speech, and of action.
ForesightSuch as the Native American consideration of seven generations hence.
Ability to hold the most perspectivesTo understand the viewpoints of different people and their motivations, and to recognise their value in the situation. A detail-oriented perfectionist fits perfectly in accounting, while a dreamy visionary belongs in research and development. Should the two clash in decision-making, Sophia would acknowledge their diverse but relevant contributions and make sure each was placed properly.
Ability to evaluate and synthesiseHolding the “big picture,” ideally within an integral framework.
Awareness of consequences to the natural worldThe Sophia considers the impact of actions on ecosystems and on the planetary system.
Awareness of consequences on the etheric planeSophia considers the impact of actions from an elemental perspective — earth, air, fire, water — as well as from a whole-systems perspective, Gaia as a living being. Decisions can also be viewed from a karmic perspective for an individual, a nation or a region: personal ethics, societal morals.
Skill at conflict resolutionThe integrity of a project starts with harmony in interpersonal dynamics. Conflict among collaborators is inevitable and must be handled in a way that honours each participant and allows them to be authentic. Sophia further endeavours to “uplevel” everyone’s positions, bringing them to a higher vision where fresh solutions become available.
Skill at obtaining consentIn group decision-making, when consensus is elusive, Sophia negotiates and inspires the collaborators to agree to allow the project to move forward. This implies good listening skills and an understanding of psychology, and it values the process of attaining a goal as much as the goal itself.
Intuition and instinct
Responsibility, caring and compassionFor the greater whole.
Ability to train othersIn wise, sustainable practices, so that the model is repeatable and transferable.
Systems intelligenceThe integration of systems thinking and engineering perspectives with human sensitivity, and with the systemic impacts of emotions and intuition, to produce a holistic appreciation of the situation.

Balancing Plato’s “Big Three”

Sophia must be able to answer three questions about any course of action:

Is it true?Science, nature, objective truth, the Buddhist dharma, Kant’s Pure Reason.

Is it good?Morals, culture, justice, the Buddhist sangha, Kant’s Practical Reason.

Is it beautiful?Art, the self, sincerity and truthfulness, the Buddha, Kant’s Aesthetic Judgment.

Holopticism

“From the Greek roots holos (whole) and optikè (see), holopticism means the capacity for an individual to see the whole as a living entity in the collective in which he or she operates. Sports teams and jazz bands operate in a holoptical context because each player perceives the team as a whole and knows what to do… because he or she gets informed by the whole. Actions don’t need to come from a blind chain of command. Individual and collective actions emerge at the crossroads of rules and agreements, players’ roles, individual personalities and styles, and the current configuration on the field. Every individual action modifies the whole, which in return informs the player about what to do next, and so on. An unceasing feedback loop allows for the individual and the collective to communicate with one another.”

Jean-François Noubel

The end result

The ability to take many perspectives and evaluate them according to the needs of the particular situation is a characteristic of integral thinking, and Sophia strives for the integral “big picture.” The Sophia takes as its starting point common sense — what most people would describe as the distinction between right and wrong. Common Law, with its basis in common sense, dictates that there are consequences of causing harm, loss, mischief or deception. Sophia makes participants aware that they are personally responsible for their actions.

Without the voice of Sophia in Global Genius Trust projects, we run the risk of repeating the mistakes — and the pathologies — of enterprises that run strictly on the principles of the bottom line, top-down authoritarianism, objectivism (seeing only “it”/science at the expense of “we”/morals and “I”/art), and egocentrism. The Sophia, with the ability to incorporate many perspectives, salvages the benefits of the old business model — ingenuity, the creation of wealth, the ability to manifest and forge ahead — and balances them against the needs of others and of the environment. We consider the Sophia to be a key to truly sustainable business practice.

Regardless of which spiritual or religious belief you hold, and even if you are an atheist, deep down you know what is wrong and what is right, and you know that there are consequences for doing wrong to others. There is a clear distinction between what is just, honourable, lawful, moral, correct and ethical, and what man’s laws are. Quite often people throughout the world hide behind the screen of human laws and daily do harm to their fellow beings. These actions, sooner rather than later, catch up with you. Throughout the world, in all belief systems, it is well known that there is a final reckoning — call it karma, dharma, judgment in the next incarnation, or whatever you choose.

