Ethical Canary

[Tom]

Hello genius philosopher people! I need your help and guidance on a new project I'm undertaking. 

I'm setting up a website for the thousands of people who are newly being inducted into rational philosophy, psychology and voluntarism through resources like Freedomain Radio. It's going to be a blog, a podcast, a listener call-in, meetups in the UK, a monthly bookclub and in time also a forum. The focus is on living with integrity to our values and connecting both online and offline to build community between us everyday philosophers.

First things first, the name. The one I'm liking the most at the moment is Ethical Canary, with the tagline "Virtue is the air we breathe". The name should hopefully capture our shared values of philosophy, self-knowledge and freedom but also focus on connecting as a community. What do you guys n gals think of it? Does it work? Can you think of anything else I can call it? One drawback of my idea is that it requires that everyone understands the metaphorical reference to a canary being used in a mine to test that the air is breathable. I'd love to gather your ideas and put together a poll to so we can vote for the best one. 

 

Thanks in advance for your ingenious input! I will no doubt be asking many questions like this in future so I can put the website together using the best suggestions we agree on.

[Kevin Beal]

Hi Tom!

 

For what it's worth, I would be very interested to check it out. It sounds like a very cool project

 

As far as the metaphor goes, it's empirically testing out rational virtues as a philosopher, focusing on action rather than theory, correct? I think the canary is a great symbol of that. I really like it a lot. As far as people understanding, I know that some people won't get it, but that's because so many people don't read or try to understand what's on the page in front of them.

 

As a web developer, I've noticed this. People, most of the time, will not understand what to do without an incredible amount of pushing in the right direction. Like giant arrows on the page animated pointing to a button you need them to push to continue. But I think that's going to apply to most ideas people will come up with.

 

I've seen heat map tests done where you could see where people click on a page the most, and they just click on the highest contrast thing on a page. People clicked often on a heading on a blue background with white text saying, basically, "fill out the form below".

 

The best way to get people familiar with a brand or concept is through video, where they can be completely passive while information is dumped into their brains.

 

I think this applies to me as well, and I'm sure most people in the first visit to a site. So, just speaking with a couple years of experience (not an expert), I would stick with the name that resonates best with you and that you will be excited to promote under that name.

 

Is "Freedomain Radio" a good name? I didn't know what it meant for a couple years, lol.

[RyanT]

Yeah...canary's? mining?...you've lost me there mate

 

Seriously though think it's bloody inspired, love it, really captures that idea that 'no man is an island'

and we really need that community, our tribe, if we're going to live consistently with virtue.

 

Very impressed with the plan, hope to get involved and help out however I can

[PatrickC]

Ha, I know I mentioned an idea earlier to you on Facebook, but I had another, which was simply, 'Philosophical Virtues'.

 

That said, I'm beginning to connect better with the canary metaphor now, so how about, 'The Virtuous Canary'.

 

The thing I particularly like about the canary metaphor and it's mining reference, is that the canary is the one that will explore deeper and often further ahead for others. This would be analogous to those wanting to live a philosophical life and helping those they feel connected with in opening their eyes to their blind spots and vice versa of course.

[Tom]

Hey thanks for your support you three.

 

To answer your question Kevin, yes, it's about living or dying by your values so to speak. The insight you're sharing with me is very useful to me as it'll help to guide me in designing the website to be as intuitive as possible. People need multiple and clear hints before the penny drops in their minds. Metaphor is a key part of the way I communicate ideas so I'm keen to have it at the heart of this project. I'd like to incorporate pictures and video as soon as possible to compound the meaning of the name. 

 

Thanks for reminding me of that quote Ryan, and for your offer to get involved. I'll certainly need help seeking out philosophers in the offline world so keep doing the good work on that front.

 

Ahh I'm glad to see you appreciating the deeper facets of meaning there Patrick. and thanks for your suggestions, I'll certainly keep them so we can do a vote some time soon.

