No Ethic of Hope in Zero The denial of fallibility in the language of zero offers no hope for fallible human beings. Hope is much more than a concept of wishing, naïve optimism nor some unrealistic sense of desire. Hope is always about the unknown future and therefore should be understood as … [Read more...] about No Ethic of Hope in Zero
Search Results for: positivism
Organisational culture
Organisational culture See the mice in their million hordes from Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads David Bowie 1 Safety culture like many soft system change management elements is somewhat vague and subject to definitional dilemma. It is often envisaged as a predictable and concrete entity that is … [Read more...] about Organisational culture
The Curse of Dataism
The Curse of Dataism Beard writes: ‘The scions of Silicon Valley have introduced our world to a new religion of ‘Dataism’. In its extreme form proponents of the Dataist worldview perceive the entire universe as a flow of data, see organisms as little more than biochemical algorithms, and believe … [Read more...] about The Curse of Dataism
Every grain of sand
Every grain of sand Start with what is right rather than what is acceptable Franz Kafka 1 Silicosis, which is also known as miners’ phthisis or grinders’ asthma is an occupational lung disease and form of pneumoconiosis caused by inhalation of respirable crystalline silica. It was initially … [Read more...] about Every grain of sand
Right and Wrong in Safety
Right and Wrong in Safety Safety is fundamentally a moral and ethical activity. Any desire for a ‘good’ or a virtue, necessitates an ethic. Unfortunately, even in how Safety shapes its own identity it doesn’t know nor consciously articulate an ethic. Even the brand of ‘professional’ demands an … [Read more...] about Right and Wrong in Safety
Bedwetters Anonymous
Bedwetters Anonymous All professions are conspiracies against the laity George Bernard Shaw 1 The recent resources boom across Australasia involved construction of major gas projects throughout Queensland, Western Australia, Northern Territory and Papua New Guinea. This created an unprecedented … [Read more...] about Bedwetters Anonymous
White freight liner blues
White freight liner blues During the 1950s, the delivery of bread, cream and milk was categorised as an essential community service and legislation was enacted to secure supply. It has since ossified and effectively deregulated the supply chain. A recent report prepared by Pricewaterhouse Coopers … [Read more...] about White freight liner blues
The Keystone Science
The Keystone Science by Bernard Corden Since the early 1970s the holy trinity of democracy with its fundamental tenets of liberty, equality and fraternity has been progressively eroded and usurped by a new world order with a repressive focus on deregulation, diminution and privatisation. In more … [Read more...] about The Keystone Science
Understanding Just Culture
Understanding Just Culture The idea of Just Culture is not a neutral concept. Within the mechanistic worldview of safety and positivism Just Culture often is defined to mean ‘fair systems’ or ‘low-blame’ systems. This is evident in many presentations on Just Culture including the following … [Read more...] about Understanding Just Culture
Safety Surveying What You Already Know
Safety Surveying What You Already Know I received a post this week from someone who had conducted the typical orthodox safety survey. There are many such surveys on the market, all infused with STEM-only assumptions about materialist-rationalist safety. As I looked through the survey results and … [Read more...] about Safety Surveying What You Already Know