Sophia is about making you aware that you are personally responsible for your actions towards others, and helping you learn to take responsibility for each and every one of them.

Technology, and the door that does not open twice

The film The Circle (2017) is essential viewing for any Sophia. It depicts how the misuse of a technology can lead to grave problems. It is not about fearing technology; it is about doing our best to prevent its misuse — to put limitations in place, to go slower in some cases, to test more and better. But not to fear it.

“The real problem we must all fear is allowing the creation of a technology that there is no way to back out of.”

If we are not cautious enough, we could end in a dead end — one that truly has no way out. This is what Sophia must prevent.

A worked example: a potentially brewing problem

Our air-taxi system will have millions of cameras. Each aircraft will carry roughly twenty of them, and for a start we plan at least one million air taxis worldwide. These cameras will detect not only every imaginable movement outside the vehicle, but also — through interior cameras and sensors — each passenger’s facial expression and health.

The cameras pointed at the passenger are there to monitor psychological and physical condition, in order to provide an exceptionally pleasant and safe experience. If the camera and health monitor detect stress in a passenger, the AI automatically takes anti-stress measures to help them relax and enjoy the ride, even taking off and landing more slowly. The whole system of cameras and audio monitoring exists to make the experience safer and more enjoyable.

But what if a government suddenly decides to compel another use for those cameras — something close to what is depicted in The Circle? How would you step in and prevent such a use? And at what stage of the project would you do it: very early on, or once the problem has already occurred?

We are already experiencing many projects, technological and otherwise, going or gone wrong. Perhaps the clearest examples of all are governments: there are endless illustrations of how they have done significantly more harm than good. IBM, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook and YouTube, along with an almost endless list of companies that supply weapons to governments, are examples of enterprises that have lost, or are losing, their moral bearings. Groups such as the Rockefellers are yet another. How would Sophia have dealt with these institutions’ use of technologies, had the role existed then?

“The road to hell has often been paved with good intentions.”

A parable

The Monkey and the Fish

A storm had temporarily stranded a monkey on an island. In a secure, protected place on the shore, while waiting for the raging waters to recede, he noticed a fish swimming against the current. It seemed obvious to the monkey that the fish was struggling and needed help. Being of kind heart, the monkey resolved to help the fish.

A tree precariously dangled over the very spot where the fish seemed to be struggling. At considerable risk to himself, the monkey moved far out on a limb, reached down, and snatched the fish from the threatening waters. Immediately scurrying back to the safety of his shelter, he carefully laid the fish on dry ground. For a few moments the fish showed excitement, but soon settled into a peaceful rest. Joy and satisfaction swelled inside the monkey. He had successfully helped another creature.

So often we go in with the best intentions and end up doing more harm than good.

The desire to serve and help others is wonderful, but we have to make sure we are actually helping and not hurting. We have to make sure we are empowering people and not enabling them. We have to make sure we are giving hand-ups and not just handouts.

And the only way to accomplish this is to build relationships. It is only through relationships that we can truly find ways to help people, because it is through relationships that we find out what people really need — and through relationships that we set others up for long-term success, as opposed to setting ourselves up for short-term feelings of accomplishment.

To do things the right way, the monkey has to jump in the water and swim alongside the fish. He has to see life from under the water. He has to let the fish show him the way.

Notes & references

The Toronto Declaration — Access Now and Amnesty International, on protecting equality and non-discrimination in machine-learning systems.
Why science needs philosophy — PNAS, vol. 116 no. 10.
Sofia University and the Transformative Technology Lab.

Cases worth studying

The Circle (2017) — the misuse of a benign-seeming technology.
Downfall: The Case Against Boeing — what happens when the bottom line outranks every other perspective.
The creation of biological weapons.
Software backdoors.
Platform fact-checking and the shaping of public opinion.
Star Trek: Discovery, S04E07 — a dramatised case of exactly the kind of question where a Sophia should step in.