Center for Applied Dialectics

Manifesto

  • There is a fascinating emerging body of knowledge in the field of adult development.
  • Notably, the insights around cognitive development are not fully accessible yet.
  • How would our world look if we applied these evolving insights to the fields of businesses, education, politics etc?
  • CAD, the Center of Applied of Dialectics, opens up a platform for practitioners in the field of adult development, integrating research into their practice, exchanging findings and thereby nourishing each other, empowering others to do likewise.
  • Our mission is to grow the understanding of dialectical thinking, not as something that is abstract and of use only to high-minded philosophers, but as a practical tool for all adults to apply in thinking about the complex problems that surround us in today’s world. 

Future Salons:

  • Feb23 7pm CET: Jan de Visch: AI & Human Judgment – Why Developmental Maturity Matters More Than Ever 
    AI is rapidly transforming how decisions are prepared, supported, and executed. It analyzes, predicts, recommends, and optimizes—often faster and more consistently than humans. But as AI takes over more cognitive tasks, a crucial question comes to the foreground: What happens to human judgment? This talk explores why, in an AI-driven world, the decisive factor is no longer intelligence or expertise, but developmental maturity—how individuals and organizations make sense of complexity, uncertainty, and value-laden trade-offs. Drawing on Otto Laske’s developmental and dialectical thinking, recent work on AI-driven reshaping of value and coordination (including insights from Sangeet Paul Choudary), and strategy perspectives inspired by Michael Porter, the session examines:the limits of AI when it comes to meaning, responsibility, and ethics,how AI reshuffles value creation and decision rights,and why human sense-making becomes the true scarce resource. Rather than framing AI as a threat or a solution, the contribution presents it as a mirror—revealing the strengths and blind spots of our current ways of thinking and organizing. 
    The session will be followed by a structured dialogue, inviting participants to reflect on their own leadership, strategic, or professional context and to explore how human–machine collaboration can be designed to remain both effective and deeply human. For leaders, strategists, consultants, and professionals navigating complex decisions in an AI-shaped world.

The zoom link
for all salons:  https://zoom.us/j/4078847969?pwd=K1ZxbWxEdi9aaXdJdGJKaTVuTEk0QT09
 
Calendar:
Use this link to integrate the CAD calendar into your google calendar - no more misunderstanding about time zones :-) https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=d2VhdmVyQHByby1hY3Rpb24uZXU

Past Salons: 

Get the newsletter:  join here https://mailchi.mp/4309ab776dba/cad-newsletter  or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

The Reading list - please recommend more :  https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/68149330?shelf=cad-center-for-applied-dialectics

Our youtube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@cad-centerforapplieddialec9451

The current expert practitioners holding the platform:

 

Some of the people at least loosely connected with CAD and their resources (in progress):

  • Anagnostakis, Alis /  alisanagnostakis.com , verticaldevelopmentinstitute.com
  • Angerer, Roman /  https://www.roman-angerer.de  
  • Balk, Anssi /  metataito.fi , ekolammox.fi  
  • Bakare, Adetayo 
  • Basseches, Michael / Suffolk University / Book:  Dialectical Thinking and Adult Development 
  • Anastasia Belolutskaya 
  • Berberich, Hendrik /  https://hendrikberberich.com 
  • Boyd, Graham / Evolutesix / Books:  Rebuild: The Economy, Leadership, and You  (with Jack Reardon),  The Ergodic Investor and Entrepreneur  (with Jack Reardon) 
  • Cauwelier, James /  https://developmentalist.substack.com 
  • Clidiere, Ursula
  • de Visch, Jan / https://connecttransform.be / Books:  Practices of Dynamic Collaboration: A Dialogical Approach to Strengthening Collaborative Intelligence in Teams (together with Otto Laske),  The Vertical Dimension – Blueprint to Align Business and Organizational Development ,  Leadership: Mind(s) Creating Value(s) ,  Dynamic Collaboration: Strengthening Self-Organization and Collaborative Intelligence in Teams ,  Dynamic Collaboration Playbook ,  Re-Thinking Game 
  • Frischherz, Bruno / https://www.didanet.ch  / Book: Metathinking  (together with Nick Shannon)
  • Fröhlich, Caspar ,  froehlich-coaching.ch , lifemission.ch
  • Goertz, Daniel /  https://metamoderna.org   / Books:  The Listening Society: A Metamodern Guide to Politics ,  Nordic Ideology: A Metamodern Guide to Politics
  • Griggs, Carole  /  https://drcarolegriggs.com  / Book:  iConscious: Accelerating Human Potential (with Ted Strauss)
  • Hurley, Padraic /  https://www.wit.ie/about_wit/contact_us/staff_directory/padraic-hurley  
  • Jordan, Thomas /  thomasjordan.se , blog.perspectus.se  
  • Laske, Otto / Interdevelopmental Institute / Books: Dialectical Thinking for Integral Leaders: A PrimerBooks: Dialectical Thinking for Integral Leaders: A Primer ,  Measuring Hidden Dimensions of Human Systems - Foundations of Requisite Organizations ,  Measuring Hidden Dimensions: The Art and Science of Fully Engaging Adults ,  Advanced Systems-Level Problem Solving, Volume 1: Approaching Real-World Complexity with Dialectical Thinking ,  Advanced Systems-Level Problem Solving, Volume 2: How to Measure and Boost Thought Maturity ,  Advanced Systems-Level Problem Solving, Volume 3: Manual of Dialectical Thought Forms ,  Practices of Dynamic Collaboration: A Dialogical Approach to Strengthening Collaborative Intelligence in Teams (together with Jan de Visch); Film: "Forging a Life" about Otto: http://vimeo.com/884507807 ; Password: Otto
  • Pór, George
  • Possert, Bernhard / https://www.newgoodlife.net, www.possert.at  
  • Reams, Jonathan /  integral-review.org  / Book:  Maturing Leadership: How Adult Development Impacts Leadership
  • Redmer, Mike /  https://www.redmerconsulting.com   / 
  • Schulz, Ariane 
  • Shannon Nick /  https://metathinking.org   / Book: Metathinking  (together with Bruno Frischherz)
  • Shraeder Jeffrey / Circles of Clarity
  • Snow, Alan /  https://instituteofcoaching.org/users/alan-snow  
  • Stålne, Kristian /  https://complexitet.se  
  • Stewart, John /  https://www.evolutionarymanifesto.com / https://humansuperintelligencebook.com  / Books: Evolution's Arrow: the direction of evolution and the future of humanity; Human superintelligence (free download!)
  • Strauss, Ted / https://tedstrauss.com / Book:  iConscious: Accelerating Human Potential (with Carole Griggs)
  • Thoms, Jackie
  • van Snyder, Nathan /  https://nathanvansnyder.com 
  • Vessey, Mike /  https://mdvconsulting.co   
  • Leoprechting, Rainer von
  • Vurdelja, Iva / Requisite Development /  How Leaders Think: Measuring Cognitive Complexity in Leading Organizational Change (Dissertation)
  • Wilding, Victoria / https://www.victoriawilding.com, www.highermindinitiative.com   

 

CAD - Otto Laske / interdevelopmentals.org 

The setup of CAD is financially supported by the EU, as it is part of the CADRA project - Cognitive Adult Development, from Research to Application - see https://fraendi.org/cadra/