Comments on: Irrational Exubarence? Or A Great Approach?

By: Rob Hopcott

Rob Hopcott — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 14:48:26 +0000

Negativity can be so subtle. I’ve started to evaluate comments as to whether they are objective, pro or anti. Mostly they are subtly anti.
When I argue for improved public dialogue about rural regeneration in Exmoor and West Somerset, the reply is generally that everybody agrees but nobody wants just another talking shop.
Currently, there are, of course, locally no ‘talking shops’ for public engagement in regeneration policy but this small detail is ignored.
Subtly the naysayers are advancing a justification for not providing systems at all to enable the local general public to talk about and seek new projects for local regeneration.
The worst part of subtle negativity is that the comments can accumulate in our minds, weaken our resolve and then we find ourselves losing faith in our ideas.

By: Sue Talbot

Sue Talbot — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:13:00 +0000

Antonio Gramsci counselled revolutionaries (people who want to change the whole world, though I’m just thinking of social enterprise at this point) to act in a manner that combines ‘optimism of the will, [with] pessimism of the intellect.’ Personally, I’m not against optimism of the intellect either. There seems to be nothing intrinsically naive about that.
As I see it the challenge is to be open to, to seize, the possibilities in a situation and act, whilst retaining our critical faculties and, above all, the capacity for reflective practice: Schon’s reflection in- and on- action. It’s when practice isn’t analysed that people get into a cycle of ‘we’ve tried that and it didn’t work’, or repeat what does work until everybody’s bored sick/the market’s saturated/the wave’s broken, at which point they revert to ‘we’ve tried that and…’ Pessimism overwhelming both intellect and will.
I hear Todd’s frustration at the “British psyche” and the cynicism of “experts”. Often, they are tired, demoralised individuals, not practising reflectively and no longer knowing how to change their behaviour and mind-set, staying with what they know because it seems safer/easier. But people learn by example – keep them coming!

By: mike chitty

mike chitty — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 10:21:45 +0000

The definition of expert in this post seems to be someone who is hemmed in by their own knowledge.
True experts are aware of the limitations of what they know and remain open to other possibilities. However the point is well made. It is often the non-expert who sees a possibility that the supposed experts don’t.