John J. Kineman

Biographical Information
"John Kineman founded The Nexial Institute in 1987 to pursue Gaia theory. He is a research scientist (Ph.D.) and spiritual teacher. His higher education began in physics and geophysics, extending to ecology and complex systems in his graduate work. He entered academia in 2005, retiring from the US Civil Service as an eco-informatics expert (builder of the Global Ecosystems Database). John began spiritual practice in 1984 following a deep personal experience. In 1989 he married Patricia (Benson) Kineman, a spiritualist and teacher who led them both to investigate Vedic knowledge in India. John and Patricia facilitated ‘A Course in Miracles’ for many years in Boulder, Colorado, and more recently studied under the auspices of Sri Sathya Sai Baba at Prashanthi Nilayam, India. John is combining Western and Eastern world views and developing 'R-theory' extending Rashevsky/Rosen relational complexity. He coducts scientific research at the University of Colorado in ecological theory and niche modeling (the "GEN" model) to describe adaptive and anticipatory potentials in nature and as the missing causal link for complex informatics. In 2011, he published a synthesis of relational science, called "R-theory", defining a non-dual part/whole mathematical relation (strongly reflecting Vedic philosophy) as a new approach to natural science. He publishes and conducts workshops presenting his theories and models in ecology, evolution, informatics, cosmology, sociology, and consciousness. Through Nexial, he is currently working with universities and non-profit organizations in the USA and India to establish an international education program in "Ecological Literacy Leadership"."

"My theoretical research explores the foundations of complexity in ecological relations and nature generally. The work began in 1988 at a Chapman Conference on the Gaia Hypothesis and has developed today into a comprehensive theory of nature called "R-theory", with a recent synthesis published in 2011. I am exploring experimental and conceptual applications of R-theory in several fields, primarily ecology as a necessary combination of hard and soft systems approaches.

"One result of this work was to clarify the critical role that ecological niche modeling can and, I believe, should play in practice and general ecological theory if it is re-designed as a scientific rather than descriptive tool. To that end I have developed a new technique called the "Generalized Ecological Niche" (GEN) model, which is currently in prototype and being re-written for wider use.

"Past field work was in East and Central Africa before focusing on global and regional issues. In 2005 I become involved with work in India leading to a Fulbright Research appointment at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in 2008. Interactions spread to the Center for Ecological Sciences (CES) at the Indian Institute of Science, the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL), and recently Sikkim University. I have been working with Indian colleagues to test the GEN model in comparison with other models using data on the distribution of threatened and endangered species in India. I also developed an ecological modeling database for South India and am currently extending its coverage to all of India." Relational Complexity in Natural Science and the Design of Ecological

Affiliations

 * Researcher, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science

Related Sourcewatch

 * Carol Wessman - PHD supervisor
 * Robert Rosen