[Carl Green]

Hi Tom!

 

For what it's worth, I would be very interested to check it out. It sounds like a very cool project

 

As far as the metaphor goes, it's empirically testing out rational virtues as a philosopher, focusing on action rather than theory, correct? I think the canary is a great symbol of that. I really like it a lot. As far as people understanding, I know that some people won't get it, but that's because so many people don't read or try to understand what's on the page in front of them.

-Canaries were phased out about 30 years ago. I think as long as the tagline is easily recognizable it should be okay. It is indeed a perfect metaphor, but I can't think of a better one using more current relative terms.

 

As a web developer, I've noticed this. People, most of the time, will not understand what to do without an incredible amount of pushing in the right direction. Like giant arrows on the page animated pointing to a button you need them to push to continue. But I think that's going to apply to most ideas people will come up with.

-This seems to stem from the current predominant style of education (someone directly telling students what to do) which only enforces parroting, not the intuition required to say "I don't know what to do here, let me try to figure it out myself"

 

I've seen heat map tests done where you could see where people click on a page the most, and they just click on the highest contrast thing on a page. People clicked often on a heading on a blue background with white text saying, basically, "fill out the form below".

 

The best way to get people familiar with a brand or concept is through video, where they can be completely passive while information is dumped into their brains.

 

I think this applies to me as well, and I'm sure most people in the first visit to a site. So, just speaking with a couple years of experience (not an expert), I would stick with the name that resonates best with you and that you will be excited to promote under that name.

 

Is "Freedomain Radio" a good name? I didn't know what it meant for a couple years, lol.

-I thought it was a conjunction of freedom and main for a while.

[luxfelix]

I like the use of canary as a symbol of freedom as well. 

 

(flight, nest building, needing a workable understanding of physics in order to fly, etc...)

 

Y'know, "Anarcho-Canary" has a rather musical quality to it. 

 

(Many canaries are yellow and black too, though, it doesn't have the same emphasis on appealing to ethics.)

[PatrickC]

Giving this a bump

[Tom]

Thanks for your insight Carl, I'll certainly bear all this in mind whilst constructing the site.

 

I'm pleased that you like the metaphor Luxfelix!

 

I'm writing a mission statement which I look forward to sharing with you all here soon when It's done so I can get more of your priceless feedback.

[Tom]

Here's the shining, sparkly first draft for my mission statement. I'd hugely appreciate any feedback people can give on this as it at the heart of what helps me clarify my intention.

Ethical Canary Mission Statement

Ethical Canary is here to bring forward the day when child abuse is stopped. Slavery ends and dictators fall once a critical mass is reached, one of people ready to oppose them with their full and united moral conviction. Healing the damage of child abuse is a multi-generational project, but the good news is that we needn’t wait that long to feel the rich benefits of freedom from trauma our own lives.

In this age of self-reflection, there is a new generation of people who are ready to really thrive by living with impeccable integrity. Thanks to the internet, billions now have access to revolutionary resources at their fingertips. In this pivotal moment of change, for the sake of being the change we wish to see in the world, we must replace Diaspora with community.

Attempting to apply rational principles from philosophy in isolation is attempting to reinvent the wheel. By connecting and discussing the hurdles we face in our daily lives we reveal our blind spots and are able to help each other overcome them. By organising as a community we turn rumination into revolution. By being present for one another we get the opportunity to practice being fully ourselves so that we can make that the norm. By sharing our goals and aspirations we can hold each other to account, share our gifts and build motivation.

The image of Ethical Canary is one of a grass-roots movement busy creating positive change in people’s lives and accelerating the rate at which we reject out-dated forms of parenting and relating. The approaches can be seen as innovative and original solutions to serve a world afflicted by traumas which stem from child abuse. This image is built by transparently reviewing progress, by using multiple forms of communication and media, by soliciting and using feedback, and by linking in other resources, thinkers and communities.

