Zoe Weil on The Solutionary Way

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In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, we learn about “The Solutionary Way” with Zoe Weil, co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education. Zoe discusses her innovative approach to education that exceeds older problem-solving by integrating ethical considerations to ensure actions do the MOST good for all involved. We explore how adopting a solutionary mindset can transform education and empower students to tackle more complex global challenges, leading to a more equitable and sustainable world.

Zoe Weil introduces listeners to the concept of “solutionaries”—individuals who identify and solve systemic problems through ethical action and strategic thinking. She shares insights from her book, “The Solutionary Way: Transform Your Life, Your Community, and the World for the Better,” and discusses practical ways educators can implement solutionary thinking in classrooms. By encouraging a generation of solutionaries, Zoe hopes to prepare young people to become proactive changemakers capable of addressing the world’s most daunting issues with compassion, and creativity.

Outline

• (00:41) Introducing Zoe Weil and The Solutionary Way
• (02:41) The Impact and Expansion of Solutionary Education
• (14:46) Understanding the Solutionary Process
• (15:40) The Importance of Problem Identification
• (21:54) Implementing Solutionary Thinking in Education

Introducing Zoe Weil and The Solutionary Way

Tom Vander Ark: In 2002, Canadian Thomas Homer-Dixon published The Ingenuity Gap, where he noted that we had crossed an important threshold in human history where the collective problems that we face had outstripped our collective problem-solving capacity. That call to action really lit a fire under me and made me an advocate for entrepreneurship and collective problem-solving.

Our guest today, Zoe Weil, has proposed a solution to this ingenuity gap. She calls it The Solutionary Way. I’m Tom Vander Ark, you’re listening to the Getting Smart podcast, and today we’re joined by a favorite, a repeat guest, Zoe Weil. She’s the president of the Institute for Humane Education. I think this is her seventh book, The Solutionary Way.

Zoe, it’s so great to have you back.

Zoe Weil: It’s great to be back, Tom. Thank you for having me.

Tom Vander Ark: So, your last book aimed a bit more specifically at education. It was called The World Becomes What We Teach: Educating a Generation of Solutionaries. We love that book and believe it’s still a super important guidebook, particularly for secondary schools but also for colleges.

I’m curious, did you see schools using that book, taking it up post-pandemic? What’s the reception been?

The Impact and Expansion of Solutionary Education

Zoe Weil: The reception has been great, and the book actually became a number one Amazon release in the philosophy and social aspects of education. So it’s gained a lot of attention from educators, which is what we wanted. And it’s being used in a lot of states, and we’re excited about how it’s being used.

In several counties in California, for example, they are using that book with their teachers as a foundational book for bringing the solutionary framework to students. That framework is now something we’re training teachers all over the world to use. So that book is foundational for our work in K-12 schools. We’re in 26 countries, we’re all across the U.S., and we are really doing this work deeply in our home state of Maine. By the end of this year, we will have trained 300 teachers in the Solutionary Framework, and they, in turn, are bringing this to every county in Maine.

So it’s happening all over, and the book is really the vision and the blueprint for people who want to use it. But many people find a book is not enough, so we provide additional training, coaching, and facilitation through our solutionary micro-credential course that we offer to teachers.

Tom Vander Ark: I love that, with Antioch, right?

Zoe Weil: Antioch is the institution with whom we have partnered for our graduate programs. So, Antioch University is our partner for our graduate programs and for our solutionary micro-credential course where we are providing an online course for teachers. That’s happening through the Institute for Humane Education.

And for those who are interested, our website is humaneeducation.org.

Tom Vander Ark: Zoe, one thing I deeply appreciate about your book, The World Becomes What We Teach, your previous book, is that you were writing it at the same time that I was working on Difference Making at the Heart of Learning. The two books are very similar in that they encourage schools to put this idea of finding problems worth solving and taking them on collectively as a really big idea. I feel like we’ve been on parallel paths for the last 20 years, advocating for more schools to adopt this as the backbone—as the new mission for education.

Now, let’s talk about your new book, The Solutionary Way. I was surprised when I read it. I guess I assumed that you’d go back to the education audience, but this one is really a bit more of a general audience piece. You’re really trying to convince the other 8 billion people on the planet that they need to become solutionaries.

