Poverty, economic collapse, human suffering, global strife, lack of leadership (and many more) are ubiquitous – and seem to be getting worse. Although many individuals believe they have “the” answer, the persistence of these problems shows that we just do not have the social theory to address them effectively.
A critical part is developing better theory so we can be more effective in our actions. Every action is dependent on the theory we use (a mental model or mindset is also a kind of theory). So, the more effective our theories, the better we will be at effecting social change.
The Foundation for the Advancement of Social Theory (FAST) is a long-view, transdisciplinary project dedicated to advancing social theory across the spectrum of the social sciences (including policy, psychology, sociology, economics, organization, and more). By improving our theory, we can boost our personal and organizational efficacy – for profit and for social change. The deployment of effective social technology will enable a revolution of social practice on par with the telecommunication revolution. The alternative, waiting centuries to figure our how to resolve problems such as war and poverty, is unthinkable.
FAST seeks to:
- Identify objective measures for advancing theory.
- Critically analyze and benchmark social theory.
- Improve social theory by advancing it towards objective measures of success.
- Facilitate rigorous testing of advanced theories in practice.
- Share our results with many communities of scholarship and practice.