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Agent

An agent is a goal seeking entity with one or more goals and the ability to control its own behavior in pursuit of those goals. All agent behavior can be classified as one of three types:

1. Not learned, such as genetic – Innate behavior
2. Learned from other agents – Memetic behavior
3. Learned independently – Autonomic behavior

Most of the behavior analysis at Thwink.org involves number 2, memetic behavior, because it is learned behavior that is the source of the sustainability problem, and it is changes to learned behavior that will be required to solve the problem.

There are three types of agents: genetic, memetic, and robotic. Memetic agents are our principle concern, because it is they who control the behavior of civilization at the macro level. Examples of memetic agents are corporations, religions, political ideologies, governments, and cultures.

Agent based analysis is required to solve problems caused by agent type misbehavior, which is the case with the global environmental sustainability problem.

 

Dueling Loops Paper

The most popular page on the site. This paper presents a simple model showing why activists have been unable to solve the sustainability problem, and an alternative solution strategy based on high leverage points.

A Little Story about Corporate Dominance and the Occupy Movement

Here's what one reader wrote us about this article:

"This is the most lucid, focused, analysis of the economic quandary of the nation that I have seen. It exposes the indisputable root cause of the widening gap between the goals of people and the goals of for-profit corporations, and demonstrates how those respective goals are mutually exclusive. It does not condemn corporations but offers a solution for refocusing them toward the general goals of people. I urge each member to go over this analysis - it is not long or boring - and challenge it if you think you can."

Change Resistance Paper

This explains why the crux of the sustainability problem is change resistance, rather than what conventional wisdom thinks it is. That's why the problem has remained unsolved for over 30 years. The paper describes a high leverage point that's never been pushed on before that can solve the change resistance problem.

Common Property Rights

This book summarizes all the work at Thwink.org. This includes the System Improvement Process, a rigorous analysis of the complete sustainability problem, and 12 sample solution elements.

The Powell Memo

The most eye popping short read (7 pages) on the site, if you have never heard about it. The memo was written in 1971.

Dueling Loops Videos

These average 8 minutes. They give a quick introduction to the Dueling Loops model and how it explains the tremendous change resistance to solving the sustainability problem.
 

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