Why take on the world?

Zoe Weil: Because I have a very big goal, which is to work toward a future where all people, animals, and nature can thrive. That’s a really big goal. The animals don’t have to work on the solutions, but we have to make sure that our solutions don’t harm them. And, one of the things that we see when we do this work with students is that it’s great for them. It’s great for their schools and communities, and it contributes to a better world. It’s such a win.

And it’s also really important that we not leave this to the next generation to solve the problems that we face. Some of them are potentially catastrophic in a very short time frame, so we need everybody to become a solutionary. When we’ve seen the response from young people, which has been just phenomenally positive, they love this education. I thought, we have to provide this for everybody. So literally everybody can learn to be a solutionary.

When I wrote the book, I was also hoping that people who are entrepreneurs, people who are in politics, our elected officials, people who are in the legal system, the criminal justice system, the healthcare system—people who are in energy, building, production, and food systems—will become solutionaries because we need all of those systems to become more sustainable, more just, and more humane.

Understanding the Solutionary Process

Tom Vander Ark: So in the preface, you say a solutionary is someone who identifies and solves systemic problems in ways that do the most good and the least harm. Both parts of that definition are important to you—someone who identifies and solves systemic problems in ways that do the most good and least harm.

In Chapter 2, you talk about this MOGO principle—Most Good, Least Harm. So I love that. And it’s also interesting, though, that before I was a public school superintendent, I spent a decade teaching in a business school. So I have sort of an ROI (Return on Investment) brain, and when I think about problem-solving, I think about entrepreneurship and tend to think about enterprise creation and return on investment. This MOGO—Most Good, Least Harm—is really a beautiful and appropriate, extensible framework for a broad set of problems.

Where’d that come from? What’s the backstory on MOGO?

Zoe Weil: So my goal in life has always been to create—help create—a world that is better for everyone. And I have never been able to narrow “everyone” down. So some people are focused on humans, and they might be focused on one group of humans. Some people are focused on animals—maybe one group of animals like pets but not animals who are used for food. And some people on environmental issues. I’ve just never been able to compartmentalize that way.

To me, to create a world where everyone can flourish should be all of our goals. It doesn’t mean that some people don’t narrow down their focus. It makes sense to narrow down your focus. But that ethical foundation lies at the root of the word “solutionary.”

You might ask, why do we need a new word—solutionary? How is a solutionary different from a problem-solver? Well, a problem-solver could solve the problem of damming a river or the problem of blowing up a mountain for coal removal, but they don’t have that ethical foundation of doing the most good and the least harm to everyone.

So that’s why we need this word “solutionary.” A solutionary is also not synonymous with humanitarian. Lots of people are striving to relieve suffering and try to mitigate harm. But solutionaries are looking for those root and systemic causes so that the problems do not persist. For those reasons, solutionary has this definition of looking at systems and addressing them and also striving to do so with this principle of doing the most good and the least harm.

Tom Vander Ark: It reminds me a little bit of the effective altruism movement. Peter Singer is a key figure in that movement. It seems like there’s some connection between what you’re proposing here in The Solutionary Way and the effective altruism movement.

Were there things about Peter Singer’s work that were foundational to this idea?

Zoe Weil: Absolutely. Peter Singer’s book Animal Liberation, which I read in the early 1980s, was a transformational book for me. It introduced me to the concept of the tremendous harm we were causing to non-human animals.

Peter wrote a testimonial for my earlier book, Most Good, Least Harm, and there is definitely an alignment between effective altruism and the solutionary framework. Effective altruism is a really interesting movement that asks the question: “What is the most effective thing that I can do with the resources I have?”

That’s one aspect of solutionary thinking. But, in solutionary thinking, we are also looking at the root causes of systemic problems and ensuring that the solutions don’t inadvertently cause harm elsewhere. So it’s a broader ethical framework that encompasses more than just maximizing benefits—it’s about minimizing harm and addressing systems.

Tom Vander Ark: The older I get, the more I become aware of unintended consequences. My sleepless nights are often spent thinking about unintended consequences from initiatives I helped start decades ago. You mention unintended consequences in your book—how do we better take them into account?

Zoe Weil: The solutionary framework involves identifying a problem, thoroughly investigating it, and then innovating solutions. Part of that process includes looking for potential unintended consequences.

