"There is the big hot enchilada, the American Dream in action, powerful, seemingly unstoppable, outrageous, overwhelming, etc. We all nibble at it from our "chosen" bench, and we are perennially confounded. I propose a cut from the center to circumference and them wedge in the cut Lean Alternative: simpleminded, blunt, focused, and necessarily paying only limited attention to the objections raining from all the burning missiles the enchilada throws at it. The wedge is not the solution; at best, it can be a graft. If the graft does not take, it will wither out and will be expelled by the hot enchilada, if it were to take, to survive the onslaught of all the enchilada antibodies, then the enchilada itself might be modified, even altered.

The wedge must be self-reliant and sufficiently self-assured not to be blown into insignificant, unidentifiable smithereens, a self-identity analogous to a persona identity,but heavily vaccinated against Utopia."

Paolo Soleri– 'On the establishment of the School of Thought' Soleri Notebooks, 2001

What is School of Thought?
It is a weekly open dialogue with Dr.Paolo Soleri examining his writings and philosophies. The main purpose of School of Thought (SOFT) is to study and seek to define "The Lean Alternative", especially as it manifests itself in Arcology Theory and Soleri 's hypotheses. It is also intended to provide both people passing through and those living and working at Arcosanti with a foundation to think about and discuss Arcosanti, Arcology, and Paolo Soleri. The ongoing nature of SOFT will allow the group to cover a range of topics, return to central ideas on a regular basis, and delve more deeply into these dense and complex concepts and writings by Soleri. The continuing exchange with Dr. Soleri will provide clarifications for what is being attempted at Arcosanti.