ABSTRACT
This chapter offers a progression of teaching practices, based in reflection and contemplation, designed to complement traditional academic curricula to help students listen deeply to multiple perspectives. Decades of research in the natural and social sciences show that the lenses through which people experience the world are conditioned by both genetics and experience. In the context of acquiring knowledge—a central goal of the educational system—this presents the opportunity to learn deeply alongside the hazard of merely reinforcing preconceived ideas. Natural systems are an intuitive doorway into thinking in multiple perspectives. Scientific models of the world—based on empirical data, mathematical models, or computer simulations—reflect varying, complementary perspectives constructed through different forms of information, imagination, and methods. The concept of sustainability itself is one of many views and orientations on the world, and is itself a multi-dimensional cluster of perspectives. In the search for a shared path forward, reflective and contemplative practices are among our oldest and most powerful tools.
