Democratic societies thrive when citizens actively and critically engage with new ideas, developments and claims to truth. Not only can such practices result in more effective choice-making, but they can also lead to widespread support for progressive beliefs, such as social justice. With Western societies in the midst of environmental, social and political crises, it seems more pertinent than ever that citizens become ideas-informed.
Presenting concepts from academia, industry, and practice, The Ideas-Informed Society closes the gap between the ideal of the ideas-informed society and the current reality. By exploring what it means to be ideas-informed and the benefits for both individuals and society, the chapters conceive what an ideal ideas-informed society would look like, what are the key ingredients of an ideas-informed society, and how to make it happen.
Presenting concepts from academia, industry, and practice, The Ideas-Informed Society closes the gap between the ideal of the ideas-informed society and reality - the chapters conceive what an ideal ideas-informed society would look like, the key ingredients of an ideas-informed society, and how to make it happen.
Foreword; Sir Anthony Seldon
PART 1: The Concept of an Ideas-Informed Society
Chapter
1. Potent Ideas, Engaged Citizens, Healthy Societies; Chris Brown and
Graham Handscomb
Chapter
2. The Value of Uncertainty and the Tyranny of the Closed Mind; Sir
Les Ebdon OBE
Chapter
3. A Little Conceptual Housekeeping: ideas and their contexts; Lesley
Saunders
Chapter
4. Battle of Ideas: Shaping the future through debate; Alastair
Donald
PART 2: Truth-telling, Democracy and Community
Chapter
5. Battle of Ideas: Weaponising the Free Speech Fallacy; Sam Fowles
Chapter
6. Reversing Polarisation: How Challenging Ideas Can Help People Find
Common Purpose; Sir Paul Collier
Chapter
7. When Ideas Fail; Iain King CBE
Chapter
8. Bearing the Truth and Building Truth-telling Communities; Helen
Cameron
Chapter
9. Informed Society and Representative Democracy: the role of
parliaments; Stéphane Goldstein and Anne-Lise Harding
Chapter
10. Questions worth asking and conversations that matter: generating
ideas in cohesive communities; Tim Slack and Fiona Thomas
Chapter
11. An entrepreneurs journey: delivering ideas to change a VUCA
world; Paul Lindley OBE
Chapter
12. Education for Democracy: Schools as Communities of Inquiry;
Vivienne Baumfield
PART 3: Creativity, Arts and the Environment
Chapter
13. In Praise of Inutility: Learning from Dickens; Judith Mossman
Chapter
14. The power of visual ideas Searching for a sense of place and
belonging ; Rafael Klein
Chapter
15. Curiosity and Stories: Working with art and archaeology to
encourage the growth of cultural capital in local communities; John Castling
and Jilly Johnston
Chapter
16. Getting the (Positive) Word Out: The IdeaSpies Platform ; Lynn
Wood and Sabra Brock
Chapter
17. How to succeed in a volatile world? Utilising the 7 Pillars of
Positive Resilience to make the ideas-informed society a reality; Belinda
Board
Chapter
18. As we sit in the in-between; Benjamin Freud and Charlotte Hankin
PART 4: Education and empowering young people
Chapter
19. Ideas-informed? Ideas are not enough!; Valerie Hannon and
Anthony Mackay AM
Chapter
20. Unleashing ideas through Youth Led Social Innovation; Katherine
Crisp
Chapter
21. Developing Ideas-Informed Young Citizens; John Baumber
Chapter
22. The Future Skills Society Needs and Its Critical Implications;
Jude Hillary
Chapter
23. Education policy for a new age of enlightenment; Raphael Wilkins
Chapter
24. Ideas in Action: Critically Reflective Practice; Neil Thompson
Chapter
25. Turning Schools Inside Out Community Curriculum Making; David
Leat, Alison Whelan, Ulrike Thomas, Carolynn Kerr, and Ruth Webb
Chapter
26. The Case for Place: How we can improve our ideas about place in
education policymaking; Will Millard
Chris Brown is Professor in Education at University of Warwick, UK and Distinguished Visiting Professor, University of Tübingen. Chris research focuses on improving outcomes for the disadvantaged and marginalised, and he has been awarded numerous prizes for its innovative nature. He is regularly invited to keynote at major international academic conferences and has presented his research at several literature and spoken word festivals.
Graham Handscomb is Honorary Professor with University College London (UCL) and Visiting Professor at University of Bolton, and Durham University, UK. He was previously Professor of Education and Dean of The College of Teachers. He is a fellow of numerous organisations and universities, has written many books and articles for over 30 years and is editor of a number of journals including Professional Development Today. Graham also runs a consultancy service where he provides interim management for medium to large organisations, including schools, local authorities and universities, to help implement complex business critical change in cost effective, tight timescales. He pioneered the concept of the Research Engaged School which has become an internationally adopted practice and policy model.
