Circular No. 1
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Tagore - Einstein Foundation
A 12, ParyaVaran Complex
New Delhi - 110 030
Berlin-Chapter: e-mail: tagoreeinstein@aol.com

A Propos e.V.
Sterndamm 11, 12487 Berlin
Telefon: 030-6229028 Fax: 030-6229029
e-mail: APROPOSeV@aol.com

CONCEPT

Globalization of information and technology together are creating great challenges of adaptability for societies, regions, governments, enterprises, individuals alike. Societal transformations are taking place along with rapid economic and technological reconstruction and change, but at a lower speed. Labour markets, educational systems and systems of social security remain structured by and large in the same manner as three decades ago, while economy and technology have changed rapidly beyond recognition. New concepts and orientations of societal development in the North and in the South are overdue. Solutions for the most pressing questions determining the global crisis, like destruction of environment, mass poverty, militant conflicts, unabated arms race including nuclearisation, social, political disintegration and marginalisation of whole regions etc. have to be found.

Radical changes and rapid transformation processes are often perceived as threatening, even in countries which are beneficiaries of globalization. A growing feeling of uncertainty and insecurity is often leading to retreat into the private sphere, a phenomenon especially true for the young generation. The growing tendency to answer complex questions with simple and pre-fabricated answers easy at hand. Under the pretext of mass unemployment, growing social conflicts and unrest also in the "rich countries of the West" the challenge to the members of the affluent societies to contribute to international social compensation is often interpreted as an unreasonable demand.

The shaping of globalization and the solution of global problems in the process of holistic and global learning is urgently required. These tasks can only be mastered successfully if knowledge and learning-potentials as well as innovative social resources of individuals and societies can be mobilised and universally used to understand the increasingly more complex phenomena and processes of globalization. The acquisition and development of such skills and competence are required to take up the challenges of our time. Anyhow, there is more than one strategy necessary and more than one approach possible for the understanding the world we are living in.

Knowledgeable understanding and permanent learning are required for realisation of the complexity of global issues. Specific forms of behaviour and action are needed for shaping the world. Commonly acknowledged values based on shared human experience and history have to form the fundament for the future of mankind. Here rests the responsibility and creative power of scholars making the degree and the consequences of these complexities more transparent and giving support for active participation of people in these formative processes.

Since the variety of the permanent change in global interaction appears to be chaotic and anarchic even those theories of development regarded as helpful in the past are shaken. Old ideological and geographical frontiers have become obsolete and developments are often so complex, at least on the global level, that they appear as hardly to be planned, checked or influenced. This led to some sort of helplessness and initiated a multitude of reactions of repression: from powerless indifference and apathy to blind continuation in to usual way, only legitimised by occasional actionism.

We do identify ourselves quiet natural only with something which is near and familiar to us. Cultural identity, therefore, is gaining growing importance in a world which is more and more confused regarding apparent dangers of the Huntingtonian "Clashes of civilisation". Insecurity with reference to suitable ways of cognition is deeply influenced by the conditional relationship between perception, knowledge and responsible action for inevitable structural adjustments which have changed tremendously in the process of globalistation.

It is one of the most important intellectual and emotional task of our time to develop skills to perceive current phenomena in their global and holistic correlation. This will be only possible by processes of learning which connect perception, feeling, thinking, judging and acting with each other, strengthened identity as part of a "world view" at the same time and leading to the preparedness to bring into accord local activity with global requirements.

With regard to the entirety and diversity of knowledge we have to find ways to make the complexity of our world more transparent, to understand and tackle uncertainty and to deal with irreconcilable conflicts and antagonistic contradictions in an adequate manner. Therefore, it is necessary to counteract myopia, thinking and behaviour of dominance, to question stereotypes, images of us and the so-called "other". The meaning of global variety cannot be realised adequately by reconnaissance of reality in the immediate vicinity. Therefore, it is also the task of Tagore-Einstein Foundation to contribute to the open access to the cultural, social and political creativity of people in other regions of the world.

The holistic concepts of Tagore and Einstein with regard to global learning and knowledge management are based on the presumption that man is the subject of action and its own learning process. What is necessary to understand are the value backgrounds and motives, a new kind of openness for different conducts, optional thinking and action, a multitude of choices for solving conflicts from a perspective of self-determined position of the individual in a changing world, to the realisation of the unity and of overcoming limited horizons, strengthening changed identities and responsibility to influence global developments by local action and to develop a "view of the world".
"Imagination is more important than knowledge; knowledge is limited, imagination encircles the world'. "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift."

These words by Albert Einstein describe the power of ideas. With the beginning of the new millennium, new information and communication technologies provide new opportunities for knowledge and information to be accessed globally. Societies, private corporations and individuals do increasingly have at their disposal the best of what is known about any subject, the best answer to any challenge they face in improving their lives. But will this "global store of knowledge" become a true possibility, open for all? The effective use and management of knowledge and information will heavily rely on technology, along with the finance to provide the infrastructure for positive application. Being in the midst of fundamental transformation with global dimensions we are facing an unprecedented speed of knowledge creation and access to this knowledge by more and more people, anywhere and instant.

