In 1998, E.O. Wilson wrote “Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge”, which highlights the history of information theory and learning, and also outlines the inherent overlap of traditional academic disciplines. (Think ‘Humanities’, ‘Math and Sciences’, ‘The Arts’.) The Consilience Center encourages people to think about education—information, skills, and experiences—through this holistic, participatory light, with technology as a core unifying force.
Working with a group of passionate people towards shared objectives is an equally important component in contextualizing and retaining information, as well as building skills and understanding. Although there are a lot of existing resources available online, there are few opportunities to learn technical skills as a community, at a reasonable cost. We strive to create a collaborative and inclusive learning environment that allows people to gain technical skills for a variety of reasons—creative expression, social application, intrinsic curiosity—in a truly holistic and ‘consilient’ manner.
In the spirit of all things open and participatory, we are strongly in favor of open source platforms, structures and practices, and we incorporate these values and best practices in our curriculum accordingly.