Fourth Person: The Knowing of the Field. Otto Scharmer, Eva Pomeroy
A Close Encounter With the Knowing of the Field and an AI-Generated Comprehensive Summary of the Article
Read the original article here.
The number one problem facing humanity today is not climate change or inequality or war. It is not the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI). Rather, it is our sense that we are powerless to change any of it… — Otto Scharmer, Eva Pomeroy.
A Close Encounter With the Knowing of The Field
This week, I read the article “Fourth Person,” written by Otto Scharmer and Eva Pomeroy and published in the Journal of Awareness-Based Systems Change. (*) I am an Awareness-Based Systems Change practitioner who has been conducting Theory U-based action research since 2015. Upon reading the article, I sent a note to the authors thanking them for bringing to life a new form of knowing to the scientific inquiry and commenting on one of my many close encounters with the knowledge of the social field.
Dearest Otto and Eva.
I have written about this (social field knowing) since I first experienced it in the 2015 u-lab. In the year 2020, I was so inspired by the #GaiaJourney and the profound relationship we developed at the Teoría U en español team, that I wrote the article Theory U: Presencing, Crossing the Threshold into the Field of the Future.
Here is an excerpt:
“When you deep dive into the Gap and cohabitate a space of Presence with a group of people, the whole group gets a new perspective of life. After that experience, nothing around you has really changed. When you walk out of that experience, you are a different person altogether, and that makes all the difference because, at that moment, you are the personification of Presence.”
Every week, without any publicity, more than fifty people view the article. Every time I re-read it, I think, “how could I possibly have written this?
Now I know. Fourth Person Knowing.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Truly yours
Helio
When conversing with a Theory U practitioner, you probably hear a story similar to mine about listening to knowing the field.
The Knowing of the Field’s AI Comprehensive Summary
AI excels at processing, ordering, and extrapolating from masses of existing data, and this is the place from which it projects the future. But AI cannot source from this deeper level of sensing, which we maintain is where the new comes into being. Presencing is therefore the source of knowing needed to address the deeper dimensions of the challenges we face… Otto Scharmer, Eva Pomeroy.
Normally, a thirty-page research paper is a challenge to read; curiously enough, this one, at least for me, was a joy. After reading it, I thought, what if I summarize it using AI? I wanted to know how AI extrapolated from a 30-page paper about Presencing, the source of knowing, according to the paper. I selected Coral AI for its capacity to summarize large amounts of data in scientific papers. This is the prompt I typed in the chat box: “Write a comprehensive, detailed summary.” Here is the result:
“In the article “Fourth Person,” published in the Journal of Awareness-Based Systems Change, Scharmer and Pomeroy explore the concept of fourth-person knowing as a unique epistemological perspective transcending traditional forms of knowledge. The article delves into how this form of knowing can lead to deep societal regeneration and transformative change. Through interviews, focus groups, and reflections, the authors investigate the experiential nature of fourth-person knowing and its implications for individual and collective action.
The authors begin by situating fourth-person knowing within a broader framework of subjective, intersubjective, and trans-subjective perspectives. They emphasize the self-transcending nature of fourth-person knowing, encompassing eco-centric and cosmo-centric dimensions. Eco-centric awareness highlights the interconnectedness of all life forms and ecosystems, while cosmo-centric understanding situates human existence within the broader universe. This holistic worldview challenges traditional constructs and calls for actions that consider the well-being of all beings.
The article highlights the importance of addressing the “knowing-doing gap” in contemporary society, where individuals, particularly young people, feel a sense of urgency and uncertainty about the future. The authors propose that activating fourth-person knowing can help bridge this gap by going beyond conventional learning and leadership systems. Drawing on their experiences in large-scale transformation initiatives, they argue that fourth-person knowing effectively fosters deep systemic change.
Through interviews with practitioners and reflections on transformative experiences, the authors outline the characteristics of fourth-person knowing. They describe it as a form of deep sensing that bends the observation beam back onto the sources of collective emergence. This perspective involves looking within and outside simultaneously, recognizing the interconnectedness of self and the larger social field. Individuals can align their intention, attention, and agency by engaging with fourth-person knowing to create significant and long-lasting impact.
The article also discusses the role of generative social fields in facilitating fourth-person knowing. These fields provide the conditions for accessing this deeper form of awareness and agency. Practitioners share their experiences of entering into a partnership with the social field, feeling a sense of “thick presence” and being guided by a larger collective intelligence. The authors emphasize the transformative potential of aligning individual and collective interiority within generative social fields.
Furthermore, the authors explore the implications of fourth-person knowing for societal regeneration and collective action. They argue that this form of knowing offers a pathway to address complex challenges and create positive change at scale. By embracing a trans-subjective perspective encompassing diverse worldviews and values, individuals can contribute to a more harmonious and sustainable future for all beings on the planet.
In conclusion, the article calls for a shift towards embracing fourth-person knowing as a fundamental aspect of learning, knowledge creation, and leadership. By recognizing the interconnectedness of all life forms and engaging with the deeper layers of collective awareness, individuals can tap into a source of wisdom and agency that transcends individual limitations. This shift towards a trans-subjective perspective holds the potential to catalyze transformative change and contribute to the regeneration of society and the planet as a sustainable and harmonious world”.
The resultant summary is a good appetizer for the main course, Fourth Person: The Knowing of The Field, which I strongly invite you to read.
References: p.12, p.26, p.15, p.11, p.13, p.29, p.24, p.28, p.28, p.21, p.12, p.26, p.14, p.16, p.11, p.17, p.7, p.29, p.4, p.27, p.20, p.28, p.27, p.24, p.29, p.2, p.30, p.14, p.25, p.19.
(*) Journal of Awareness-Based Systems Change. Volume 4, Issue 1, pp. 19–48 Copyright ©2024 Otto Scharmer and Eva Pomeroy https://doi.org/10.47061/jasc.v4i1.7909 www.jabsc.org
