In the earlier edition of this website, the About tab came first. Perhaps that reflected a lack of self-confidence and concerns that we would remain "unknown." There were only a few of us then and, in fact, much of our earlier work was not presented to the public. Whatever our personal profile might have been, the Center for the Study of Digital Life was invisible, hiding in plain sight.
In the intervening years, CSDL has stepped up and taken a more public posture. We are now a sizable cohort. We've published articles, given interviews, taught summer schools, and, it seems, attracted some attention. Timing has a lot to do with this. That said, however sharp one's observations might be, for them to have an audience, the preparations must be laid. The popular subconsciousness has to be ready to consider "outlying" thinkers. Technology has to do its destabilizing work. New paradigms must be welcomed (or feared). Shocks can then turn into heightened efforts at awareness.
Trump. Brexit. China's not-like-you declarations. These have all been necessary to prepare for a dialogue on Three Spheres: East, West and Digital. Perhaps even the success of those like Jordan Peterson (e.g.. a Jungian) were needed to launch a conversation about the collapse of "cognitive" psychology -- leading some to develop an interest in changing Sensibilities. The failure of statistics (and social sciences overall) has caused some to queestion why we have abandoned Causality (and are forced to deal with the often nonsense results delivered by "science"). Covid has been a shock not even anticipated by those who thought they'd spent decades preparing for it. Acceleration of many subconscious "trends" -- including work habits, knowledge pursuits, and trust for ELECTRIC authority &c -- have now swept over the hills and valleys of our lives. And this is only the beginning.
The Center was formed to deal with these issues and more. Success in our earlier anticipations has been transformed into the need to engage much more widely and more effectively. In some ways, the Center is an "avant-garde" for what is coming -- accomplished by deploying our capabilities to grasp what has already happened. The future is already here and, with some help, the Center is ready to help minimize the turmoil and conflicts that lie ahead. Thanks for your assistance in that mission.