You don’t stop at implementation—you evaluate and iterate. By doing thorough research, talking to stakeholders, and considering different perspectives, you reduce the chances of unintended negative consequences.

The goal is to constantly ask, “Is this addressing the root causes? Is it doing the most good and least harm?” It’s an ongoing process, and the more you engage with it, the more naturally you start thinking like a solutionary.

Tom Vander Ark: Yeah, I love the way you put that. I think that’s one of the most valuable skills we can help people develop—this ongoing process of reflection, evaluation, and iteration. It’s not just about implementing a solution and moving on. It’s about constantly assessing whether your solution is having the intended impact or if there are unintended consequences that need to be addressed.

The Importance of Problem Identification

Tom Vander Ark: Your new book, The Solutionary Way, beautifully lays out this process. I want to return to problem identification, which you call step one. This might be the most important new skill set we can teach young people—learning to identify important problems. Do you see schools adopting this?

Zoe Weil: Wherever we’re involved, absolutely. It’s such an integral part of the solutionary framework. However, I’m not sure if it’s happening on a larger scale. What I do know is that identifying a problem and investigating it thoroughly can sometimes reveal that what you thought was a problem isn’t actually a problem. That kind of thinking cultivates solutionary thinking, and that’s really the goal—teaching students to think critically, strategically, and creatively.

Even if a sixth grader doesn’t solve a huge problem, learning to think like a solutionary will benefit them throughout their education and careers.

Tom Vander Ark: I love that. Problem identification is such a vital skill, and you’re right—sometimes what we think is a problem might turn out to be a symptom of a larger issue, or even not a problem at all. That process of investigation and critical thinking is so crucial.

I also think about the challenges around identifying problems that are worth solving, especially for young people who might feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of global issues. How do you help students navigate that?

Zoe Weil: That’s a great question, and it’s something we spend a lot of time thinking about. One of the ways we help students navigate this is by starting with problems they care about. When students begin with something that resonates with them, whether it’s climate change, animal welfare, or social justice, they feel more motivated to dive into the investigation process.

We also emphasize the importance of breaking problems down into manageable pieces. Global issues can feel overwhelming, but when you start looking at specific aspects of a problem, students begin to see where they can have an impact. For example, if a student is concerned about plastic pollution, they might investigate local waste management systems or research alternatives to single-use plastics. These smaller, more focused investigations help students see that they can contribute to solutions even when the problem feels enormous.

Tom Vander Ark: That’s such an important point. Helping students connect with problems they care about and then breaking those problems down into actionable pieces can make all the difference. Another thing you talk about in the book is the importance of collaboration in solving problems. Why is collaboration so central to the solutionary process?

Zoe Weil: Collaboration is essential because most of the problems we face are systemic, and systemic problems require multiple perspectives and expertise to solve. No one person can tackle climate change or systemic racism on their own—it requires collective effort. When students learn to collaborate effectively, they’re able to pool their strengths, knowledge, and ideas to come up with more comprehensive solutions.

Collaboration also teaches students how to communicate with people who may have different perspectives or experiences, which is a critical skill in today’s world. It’s not just about working together with people who agree with you—it’s about learning to listen, engage, and find common ground with people who might see things differently. That’s where real innovation happens, and it’s a key part of being a solutionary.

Tom Vander Ark: Absolutely. Collaboration, communication, and the ability to engage with diverse perspectives are all so important, not just for students but for all of us. I want to touch on another piece of the solutionary framework that I think is particularly relevant right now, which is the idea of empathy. How does empathy fit into the solutionary process, and how can we foster it in education?

Zoe Weil: Empathy is foundational to the solutionary process because it allows us to understand the perspectives and experiences of others, especially those who are affected by the problems we’re trying to solve. Without empathy, it’s easy to make assumptions or overlook the needs of certain groups, and that can lead to solutions that don’t address the root causes or that create new problems.

In education, fostering empathy starts with helping students develop their capacity to listen and engage with others. That means encouraging them to ask questions, consider different perspectives, and reflect on how their actions impact others. We also need to create learning environments where students feel safe to express their own experiences and emotions, which helps build a culture of empathy and understanding.

