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More Projects Planned or Desired

Brave New Horizons is primarily engaged in medical and general projects at the present time. However, a range of projects in other fields are of active or potential interest to Brave New Horizons, as time allows. Some examples are listed below, including some text in each case detailing why it is of interest to Brave New Horizons.

Science Reform:

• In a time period where the scientific method has become very much in vogue, there is nonetheless a major hole at the heart of the scientific research community, with devastating secondary consequences on the rest of society and civilization: this has various roots, but a key part of it can be defined as the lack of paradigm analysis. To correct this, paradigm analysis would need to be introduced into scientific practice more widely, incorporating into research models such key procedures as systems analysis, multi-disciplinary integration of fields of knowledge and a general emphasis on perspective in order to fit things into a wider picture, rather than only an ever-narrowing picture. The problem here is that an ever-narrowing field of vision is in pragmatic terms a far easier target for precise scientific study than a more ambitious field of vision: it is easier to study a corner of one leaf than to study a whole forest. Hence large amounts of scientific research have increasingly been conducted down blind alleys where precise scientific answers are discovered to inane or mediocre research questions. It is not that the small details are not sometimes important: rather, that there is an infinitude of such variables and details in nature that research models can devote themselves to, and little thought is given to whether the object of study has any wider paradigmatic significance or not. As Savely Yurkovsky, M.D., has observed, the simple but essential topic of "How To Ask Good Questions" has never been taught as a subject at any major university or school: but should be a core part of any scientist's training curriculum. Therefore, instead of continuing to pursue so many blind alleys, there needs to be a radical shift in scientific research priorities: more daring research questions would lead to more challenging study designs but, at the same time, to far greater and more helpful results. We therefore envisage the need for widespread scientific reform, and specifically through the application of paradigm analysis according to the principles of Brave New Horizons. This single act holds enormous potential to benefit and in fact transform modern society from being a still-superstitious society with a banner that says "science" into a truly scientific society - one that can begin to formulate a more complete and genuine understanding of important topics such as how to practise medicine in a way that is more scientifically well-adapted to the sum of knowledge concerning all aspects of human physiology and how a human being functions in health and disease. Ideally, given time and resources, Brave New Horizons would also like to see a new Research Institute founded with these aims, to initiate new research models incorporating paradigm analysis, and thus begin to set a new example for the wider scientific community, while at the same time working actively to sew seeds of reform in the academic community by introducing new, more scientific ways of conducting research and designing studies .

Yoga & Meditation:

• Collaboration with living family, friends, colleagues and students of the late Shantam Dheeraj - including hundreds of people across five continents - for the creation of a Tibetan Pulsing Yoga Archive of his lifework. This project aims to include production of an introductory book plus live interviews of those who worked closely with him, for future generations to have the resources to more effectively understand, study and put into practice his radical and pioneering contributions to the fields of yoga and meditation. It will incorporate a deeper analysis of the ways in which Shantam Dheeraj applied Paradigm Analysis and Systems Theory to evolve exciting new horizons in these fields for the betterment of human society through more effective methods of meditation and yoga practice, as well as an evolution of Oriental organ meridian energetics and Jungian archetypal psychology. Evidence of the need for Brave New Horizons in the field of yoga and meditation may be shown by the continuing prevalence of wars and aggressive behaviour throughout the world, which may highlight the difficulty which the majority of the world's population still has in achieving and maintaining a life together in which a state of being of tranquillity, goodwill, happiness, fulfilment, awareness and equanimity are the norm instead of the exception. As such, dramatic breakthroughs of paradigm of this nature in making yoga and meditation easier and faster to learn and practise, and in making them deeper and more effective, and more easily accessible to larger numbers of people, are welcomed.

