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Submitted by: Thomas J. Hurley

Submit Date: 2004-09-30

Consciousness & Community:
A Brief History of the Institute of Noetic Sciences 1973 – 1993

By Thomas J. Hurley

Since its founding in 1973, the Institute of Noetic Sciences has supported research and education on consciousness and human potential. For 20 years, through innovative sponsored projects and publications, the Institute has served as a catalyst for creative, pioneering inquiry and for thoughtful reflection on some of the critical issues and opportunities of our time.

Today, the mission of the Institute is evolving. While our research and publications programs continue to break new ground, a third dimension of our work is equally important—the development of opportunities for individuals to become more active as members. Through member groups, our international and regional conferences, a membership directory and other opportunities for study, networking and exchange, we hope to foster an increasingly effective partnership with members.

Our new emphasis on membership participation reflects a simple conviction. As important as continuing scientific or scholarly inquiry is the everyday application of what we already know about consciousness and human potential—to transform our lives, relationships, organizations and communities. In this task, members are the innovators and leaders, and we seek ways to support their efforts and learn with them.

Research, publications and membership are three equally important dimensions of the Institute’s mission. Each informs the others, and contributes in unique ways to our building together the world of our visions.

The First Decade

To put the growth of the Institute in perspective, it is useful to think about the world twenty years ago. In 1973, personal computers had not been invented. The Soviet Union and United States were still locked in a relationship of mutual assured destruction. Richard Nixon was President of the United States. Around him, the Watergate scandal was widening; it would soon lead to his resignation and help precipitate a profound loss of confidence and trust in leadership. The Club of Rome’s study Limits to Growth had raised, for the first time among the general public, questions concerning the sustainability of unchecked economic and industrial growth. Outside the

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Link: http://www.noetic.org/publications/review/issue27/r27_Hurley.html