The adjacent possible. Adventures at BIF7 Part I
The scientist Stuart Kauffman has coined a provocative phrase -- the adjacent possible. The writer, Steven Johnson eloquently explores this idea in his book Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation.
“The strange and beautiful truth about the adjacent possible is that its boundaries grow as you explore those boundaries. Each new combination ushers new combinations into the adjacent possible. Think of it as a house that magically expands with each door you open.”
BIF-7 is more than a conference, it’s an event where the adjacent possible feels palpably probable.
It’s where you’ll find Eva Timothy, a native of Bulgaria, talking about how she’s turned her passion for freedom into captivating photographs that are now part of the permanent collection at the Library of Congress…talking with Alex Jadhad, the chief innovator and founder of Centre for Global EHealth innovation…who just shared a story with Duncan Watts, the principal research scientist at Yahoo and Angus Davis, the creator of Tellme Networks, the voice recognition software that revolutionized how we communicate on the telephone.
What is remarkable about all the BIF conferences is that you never know what’s going to resonate. As Saul Kaplan said in his opening remarks, “we provide the stage, but trust you to make the connections.”
One great example is Angela Blanchard, President and CEO of Neighborhood Centers. For the past 25 years, she’s been a driving force for a non-profit community development group. Does she sound like a catalyst for the adjacent possible?
Just ask the citizens of Houston and the victims of Katrina. What Angela did was ask a better question. It wasn’t what’s wrong with our cities. Or how do we measure crime and poverty. She asked what are the strengths and aspirations of this community? She turned the typical problem defined by statistics upside down and began looking for the human element. And it worked.
John Werner is changing the geography of the middle school mind, one citizen at a time. As the Chief Mobilization Officer and Managing Director of Citizen Schools, he’s adding a dimension to education that is beginning to open the door on ways to improve education without the high cost of education.
What BIF brings to the innovation table is valuable because the stories of these great innovators aren’t fleeting moments experienced by a few individuals. Like the TED conferences, the stories are videotaped and shared with the public. (They will be available on line within the next month).
So the adjacent possible is open to virtually everyone.
That’s the magic of BIF. Seven years. Over 200 innovators. Discover what’s possible.
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