Hypothesis

A hypothesis is a proposition of cause and effect. A scientific hypothesis must be a testable hypothesis. Hypotheses that cannot be tested, such as cause and effect attributed to a supernatural being or an invisible fifth dimension that cannot be detected, are not part of science. They are pseudo science.

A hypothesis that is widely accepted but has never been tested is known as folklore, conventional wisdom, tradition, and so forth. Because it has never been tested, there is a good chance that it is wrong, either totally or partially. It is this class of untested hypotheses that the environmental movement is now basing all of its solution strategies on, because there is still no proof that the process of Classic Activism will solve the sustainability problem.

A scientific hypothesis is accepted when sufficient experimental evidence supporting it is accumulated. No hypothesis can ever be proven with 100% certainty. Thus the wise practitioner is always a little skeptical about all knowledge.

For more see the wikipedia entry on hypothesis.

 

The Dueling Loops

The most popular page on the site by a factor of 3. This paper presents a simple model showing why activists have been unable to solve the sustainability problem, and an alternative solution strategy based on high leverage points.

The Phenomenon of Change Resistance

This is the key concept that starts people thwinking, and causes them to explore the rest of the site. The concept is subtle, but has the potential to change the sustainability problem from insolvable to solvable.

The Powell Memo

The most eye popping short read (7 pages) on the site, if you have never heard about it. The memo was written in 1971.

The Dueling Loops Videos

These average 8 minutes. They give a quick introduction to the Dueling Loops model and how it explains the tremendous change resistance to solving the sustainability problem.
 

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