Big Questions

• What is Civic Intelligence? Do we adopt a working definition here?
• How do we recognize it when we see it?
• What role do ICT's play in Civic Intelligence?
• Where did the notion of Civic Intelligence originate?
• What does it mean to be intelligent collectively versus individually?
• How can — or could — Civic Intelligence combat apathy, both on an individual and group level?
• How would one recognize and ultimately even measure Civic Intelligence?
• Similarly, how can one compare two examples of "Civic Intelligence"?
• What is the role of the individual in Civic Intelligence?
• Can Civic Intelligence be measured? And, if so, how?
• Is there an absolute measure of "Civic Intelligence" or does it always depend on context?
• Does the notion of Civic Intelligence presuppose that we currently live in an unintelligent community? Or that our community is unable to intelligently utilize resources to better the community as a whole?
• How can "Civic Intelligence" help to change the course of this nation from being an individualistic society to being a true community.
• Is an informed community considered an intelligent community? How informed does a community have to be before they are considered intelligent?
• What parts of our current society need to be drastically changed in order to naturally cultivate civic intelligence?
• What is education? What is brain washing?

• What are the indicators of increasing civic intelligence? It would be interesting to list these and then we try to put them in the order that the group thinks is right.

• What forms of collective intelligence exist?
• How to define the difference between group intelligence and a group following the so called intelligence of one individual

• How to encourage people to educate themselves on world issues when it's so easy to just follow what we're told from the dominate media sources?

e-participation: list of questions for Douglas Schuler (From Austrian journalist, Angelika Ohland, May 9, 2011)

• How can an average citizen become a motor for innovation and the implementation of solutions by e-participation?

• Which technical tools does he need? And are they already available?

• How do deliberation networks function? Are there any rules, is there any control? Are there any barriers to participation?

• How can we organize a deliberation process that matters and avoid ineffective talking without any results?

• How can collective thinking help to solve problems in the community? Do you know any examples for successful 
e-participation today?

• Food shortages, despoiled natural resources, economic inequality, wars, dictatorship: Is collective reasoning also able to help to solve global problems?

• What are the characteristic traits of civic intelligence? And on the contrary: How would you describe civic ignorance?

• What do people have to know and to learn for being able to deliberate?

• How influencial are age, education, income, regional and cultural factors?

• How can ordinary people with little education become a part of the deliberating community?

• How can we increase the inclusiveness of e-participation?


• Which role will ordinary people play in the new civic society? And will the political and economic elites be less influencial in the future?

• Will e-participation implement more grassroot democracy?

• Deliberating networks do not have any democratic legitimation. Can this be changed? How can ideas be transformed into political action?

• Will e-participation change the political institutions?

• Do you think that citizens are interested in e-participation? Aren´t they busy enough taking care of their ordinary life? Aren´t they relieved if politicians and experts do the job for them?

• Lobbyists spend huge amounts of money to anticipate a debate about the danger of atomic power or the destructive influence of our consuming habits on the climate. Do ordinary people have a chance to see through these aggressive forms of anti-deliberation?

• And at last: Will we be smart enough, soon enough?