Implementing Solutionary Thinking in Education

Tom Vander Ark: That’s such a powerful insight. Empathy really is at the heart of so much of the work we do in education, and it’s clear that it plays a critical role in the solutionary process. I also think about the challenges we face in fostering empathy in an increasingly polarized world. How do we help students develop empathy when they’re surrounded by so much division?

Zoe Weil: That’s one of the biggest challenges we face right now, but I believe it’s also one of the most important things we can do in education. One of the ways we can foster empathy in a polarized world is by creating opportunities for students to engage with people who have different perspectives in a respectful and open way. That means teaching students how to have difficult conversations, how to listen without judgment, and how to find common ground even when they disagree.

It’s also important to help students recognize the humanity in others, even when those others hold different beliefs or values. We need to remind students that everyone has a story, and that story is shaped by their experiences, their upbringing, and their environment. When students begin to understand that, they can start to approach differences with curiosity rather than judgment.

Tom Vander Ark: I completely agree, and I think that’s such an important lesson for all of us, not just students. We all need to work on approaching differences with curiosity and empathy, especially in today’s world. Zoe, as we begin to wrap up, I’d love to hear your thoughts on where you see the future of education heading. What gives you hope, and what are you excited about in the world of education right now?

Zoe Weil: I’m hopeful because I see more and more educators embracing the idea that education needs to be about more than just academic achievement. There’s a growing recognition that we need to educate the whole child, and that means focusing on emotional intelligence, empathy, collaboration, and critical thinking. I’m also excited about the ways in which educators are integrating real-world problem-solving into the curriculum. I think that’s a huge step forward.

What gives me the most hope, though, is the response we’ve seen from students. When we give them the tools and the opportunity to be solutionaries, they rise to the occasion. They care deeply about the world, and they want to make a difference. We just need to provide them with the support and the guidance they need to take action. That’s what excites me about the future of education—seeing how students take the lead in creating a more just, humane, and sustainable world.

Tom Vander Ark: That’s beautifully said, Zoe. I think that’s what excites all of us about the future of education—watching young people take the lead in creating solutions and making the world a better place. Thank you so much for joining us today and for sharing your insights. I encourage everyone listening to pick up a copy of Zoe’s new book, The Solutionary Way. It’s a fantastic read, and it’s packed with practical tools and inspiring stories. Zoe, thanks again for being with us today.

Zoe Weil: Thank you so much, Tom. It’s been a pleasure.

Tom Vander Ark: Thanks for tuning in to today’s episode of the Getting Smart podcast. If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to subscribe and leave a review. We’d love to hear from you. Until next time, keep learning and keep leading.

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Zoe Weil

Zoe is the author of seven books including The World Becomes What We Teach: Educating a Generation of Solutionaries (2021/2016), Nautilus Silver Medal winner, Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life (2009), The Power and Promise of Humane Education (2004), and Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times (2003).

She has also written books for young people, including Moonbeam Gold Medal winner, Claude and Medea: The Hellburn Dogs (2007), about 12-year-old activists inspired by their teacher to right wrongs where they find them, and So, You Love Animals: An Action-Packed, Fun-Filled Book to Help Kids Help Animals (1994).

In 2012 Zoe debuted her One-woman show, “My Ongoing Problems with Kindness: Confessions of MOGO Girl,” bringing humane issues to communities through entertainment. In 2017 she was named one of Maine Magazine’s “50 independent leaders transforming their communities and the state.” In 2016 Good Housekeeping included her in their women over fifty “groundbreakers shaking the world.” In 2012 she was honored with the Women in Environmental Leadership award at Unity College, and her portrait was painted by Robert Shetterly for the Americans Who Tell The Truth portrait series. Zoe was inducted into the Animal Rights Hall of Fame in 2010.

Zoe received a Master’s in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School (1988) and a Master’s and Bachelor’s in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania (1983). In 2015 she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Valparaiso University. Zoe is certified in Psychosynthesis counseling, a form of psychotherapy which relies upon the intrinsic power of each person’s imagination to promote growth, creativity, health, and transformation.

Links

• Watch the full video
• The Solutionary Way
• The World Becomes What We Teach: Educating a Generation of Solutionaries
• Institute for Humane Education
• Free Solutionary Guidebook for teachers
• Solutionary micro-credential program
• Online Graduate Programs with Antioch University 
• Difference Making