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“We are living in a period of extraordinary danger, as we are faced with the possibility that our whole species will be eliminated from the evolutionary scene. One necessary condition of successfully continuing our existence is the creation of an atmosphere of hope that the huge problems now confronting us can, in fact, be solved—and can be solved in time.”

(Margaret Mead, Continuities in Cultural Evolution, 1964)

The aim of this knowledge federation proposal is to correct a fundamental error.

Which has long ago been academically uncovered and reported; and indeed in a variety of ways, and repeatedly. Various other problems and error—including the discontinuity of cultural evolution and the non-sustainability of global trends—need to be understood as consequences of this single and fundamental error.

I am proposing to institute a transdiscipline.

Which is an institution or system of a completely new kind; of which the knowledge federation transdiscipline is a complete real-life model or prototype.

The knowledge federation proposal does include a way to resolve "the huge problems now confronting us", which is called holotopia; not as part of the proposal, but as its proof-of-concept application. The gist of it all is that once an erroneous way to see the world has been corrected—a radically better evolutionary course will be seen and followed. Or to use this simple formula:

Holoscope leads to holotopia.

When we see the world (not through the telescope or the microscope, but) through the holoscope (which is a nickname for knowledge federation), a radically better societal and cultural order of things, modeled as holotopia, will be the likely result.

This website is intended to complement my book called Liberation, which will soon appear in print—and present evidence; by telling entertaining short stories called vignettes. Here I want to share knowledge federation's academic essence. Not by spelling out the details, but by pointing to the overall structure—and letting you fill in the details; by browsing through the book; and by participating in the public dialog the Libetion book will ignite.

Margaret Mead

In the book I called myself an "academic fundamentalist", with tongue in cheek. The truth of this matter is that I've been trained as a theoretical scientist, or practically as a mathematician. I am telling you this because (in contrast with my informal and sketchy manner of speaking) it is only when you see that there is nothing hypothetical in what I'm saying, that it's all conceived like mathematical axioms and theorems—that you'll have understood me correctly. Indeed—all of knowledge federation follows from this simple axiom:

Knowledge must be federated.

And even this knowledge federation axiom is not assumed to be true but conceived as a convention of language; and as definition of knowledge; and as part of the definition of knowledge federation. What I mean by it is that we can only say that something is known, and call it knowledge, if it's supported by evidence; if it resulted from a concerted effort to find and consult all relevant evidence; and also and importantly—if it's reflected in everyday awareness and action.

Knowledge federation is the result of work of many excellent people.

The reason I'm speaking to you as I do, in first person, is to allow myself to be controversial; and to be personally accountable for what I'm about to say, and prepared to answer questions; and also, and importantly, because I want this to be an outcry.

Historical appeals to institute transdisciplinarity have remained futile.

With stupefying consistency—they remained ignored! And when we took the torch—or as the case may be this large boulder and began rolling it uphill—we inherited with it the same dynamic.

I invite you to break the spell of ignoring; and join me in making the difference that now must be made.

In the remainder of this website I'll let knowledge federation introduce itself in its own manners of speaking; and in that way illustrate some of its facets and techniques.

• In Federation through Ideograms I'll use three simple metaphorical images to share the point of it all
• In Federation through Keywords I'll help you comprehend things more precisely and deeper; by highlighting a handful of custom-defined words
• In Federation through Prototypes you'll see how exactly transdisciplinarity or knowledge federation can make a difference
• And in Federation through Action I'll explain the two steps I am inviting you to take together.

Dino Karabeg