18th Jun 2024 Gemini 1.5 Pro
Phoebe Tickell, founder of Moral Imaginations, advocates for "rewilding morality." She observes a reluctance within the left and ecological movements to engage with morality, often opting for terms like "sustainability." However, Tickell finds this approach lacking, stating:
"It's like we don't, like sustainability is the, it's addressing the symptom. It's not addressing the root problem. So yeah. This work is all about root problems and root solutions."
Tickell argues that instead of shying away from morality, we should reclaim it, combining it with imagination and creativity to address the root causes of global issues. She sees this "moral imagination" as essential for creating lasting change, moving beyond superficial solutions to tackle the core of what's wrong. This approach emphasizes a deep connection to truth, integrity, and a clear understanding of right and wrong, which Tickell believes are often avoided in mainstream discourse.
Tickell firmly believes that imagination is not an inherent talent possessed by a select few, but rather a muscle inherent to all humans that gets suppressed throughout life.
"And actually, like over the course of life, that gets shut down. It gets shut down in school. Then it gets shut down in kind of university if you go or your first job, your second job. There's just like all of this like colonization of the imagination and blocking."
She argues that our education systems, workplaces, and societal structures often stifle imagination, leading to a lack of creativity in problem-solving. Tickell emphasizes the need to unblock this inherent creativity to unlock solutions to the world's problems, viewing the lack of imagination as a fundamental roadblock to progress.
Tickell criticizes the concept of "systems change" as often being too incremental and sleepy. She instead proposes a more radical approach: "systems abandonment." This concept stems from her belief that many existing systems are fundamentally flawed and beyond repair, advocating for a complete departure from outdated structures.
"It's like, we're all starting to sense more and more so collectively that this has to happen. "
This perspective challenges the notion of simply tweaking existing structures and calls for a complete overhaul rooted in a deep understanding of current realities and a willingness to envision entirely new ways of being and organizing society.
Tickell introduces a framework for "imagination activism," a practice aimed at actively engaging with imagination to drive meaningful change. This framework rests on three core pillars: creating space, granting permission, and fostering practice.
Firstly, creating space involves intentionally carving out time for imagination in a world dominated by urgency and delivery. Tickell encourages organizations to prioritize time for reflection, creativity, and unblocking imagination.
"Like we're trained from such a young age to think that life is about getting the right answer. Our whole examination culture. It's like, where is creativity encouraged there?"
Secondly, granting permission involves cultivating environments where individuals feel safe to express unique ideas without fear of judgment or ridicule. She sees this as essential for breaking free from the conditioning that often stifles authentic expression and limits the potential for truly innovative thought.
Lastly, fostering practice involves providing tools and methodologies to actively engage imagination. This could include exercises like envisioning alternative realities, asking "what if" questions, and engaging with diverse perspectives to challenge existing paradigms and inspire new possibilities.
Tickell's approach to moral imagination emphasizes a deep connection to three key elements: future generations, the more-than-human world, and our ancestors.
"This is about being countercultural, expanding imagination, seeing the world differently, and reorienting as human beings in the system and then making wise action from that place."
She encourages individuals to consider the long-term impacts of decisions on future generations, recognizing our responsibility as ancestors. She also highlights the importance of recognizing the interconnectedness of all life, viewing nature not as a resource to be exploited but as a living intelligence deserving of respect and reverence. Finally, she emphasizes the importance of understanding our ancestral history, acknowledging past harms, and learning from the wisdom of those who came before us. By connecting to these three elements, she believes we can move beyond a solely human-centric worldview and act in service of a larger, interconnected reality.
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