metadesign
the contents of the writing below are a bit complex, relying upon a previous understanding of a few information-dense words. don't be discouraged. if you aren't familiarized with a few of the terms i use, the links throughout the text expand on it more. i encourage you to read the page below, explore a few of the references i link to and come back to re-read it after some time. it should get much clearer for you.
a few personal notes/reflections on it:
the way i've been referring to metadesign most often is by pointing to a few fundamental questions:
"what are the systems at the foundations of our reality? be them personal, social, civilizational, metaphysical or biophysical? and how are they currently designed, based upon which values, principles and towards what ends?"
i.e. an inquiry into what meta-systems really exist and how they work.
the practice of metadesign, in this sense - attempts to create space for experiencing life fully (aesthetics) - with no pre-conceived labels (taxonomy), to help us more deeply relate to, understand and define what exists (ontology) - at the same time that it constantly asks and creates: how can we design supportive conditions for emergence? (cosmology, in a sense, and metadesign - in practice)
it's a set of systems/attitudes for relating to and understanding the contexts in which we live/we're embedded in, and which movements make the most sense from our position.
caio vassão seems to be doing it in a very similar way, but seeing and tending to this an emergent academic and practical field - based on an approach and set of tools for (meta)designing complex systems. it drinks from several sources as an attempt to build a deeply collaborative, systems-informed yet abstract, generic approach to design.
it does point to some of the macro reflections that i referred to, especially through the metagame framework/application and in its multidisciplinary academic background via caio's lectures,
i'm still understanding its context and applicability, gauging the depth and effectiveness of its impact. it seems to lack focus on values-centered design and individual human development, as well putting regenerative design and decolonial theory on secondary seat, but perhaps that's what's also needed to navigate and influence institutions deeply rooted in modern, extractivist paradigms.
the way it has been able to penetrate culture as primarily a "facilitation method" and a set of key ideas/tools/distinctions, driving (some) transformation in corporate and public sectors in brazil is intriguing, so i'm currently learning more about it.
examples/applications of "metadesign"-thinking in other references: omni-mapping (buckminster fuller institute), the process of relevance realization (as described by john vervaeke), latent space mapping (subconscious (tool)) / phase space of human flourishing (this random person on youtube)...
examples/applications of metadesign in my own work: relevance scores and other knowledge design patterns, L1F3 support systems design.
different uses
the term has different applications and methodologies, the one i'm currently learning more about (and which seems the most structured and tested from all of them) is an approach developed by caio vassão for designing complex systems (in portuguese).
other notable researchers/approaches are: john wood, gehrard fischer, carlo franzato.
introductory articles:
public notes on the metadesign course from a friend
my highlights & screenshots (in portuguese)
source for most of the images: Vassão, Caio (2025) Material pedagógico para o Curso Metadesign - do básico ao avançado. in https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVIziavnc=/?share_link_id=660858256674
metadesign in one image:
what kinds of "decision environments" are out there and what kinds can a metadesigner create (introductory):
metadesign's 4 core generic cognitive tools:
metagame framework & application in politics:
the energy cycles - limitations of production for each type of energy:
a fundamentally different - circular/regenerative economy/production system:
emergent archetypal socio-political roles:
the cognitive island - human limitations on collaboration and the emergence of higher-order structures/institutions:
extremely related: Thinking together
the 4 bodies/skins we inhabit: (4 levels of layers of social reality and the expression of the archetypes in each)
the difference between metadesign and other approaches for complex systems design:
talk on building a regenerative society
innovation should be attached to regeneration. and vice-versa.
in order to do so, we need to recognize that "sustainability" isn't a specialized area, it's transversal. innovation should also be.
innovating based on ecosystem maps (dynamic landscapes):
operating at the right level of abstraction requires mapping ecosystems at the right level. neither too many details:
nor too little:
an organizational ecosystems map is an important artefact - one that should be constantly tended to:
(reminds me a lot of a wardley map)
the metadesign & facilitation frameworks enable that regenerative innovation frame to be spread/adopted organization-wide.
regeneration presumes evolving, living systems, and therefore requires an ecosystemic/ecologic view. it's not about seeing "everything", but seeing "enough":
the role of brazil in the global context of systemic collapse and regeneration:
ecological reserves x ecological deficit:
distribution of living species of terrestrial vertebrates:
rewilding is an emergent theme coming from indigenous' wisdom on nature symbiosis:
soil cultivation in buried amazonian cities - ancestral knowledge known as "terra preta de índio":
from colonial countries providing innovation (abstract wealth) and colonies providing commodities (material wealth):
to global north countries (declining metropolis) and global south countries (ex-colonies) providing and receiving both.
examples of globally-needed innovations locally happening here:
"digesters as a service" - distributed sanitation
