------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1998 Sender: World Order Conference List <•••@••.•••> From: Helmut Burkhardt <•••@••.•••> To: •••@••.••• Dear members of the Evolution of World Order Discussion List, The state of the world, economically, socially, politically, and ecologically and the direction of changes are worrisome to many. Climate change threatens our environment and food supply. Violence erupts in many places, the stock market is unstable, and national economies collapse. Rather than being a helpless spectator, you may decide to view the whole situation critically and explore the options for meaningful actions. The second Interdisciplinary Conference on the Evolution of World Order is a good opportunity do just that. The theme for next year's event is: Global and Local Responsibilities for a Just and Sustainable Civilization. We invite you to participate and contribute to the conference on June 3 to 6, 1999 in Toronto, and to the internet discussion before and after the event. More details are given in the attached conference call. Looking forward to hearing from you. Helmut Burkhardt Co-chair of the Conference Committee. Adjunct Professor of Physics Ryerson Polytechnic University Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5B 2K3 Tel: 416-979-5000 x 7246 Fax: 416-979-5064 Internet: •••@••.••• ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Call For Papers And Participation SECOND INTERDISCIPLINARY CONFERENCE ON THE EVOLUTION OF WORLD ORDER: GLOBAL AND LOCAL RESPONSIBILITIES FOR A JUST AND SUSTAINABLE CIVILIZATION June 3 - 6, 1999, At Ryerson Polytechnic University, Toronto, Canada The World seems to be changing at a dizzying pace, and many of the novelties offer a serious threat to the environment and to the human well-being. This conference aims at assessing the shortcomings in todayís existing world order and at proposing new social structures and processes which are more meaningful for the present and desirable for the future. The challenge of participants lies in establishing a holistic view of the environment and of humankind entangled in global, national and local conflicts, and using this vision, to offer concrete alternative paths forward. Are the non-renewable, toxic fuels necessary to sustain our technology based civilization? Does happiness really depend on consumerism and on growth of population and of the economy? Can big and multinational corporations be redirected to serve all people and the environment? Can satisfying global living standards only be achieved by homogenizing the worldís cultures? How many people can live a good life on a healthy planet? Is humankind able to self- organize in a way such that international law and customs will render wars and mass destruction obsolete and unthinkable? All organizations and individuals are invited to present a comprehensive vision of world affairs including global, national and local implications. Governments, civil organizations, corporations, unions, professions and individuals are invited to share their perceptions on what ëisí, and on what ëought to beí, and to work together to produce useful proposals for actions required to improve justice and sustainability of our civilization. The conference offers an opportunity for communication between various kinds of social organizations, and for communication among organizations of the same level and among individuals. We call for contributions to panels, lectures, posters, and exhibits to be presented at the Toronto conference, and we invite contributions to a global electronic conference on the same issues and actions. These will be presented on our internet list, and on our web page before, during, and after the meeting. The conference will have ten 1.5 h plenary sessions, and several working with parallel presentations, and poster sessions. We hope tho use them to cover the most urgent problems facing humankind today: 1. Environmental Imperatives for a Sustainable World 2. The Role of Science and Technology 3. The Search for Universal Values as a Foundation of World Order 4. The Role of Religion: Spirituality and Ethics 5. Global Governance or Chaos and World Disorder 6. The UN Today and What It Might Be in Future 7. International Organizations: IMF and World Bank; Transnational Corporations; Trade Unions; NGOs; Professional Societies; Secret Societies 8. Domains of Sovereignty for Nations, Provinces, and Municipalities 9. International Political Economy: NAFTA-WTO-MAI-etc. and Alternatives 10. The Earth Charter: Challenge for Individuals, Educators and the Media CONFERENCE COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Anatol Rapoport (honorary conference chair), - Helmut Burkhardt (conference co-chair), - Walter Dorn, - Cheshmak Farhoumand, - Shirley Farlinger, - Eric Fawcett, - Terry Gardner, - Michael Greenspoon (conference co-chair), - Lynn Holden, - Helen Izumi, Mickey Masuda, - Julia Morton-Marr, - Ross Wilcock, - David Woolfson. CONFERENCE SPONSORS: - Science for Peace (SfP), - The International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS), Canadian Division, - Physicians for Global Survival (PGS) - The International Network of Engineers and Scientists for Social Responsibility (INES) - McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology, University of Toronto, - Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Canada, Caledon Centre for Culture and Education, - Voice of Women for Peace , - Ryerson Polytechnic University, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. PARTIAL LIST OF OTHER SUPPORTERS: - United Nations Association in Canada,- Pugwash Canada, - Jesuit Centre for Social Justice, - World Federalists of Canada, - Peace Magazine. REGISTRATION: Conference registration is limited to 120. Registration fees are CDN$ 190. Internet registration is open to all at no fee, but donations to the World Order Conference are welcome. ABSTRACTS: Please submit a one page abstract of a proposed presentation, poster, exhibit or internet presentation. Mail or facsimile copies should be accompanied by a computer disk in MS Word, WordPerfect or ASCII text file. Email copies in the same format are acceptable. Send to H. Burkhardt, Co-chair, World Order Conference. All accepted abstracts will be published on the WOC discussion list, and the WOC home page. Those submitted before March 31, 1999 will be printed in the Conference Book of Abstracts and available in print at the conference. MAILING AND ELECTRONIC ADDRESSES: H. Burkhardt, Co-chair, World Order Conference, Department of Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science, Ryerson Polytechnic University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5B 2K3 Tel: 416-979-5000, ext. 7246 Fax: 416-979-5064 Email: •••@••.••• Internet discussion list: •••@••.••• Web page: http://www.pgs.ca/woc/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Create a sane and livable world in vibrant democratic societies. Bring global corporate power under control. 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