Identifying the essence of Evolutionary Salons

These notes on the definition, purpose, and forms of Evolutionary Salons were developed by Tom Atlee, Peggy Holman, and Michael Dowd.  Please see them as an invitation to explore this subject further. 

If we can usefully and evocatively clarify what Evolutionary Salons are, we will be better able to enable Evolutionary Salons to spread to different areas.  Some of us wish to empower the people interested in Evolutionary Salons to create them in all varieties in all areas of the US and world.  To do this, we first need to know what it is that we are talking about.  Then we can experiment with ways to create them, and develop materials, organizing spaces, and networks to help people do that.

 

DEFINITION

An Evolutionary Salon is any pre-scheduled conversation that

1. is grounded in a science-based, inspiring, empowering understanding of evolution
2. takes seriously our role in evolution becoming conscious of itself
3. is designed to support individual and collective evolution
4. contributes to the emerging networked movement for conscious evolution

PURPOSE

The purpose of an Evolutionary Salon is to develop understandings, capacities, communities, connections, and possibilities that can serve us in growing into the conscious evolution of civilization, so that our individual and collective actions serve the whole of life.


FORM

An Evolutionary Salon can be of any size, use any type of process in any venue, include any type of people, deal with any subject or inquiry, and be organized in any way, as long as it fits the definition and purpose above.

The diversity of evolutionary salons ranges from one-time potluck discussions, to weekly living-room study and support groups, to a dozen professional or sector experts gathering for two days of intense work together, to a large week-long open-invitation open space conference with hundreds or thousands of participants -- or any other form. The more diverse forms, the better.