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Agriculture:

• While not being in a position to draw any conclusions as yet, due to devoting most of its time to medical projects, Brave New Horizons maintains an interest (as time allows) in undertaking a future potential study of the parallels between Ecological Medicine and Ecological Agriculture, having observed certain similarities of paradigm in terms of potential solutions to the world's medical problems on the one hand, and the world's agricultural problems on the other. Specifically, a systems-based approach to medicine (viewing the human body as a bio-informational ecosystem, as in Field Control Therapy) may possibly be mirrored agriculturally by a view of the land as a bio-informational ecosystem. This is an idea partly inspired by the work of existing agricultural pioneers that appears promising and has caught our attention, such as Plants for a Future - evolving a system of organic agriculture which emphasizes moving away from mono-crops, and away from the use of toxic herbicides and pesticides, into the creation of 'ecosystem' farms including brand new edible food families, grown in a manner which is claimed to be more productive than current agricultural practices, as well as healthier for the soil and for our nutritional needs. Evidence of the need for Brave New Horizons in this field is shown by the increasing health and ecological effects developing as a result of widespread toxic agricultural practices such as use of neurotoxic herbicides and pesticides, as well as the increasing commercialization of crops, seeds and even genes, putting motives of profit above the motive of seeking to maintain ourselves, our environment, our soil and our food in an optimal, productive, non-toxic and nourishing state. As a result, the evolution of promising new paradigms of agricultural practice which take more of an overview of the whole system in question would be welcomed.

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Environment:

• While not being in a position to draw many conclusions as yet, due to devoting most of its time to medical projects, Brave New Horizons maintains an interest (as time allows) in applying Paradigm Analysis to environmental concerns, in the development of a new Systems-based Bio-Informational Environmental Science. This includes, for example, developing a systems-based, informational perspective on the world's energy crisis, as well as extending our recognition of the over-arching importance of immuno-toxicology in medicine to environmental problems, leading automatically to a greatly increased emphasis on eliminating the use of key toxins such as mercury amd nuclear energy in society - a new paradigm of environmental science in which mercury lightbulbs, for example, could not possibly be labelled 'Green' as alleged Green experts are currently doing. This example in itself provides evidence of the need for Brave New Horizons in this field. The paradigm of environmental science in which highly toxic mercury lightbulbs can be heavily marketed as 'green' - and thus adopted throughout society inside people's households - is clearly an over-specialized faulty paradigm in which certain apparently noble objectives (a desire to slow global warming) take such precedence that anti-environmental toxicological disasters such as introducing mercury into every household are taken on board in spite of a mass of tens of thousands of studies accrued in the field of toxicology which are sufficient to loudly ring any rational person's alarm bells, and taken on board in spite of the inevitable unintended future consequences. For reasons such as these and others, the evolution of alternative paradigms of environmental science which take more of an overview of the whole system in question would therefore be welcomed.

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Vocation & Genius:

• While not being in a position to draw many conclusions as yet, due to devoting most of its time to medical projects, Brave New Horizons maintains an interest (as time allows) in extending and deepening a Study of Genius and Vocation, and specifically in terms of (a) its characteristics; (b) how to recognize work of genius, via systematically studying its classic hallmarks, such as the process of creative innovation and breaking of new horizons in any field; (c) how to support work of genius, for the betterment of society in general; (d) understanding the elements which serve to nourish and/or foster genius; (e) seeking to foster those elements not only in society generally, but also in any person, by finding ways to guide each individual to discovering and evolving his or her own vocational passion(s) in life. This is based on the idea that if more people devoted their time to something they had a natural passion and talent for, then the fruits of genius on which modern civilization is based would multiply a thousandfold and accelerate the movement of society towards a more evolved state. Applying Paradigm Analysis to the field of careers guidance shows that most people spend their time on jobs which they aren't passionate about, don't enjoy and, as a consequence, don't excel in; whereas if they switched to careers they were passionate about, enjoyed and excelled in, it would not only transform their own lives, but contribute collectively to a transformed society. The broader object of Brave New Horizons in this field is to attend to the roots of society's predicaments: namely, not to provide solutions to the world's problems, but to set up strategies to ensure other people are capable of providing those solutions, by fostering vocational passion and genius in society. Evidence of the need for Brave New Horizons in this field can be seen in the fact that genius - and vocational passion and talent - are currently considered very rare instead of being widespread; and also by the observation that in spite of billions of people currently working at daily jobs, the majority of these are not succeeding in resolving any of the world's major problems. Therefore clearly a change of paradigm in careers guidance and support would be welcomed.

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“There is always an easy solution for every human problem – neat, plausible, and wrong.” (H.L.Mencken, 1917)

 “May all sentient beings be free from suffering, and from the causes of suffering.” (Gautama Buddha, c. 500 BC) 

 

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© Copyright 2009 Simon Rees and Kevin Eakins

Disclaimer: The information at this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. The content of this website comprises only the observations and opinions of the authors and contributors: it does not constitute medical advice to readers.