Closing Remarks – 2010 Skoll World Forum
These are the Skoll World Forum 2010 Closing Remarks by Stephan Chambers, chairman of the Skoll Centre Standing Committee at Said Business School. Saying it’s not easy to summarize the inspiring Skoll World Forum in one speech, Chambers offers some wisdom learned. “Intractable problems, even big, scary, recalcitrant, painful ones, are not intractible when subject to the power of truth, reconciliation and innovation,” he says.
With: Stephan Chambers
here is the future truth for you, someone in Wall street. Somewhere in the city of London. Somewhere in Paris. Someone is building. chariot of scams. Ladies and gentlemen, friends and colleagues, I am the last man standing. And it's my very great pleasure to offer a few concluding remarks for this extraordinary event.
First, Thank you for making this event for thirty days over and over during the last three days people have spoken to me about the atmosphere at the World Forum. They've spoken of of engagement I don't think it's a coincidence that this, the most remarkable of any event I know, happens here in Oxford.
It's not just it a deliberations take on the flavor of the souring of this and the ancient. To thinking hard about hard questions. The questions you've been worrying about this week. the artist questioned awoke. A spool hawking put it you are asking have to Imaging what human being is less scantly for no less importantly You're allowing us to re-imagine what it is to think and act in the face of In justice and disasters both natural and not.
When our curator, the wonderful Paula Kravitz, asked me if I'd be happy to close your forum this year, and offer a few words of synthesis and summary, of course, I agreed. I assumed that diligent note taking, adequately grey hair and lots of assiduous conversations in corridors and over coffee this week would give me some strands to define and some themes to highlight.
I reckoned without one of the lesser known Skoll effects. And that's the law that states that the more inspiring the forum is, the less easy it is to summarize. The bad news therefore, is that there's no simple narrative of the week that I can serve up to you in conclusion tonight. The good new of course is that there's no simple narrative of the week and nor should there be in a week that's ranged both widely and deeply across the idea of collaboration.
So, I thought what I'd do is to list a few of the things that I've learned this week. I've learned that there are two birds and two cakes. I've learned that intractable problems even big, scary, recalcitrant, painful ones are not intractable when subject to the power of truth, reconciliation and innovation.
I've learned that sometimes it pays not to understand what you're interpreter is saying you said. I've learned that often when it appears that no one knows, we know. I've learned that language matters. That stories matter. That entitlement matters. And they matter, because so much of what is wrong results from a failure of empathy.
Stories are empathy agents. I've learned that imposed solutions don't work, but that local ones can. A dried up pond is of no use. I've learned that of the many resources unequally distributed, one of most important is entitlement; the notion that there are rights to demand and to defend is very important.
I've learned that the immune response prompted by the pathologies of power look quite a lot like you. and that nothing you do is inconsequential. And I've learned that it takes depth of courage to Force us to look into the abyss as the poor farmer did here two nights ago and more still to show us Some ways out of the abyss.
We have no choice but to adopt his preferred Definition catalysis and finally in gets dangerously closes sentences I've learned that one of the most famous distinctions in western philosophy may well have been overturned. by you all this week. 1739 David Hume made the distinction between is and ought between very roughly speaking, and it is very roughly speaking, accurate descriptions of the world and consequent inaccurate aspirations about the world.
It occurred to me listening to you all this week to the awardees, to the panelists, to contributors, to various of you over coffee and drinks, that here at the Skoll World forum ought is resolving to is. I thank you for your contributions this week and for continuing to build this creative and necessary event.
If nothing is inconsequential then you can be sure that some things are more consequential than others. This gathering is one of those things. For those of you who can get home, I wish you safe travel. To all of you, I wish you an engaged, productive, collaborative year and look forward to welcoming you back to this city of your dreams next year.
Meanwhile, may your ought be is. Thank you.
First, Thank you for making this event for thirty days over and over during the last three days people have spoken to me about the atmosphere at the World Forum. They've spoken of of engagement I don't think it's a coincidence that this, the most remarkable of any event I know, happens here in Oxford.
It's not just it a deliberations take on the flavor of the souring of this and the ancient. To thinking hard about hard questions. The questions you've been worrying about this week. the artist questioned awoke. A spool hawking put it you are asking have to Imaging what human being is less scantly for no less importantly You're allowing us to re-imagine what it is to think and act in the face of In justice and disasters both natural and not.
When our curator, the wonderful Paula Kravitz, asked me if I'd be happy to close your forum this year, and offer a few words of synthesis and summary, of course, I agreed. I assumed that diligent note taking, adequately grey hair and lots of assiduous conversations in corridors and over coffee this week would give me some strands to define and some themes to highlight.
I reckoned without one of the lesser known Skoll effects. And that's the law that states that the more inspiring the forum is, the less easy it is to summarize. The bad news therefore, is that there's no simple narrative of the week that I can serve up to you in conclusion tonight. The good new of course is that there's no simple narrative of the week and nor should there be in a week that's ranged both widely and deeply across the idea of collaboration.
So, I thought what I'd do is to list a few of the things that I've learned this week. I've learned that there are two birds and two cakes. I've learned that intractable problems even big, scary, recalcitrant, painful ones are not intractable when subject to the power of truth, reconciliation and innovation.
I've learned that sometimes it pays not to understand what you're interpreter is saying you said. I've learned that often when it appears that no one knows, we know. I've learned that language matters. That stories matter. That entitlement matters. And they matter, because so much of what is wrong results from a failure of empathy.
Stories are empathy agents. I've learned that imposed solutions don't work, but that local ones can. A dried up pond is of no use. I've learned that of the many resources unequally distributed, one of most important is entitlement; the notion that there are rights to demand and to defend is very important.
I've learned that the immune response prompted by the pathologies of power look quite a lot like you. and that nothing you do is inconsequential. And I've learned that it takes depth of courage to Force us to look into the abyss as the poor farmer did here two nights ago and more still to show us Some ways out of the abyss.
We have no choice but to adopt his preferred Definition catalysis and finally in gets dangerously closes sentences I've learned that one of the most famous distinctions in western philosophy may well have been overturned. by you all this week. 1739 David Hume made the distinction between is and ought between very roughly speaking, and it is very roughly speaking, accurate descriptions of the world and consequent inaccurate aspirations about the world.
It occurred to me listening to you all this week to the awardees, to the panelists, to contributors, to various of you over coffee and drinks, that here at the Skoll World forum ought is resolving to is. I thank you for your contributions this week and for continuing to build this creative and necessary event.
If nothing is inconsequential then you can be sure that some things are more consequential than others. This gathering is one of those things. For those of you who can get home, I wish you safe travel. To all of you, I wish you an engaged, productive, collaborative year and look forward to welcoming you back to this city of your dreams next year.
Meanwhile, may your ought be is. Thank you.
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