The World's First Open Source Think Tank Empowers Ordinary People to
Express and Develop Extraordinary Ideas
(September 9, 2004) - The Wisdom Project
(http://www.wisdomproject.net) combines the free exchange of open
source politics with discussion board and wiki technology to create an
idea development environment unlike any other. As founder Matthew
Ready says, "Every internet forum is a type of think tank where great
ideas are expressed every day." What is unique about the The Wisdom
Project is the sharp focus on identifying the most important issues
and the use of tools to help extract and refine the best nuggets of
wisdom from the open discussions. Ready says, "I think of the project
as a 'wisdom machine'. Just as a cider press extracts apple juice from
raw pulp, our goal is to extract wisdom from free and open dialogue."
The Open Source model inspired the Wisdom Project to operate in
fundamentally different ways than most modern think tanks. Unlike most
think tanks which are classic closed source "invitation only" systems,
The Wisdom Project invites anyone and everyone to enter their forums
and present their arguments and solutions. Members then work together
to evaluate the quality of the commentary and the solutions offered
using a simple system of judging the "wisdom" of individual posts.
Post ratings are then used to identify the most promising solutions
and to calculate a 'wisdom rating' for each active member. Ready says,
"Our tools help us easily identify the best contributions to our
dialogues and the people who most regularly make those contributions."
The system is unique and it encourages accountability. Ready explains,
"Our post rating system discourages the juvenile antics common on most
internet message boards. As a result, we are building a membership
culture of healthy, energized, and creative thought."
One of the ironies of traditional think tanks today is that they often
have little inclination to question their assumptions. As Wikipedia
describes, many think tanks may be "little more than tools for
propaganda." Ready adds, "The purpose of many think tanks is not to
figure out how to solve problems, but rather to figure out how to
promote their ideology. When you are watching Fox News or reading the
New York Times editorials, the arguments and solutions you hear about
are not always the result of individual inspiration. Often, those
ideas are born in privately funded think tanks and force fed to the
public through sympathetic media outlets." The Wisdom Project open
source model guarantees that any and all ideological premises are open
to examination.
We have two fundamental challenges as a society. First we need to find
the best solutions to our greatest problems. Second, we need to all
agree upon those solutions and implement them. The Wisdom Project is
built to help us achieve both these goals. "The most basic tool for
the promotion of wisdom in a society is free speech," says Ready. "I
believe our most profound problems can be solved if we shift our
energy away from ideological warfare and sincerely focus our attention
on building a better world. We need to foster genuine substantive
dialogue. Let's not bombard people through one-way media, rather let's
engage people in quality discussion. Encourage people to think! If
someone believes a national sales tax really is the solution to our
nation's problems-or that gay marriage will lead to the collapse of
civilization, then let's talk about it in a totally open forum. You
foster wisdom and solve problems by encouraging people to think, not
by telling them what to think."
The Wisdom Project is already working on its first official report
from one of its more active think tanks to date: Think Tank USA. The
focus is upon 4 essential national issues: Identifying the most
important problems in the USA, analyzing election 2004, improving
education, and assessing the impact of legalized gay marriage. Ready
expects the content and quality of their reports to rapidly improve as
they continue to enhance their tools and attract more participants to
the forums. He says, "Everything about the project is an open source
work in progress. Anyone who has ideas to how we can do this better is
encouraged to join the effort."
The long term goal of The Wisdom Project is to maintain an active
think tank for every important issue, whether it is regional or
global, spiritual or philosophical. Ready says, "There is no limit to
how these tools can be applied. Every city and town should have a
think tank forum where they can discuss their most burning issues.
Eventually, I believe open source think tanks will pick up where Town
Meetings stop and draw people back into local and national discourse.
Through open dialogue we can build consensus and work together to
solve our greatest problems."
About the Wisdom Project
The Wisdom Project is a website located at
http://www.wisdomproject.net. Founded by philosopher Matthew Ready,
members work to fulfill the true promise of the think tank concept by
using an open source model. The purpose is to foster wisdom and
develop solutions to our most urgent problems. Whether or not that
goal is accomplished is entirely up to you. Anyone interested in
participating in the world's first Open Source Think Tank is
encouraged to visit http://www.wisdomproject.net.
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For information or to schedule an interview please contact Matthew
Ready at or call (360) 477-1447
.
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