The emerging knowledge management can also be regarded as an economy in which the generation and exploitation of knowledge will to play a predominant part in the creation of wealth. Not only will knowledge become a major factor of production, but the knowledge industry itself will most likely be the fastest growing sector of the economy. The ability to exploit knowledge can be seen as a major source for the creation of a competitive advantage for the global corporate sector.

The physical location of an enterprise becomes more and more irrelevant. The market and the speed of innovation are already determinants of success. Fears are voiced that this is going to create a totally new set of comparative advantages. Question is whether the one who is adapting this strategy fastest and turning into an environmentally more sustainable service sector, bypassing the industrial stage and that the new adage is coming true: 'Not the large will eat the small, but the fast will eat the slow'.

How could a balance be kept and by which kind of institutions? This question highlights the fact that knowledge is valuable and can create value. Thus, it is getting protected. What are the best mechanisms to protect the rights of the 'knowledge creator', while assuring the widest possible free flow of knowledge? The debate on patents and intellectual property rights are highlighting the whole complex of questions and are of great importance especially in the developing countries. Same is true for 'protected' political and societal knowledge and information. What about democratic information and media policies? The field of genetic engineering is directly touching upon very basic ethical questions.

Knowledge, as the saying goes, is equivalent to power. Today, this is meaning not only political but also economic power. The fundamental dilemma in the political debates circles around the "ownership of knowledge", therefore, is: while knowledge is costly to produce, its re-production and digital distribution is almost free of charge.
In all cultures knowledge is often compared with light: weightless and not tangible, it is qualifying every human interaction and is present in every transaction. Once discovered, it is a common good for humanity. It is pervading the world and is influencing human live everywhere. Nevertheless, millions are still forced to live in ignorance and poverty. The desire and the quest for knowledge as well as the access to universal knowledge is not only a question of distribution of this value. Aimed at solutions to distribute knowledge and information efficiently and fair for the progress of a society in its economic, political and cultural dimensions is a challenge for us to question old and classic concepts.

Being aware that there are no simple, definite and common concepts so far, we would like to invite you to discuss the following issues with regard to the tremendous differences in acquiring knowledge within countries but also between them, but also with regard to the capability in creating and managing knowledge, institutional capacities to bring in knowledge from outside and to adopt it to the conditions of the own society.

THEME COMPLEXES

1. Viability of knowledge:
   Which kind of knowledge is viable under the conditions of increasing globalisation? The problem may be studied in quantitative terms as to what number and what kind of access to specific scientific and societal information is possible to make the average knowledge level of the individual "viable" for the society. At the same time it might be more "viable" to enable the individual to deal with the methodology of gaining the kind of information viable for her or him. Yet another subject consists of the question of knowledge relationship between the society and the individual: the conflict between the right to know and the ability of getting to know.
   
2. Sustainability of knowledge:
   This reflects basically the relationship between values and ethics, tradition and modernity. In today's world values and ethics appear to change very fast. However, values and traditions of mankind contain globally important, lasting experiences as well as specific and regionally unique elements worth to be taken into the future. One sad feature is for example the global deterioration of craftsmanship due to the fact, that manual labour costs have exploded manifold. Thus, traditional forms of production and age old crafts disappear gradually from the map global human knowledge.
   
3. Approaches to learning:
   Global learning and global knowledge management. The right to know is still too often subdued to the inability to learn, either by social, religious or ideological fundamentalism or, more simple, due to missing means. The issues here involve the responsibility of the society for a basic supply of knowledge to it's constituents, both in terms of state responsibility as well as individual ability as part of functioning civil society.
   
4. Future of learning:
   Broadening horizons towards a world culture of global learning and global knowledge management should be the main thrust of the conference. What can we learn from each other, and how? Narrow approaches to one own's culture determined in contrast to others can not nurture meaningful exchange. Exploitation of populist slogans for political means - whether as part of fundamentalist determination or nationalist mobilisation - are no substitute to inter-cultural learning and understanding. In Germany this refers for example to the discussion on "Leitkultur" ("mainstream" culture) or "Kinder statt Inder" (children instead of Indians - a reference to the "green card" decision and the proposed immigration legislation).

CALL FOR PAPERS

In this background our association is very happy to call for papers for the 6th International Tagore-Einstein-Conference at Berlin in October 2001.
Contributors are requested to choose from either the above mentioned subjects. The papers should reflect the position of the author in a form of position-paper, case-studies, historical assessment or determination of philosophical aspects. Any innovative, original concept in this background is welcome.

Dates and technical details:

1. It is expected that participants (with papers or without) are to inform the org. committee about their acceptance of the invitation by 15th August 2001 and indicate the topic of their respective presentation. This will enable us to plan the seminar properly.
   
2. The paper of 10-20 pages A-4 Size written in DTP expected to be submitted by 10th September 2001.
   
3. Languages of seminar are German and English. Other languages are also welcome when a comprehensive summary is attached with the paper.
   
4. Registration fee for every participant is 100.- DM or equivalent in convertible foreign currency. Participants from foreign countries and outside Berlin will enjoy modest hospitality. Committee will help participants who want to make their own arrangements.
   
5. Foreign participants who are unable to finance their travel expenses are requested to approach their own institutions or other financing institutions. Org. Committee. will be helpful to provide them with necessary information and recommendation for travel assistance. Org. Committee will help in purchasing cheap excursion rates tickets or group tickets.

Organisation Committee Addresses: