possibility studies

Every viewpoint is useful and it takes a wide diversity of views for any group to navigate this universe, let alone to act as custodians for it.

Pedagogies of the possible are an educational necessity . Traditional forms of education, focused on standardised goals, uniformity in teaching, and sameness of outcomes, are increasingly recognised as not suitable for the challenges (and impossibilities) of today. Living within uncertain, complex and difficult environments, defined by a fast pace

Information is as abundant and generative and inevitable and possible as energy.

Although imagination is messy and fragmentary, I’ve found many patterns that we can make use of. I highlight that all novel inventions extend, invert or combine existing ideas; imagination is never a tabula rasa. Instead, our minds play with what’s around us, building on already familiar concepts, and we can choose to do this more systematically.

for those whose politics is founded on nostalgia, there is no need for imagination.

What changes the world in the end is the generative ideas, not the detailed blueprints. But the blueprints are useful tools for thinking with—they help to clarify ideas and can show unexpected consequences. Developing them is part of being positively engaged with the world. It’s easy to be against things and easy to be a critic; much harder to

the ‘locus’ of possibility is the relational space of action and interaction between person and world. Imagining possibilities, creating opportunities to enact them, and changing our understanding of what is possible are all interactional achievements.

Throughout my career, I’ve learned that with the right mix of determination, focus and patience, change is possible. World-weary realism often turns out to be extraordinarily unrealistic.