The site is 100% funded by donations so as to reflect the importance of reciprocity. Anyone who finds the site valuable is welcome to donate so as to help cover the running costs. The content and meet-ups are designed to make the most of people’s time and provide insight using passion, compassion and humour.

Ethical Canary is remarkable in the way it brings together three rare things; the clarity of rational philosophy, the compassionate support of fellows on paths to self-knowledge and the power of intentional community both online and offline.

My role as the founder is to physically build the site, solicit feedback, establish the media streams by creating content, to host the call in, moderate comments and arrange UK meet-ups. The sooner more people get involved with these tasks, the sooner the site can be about collaboration and uniting community. It’s my intention not to bottleneck the community but to feed it and let it spring into bloom under the power of the community.

What sets Ethical Canary apart from similar websites is its focus on linking together members of the community who are working on the same obstacles. This serves to move beyond a simple one-way dialogue and in its place create an organised hive of action. It builds a sense of efficacy and confidence to inspire individuals to fulfil their own potential. Other resources about philosophy and psychology have thankfully prepared and primed many thousands of people by describing theory. What they have struggled to do though is to effectively link people together and organising to create a functioning community.

To make all this happen, the site will use a blog, a podcast and video stream, a regular e-newsletter, a recorded call-in show, a resources page, an online forum, and of course the all important real-life meet-ups. All of these methods follow the same strategy of linking the community together under our shared values.

[Tom]

OK, so I gathered from the silent feedback that my mission statement was way too long for people to read. Let me know what you think of this: 

 

Ethical Canary is a collaborative blog, podcast, call-in show and meet-up group which link together individuals who are applying rational philosophy in their lives. The ultimate goal is to bring forward the day when child abuse is stopped by helping each other learn peaceful parenting, achieving intimacy and living with integrity. The project is 100% funded through donations and warmly welcomes philosophy ninjas and newbies alike.

[PatrickC]

Yes, I much prefer the condensed version Tom. I wondered though, you could split the longer parts from the previous statement into separate mission 'goals' perhaps. Whereby the more curious minded can understand the larger picture of the websites intent.

 

This could be done with condensed sentences which can then lead to a more detailed explanation at the users discretion (with a click). Does that make sense?

[byebye1212]

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[Tom]

Thanks Patrick, I like your 'have your cake and eat it too' approach to this! I'll certainly bare your suggestion in mind.

 

Thanks so much for your support btccoach, that was exactly what I needed to hear! I agree that I need to be 100% specific about my goals because my time is so limited. I'm focused on putting one step in front of another and my next one is really difficult: writing about me. Here is my first draft of my 'About Thomas' page: 

"Thomas Bell is a writer and a philosopher who has used his free time since 2007 to really focus on rational philosophy by devouring dozens of books, thousands of hours of podcasts and by befriending people to learn from the more experienced. His life has greatly benefited from two years of healing and re-parenting in psychotherapy. The hard work there is what helped him to explore and understand how the adverse childhood experiences he suffered were impacting on his decisions and emotional world as a young adult. He has enthusiastically thrown himself into activities and groups of people to create a varied and enjoyable social life. He journals extensively and practices nonviolent communication to really connect with those few he knows more personally. This is what has helped him bring his authentic self fully into his relationships and uphold the virtues of honesty, courage and curiosity."

 

My thoughts about this first draft is that it's intended to concisely get across what I know about peaceful parenting, Intimacy and Integrity. I'm not totally comfortable with it being in the third person as I think the more friendly sounding first person might be more appropriate. Also I think it's too short to get across the story of how I got here so I'd like it to be longer. 

 

I'd love to hear your thoughts as this part is a real bitch to write.

[PatrickC]

Rather than talk in abstractions. Why not point out some of the 'actual' successes. Like the violin playing and some of the events that put context to those abstractions Tom. I'm not criticising what you are saying, just that you could add more context to it, by explaining the net positives you have gained from all this learning. Hope that makes sense.

[byebye1212]

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