by Dr Donald Schon
A second hearing of the 1970 series, followed by questions from an invited audience
1: The Loss of the Stable State
One way of describing the era in which we live, says Dr Schon. is that it is characterised by a loss of the stable state: there is no organisation or institution that feels adequate to the challenges which face it. And. since persons get their own stability from the different social systems in which they have their roles. the stable state for persons is being eroded too.
Dr Schon. philosopher by training, and author of The Displacement of Concepts, is now President of a non-profit-making consultancy firm in Cambridge. Massachusetts, the Organisation for Social and Technical Innovation, and a member of the us Commission On the Year 2000.