Charles Eisenstein
(United States)

Title of contribution:

Making Sense of Sense-making

Where & when:

Making Sense of Sense-making

The information commons is in fragments. Our primary institutions of knowledge production — journalism and academia — have been captured by polarized forces locked in narrative warfare. How are we to make sense of the world when every source of information carries an agenda?

This presentation will start by laying out the problem and illustrate it with some contentious current examples. Then I will use it to diagnose a much deeper condition long in the making, a crisis of meaning and an abdication of the power of word. i will explore the social psychology and personal psychology of the phenomenon, so as to offer a path forward on both levels.

About Charles Eisenstein:

Charles Eisenstein is an essayist and the author of several books. After graduating from Yale University in mathematics and philosophy, he spent ten years as a Chinese-English translator in Taiwan. Returning to the US, he wrote The Ascent of Humanity, followed by Sacred Economics, The More Beautiful World our Hearts Know is Possible, and most recently, Climate: A New Story. He has four sons and lives in Rhode Island.