http://www.infohabitat.org/thesis

doctoral thesis in social relations¹
for submission to
the johns hopkins² university
baltimore, maryland

one light in all
virtual light & colour cubes³
properties of light - gifts of nature
building blocks for a society of friends



"Oh say can you see, by the one light in all.
A new world to embrace, at the call of all nations."⁴


Do I extend the Quaker practice
of answering that of God in every person
to answering that of God in all creation?⁵




Notes:

1. for submission as evidence of completion of the degree of doctor of philosophy, on satisfaction of applicable residency requirements. the thesis is based on a participatory, holistic response to "an experiment concerning the transmission of social values", robert pollard, masters thesis, social relations department, the johns hopkins university, baltimore, maryland, 1972.11. the broader context, and some key documentation developed in the course of this approach can be seen at http://www.infohabitat.org , http://www.infohabitat.org/docs and http://www.unhabitat.org/partners .


2. johns hopkins, founder of the university, was a quaker, and would have left the bulk of his fortune to his quaker meeting had he not been denied permission by the meeting to marry his cousin.


3. the virtual light & colour cubes are twin virtual entities in the form of cubes with blue, red and green dimensions. at any point within each cube, the colour is equal to the colour sum of the co-ordinates of the point - see http://www.infohabitat.org/cube

the virtual cubes embody and make visible fundamental natural properties of light - properties of nature. the cubes have value if these natural properties are acknowledged, respected, recognised and accepted as gifts of light that represent the "inner light", the "one light in all of creation"

the virtual cubes offer a bridge between the virtual and real worlds, and between technology and the natural world; they are founding elements of, and a gateway to, a holistic science of information ecology that can serve as a catalyst for a millennial transition to a sustainable, equitable and peaceful common future

the cubes were brought to light in the course of designing and developing a partnership-based online framework to enable the monitoring and implementation of the habitat agenda - the outcome of habitat ii, the second united nations conference on human settlements, held in istanbul, turkey, june 1996 - in the context of the agreements of the other global conferences of the 1990s - particularly agenda 21 from the earth summit.

the online framework has been based on the application of information and communication technology in support of broad-based participation in these conferences - and their preparatory and follow-up processes - guided by an interfaith approach based on taoist and quaker teachings and practices, and inspired by a pythagorean vision of science.

pythagoras is generally only known for his proof as to the square on the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle, however, that theorem can be better understood as the "tip of an iceberg" based on an appreciation of the natural and mathematical harmony of all of existence, and the understanding of science and knowledge as a sacred responsibility. a sense of the scope of the impact and significance of pythagorean teachings may be gleaned from the knowledge that the hippocratic oath - a cornerstone of medical ethics - is just a fragment of the oath of the pythagorean brotherhood.


4. opening lines of the peacemakers planetary anthem, dedicated as the fifth verse of the u.s. national anthem at a sunrise interfaith service on sunday 22 april 1990 - the 25^th anniversary of earth day at fort mchenry national monument & historic shrine, baltimore, maryland, home of the star spangled banner


5. From "Queries on unity with nature" - http://www.infohabitat.org/values/qouwn.htm - from the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Only One Earth, prepared for the United Nations Environmental Sabbath Programme, June 1989. A concern with those queries, particularly as expressed in Foundations for a Sustainable Common Future - http://www.infohabitat.org/values/fscf.htm - has been central to this work.