Engagement - Integral Post-Metaphysical Spirituality2024-03-28T11:58:28Zhttp://integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com/forum/categories/engagement-1/listForCategory?feed=yes&xn_auth=noDaring to hear voicestag:integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com,2019-01-21:5301756:Topic:749702019-01-21T21:18:26.447ZEdward theurj Bergehttp://integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com/profile/theurj
<p>At FB Balder linked to <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/culture-mind-and-brain/201604/daring-hear-voices?fbclid=IwAR1-GXAeWkysgSEs81xW1Ycic0XTsloMmoAKZP8Gq8PXz21aPW0wFEgOyTU#_=_" rel="noopener" target="_blank">this</a> article. I recently saw a preview of Glass the movie. The same character from Split is in it, as well as the previous movie Unbreakable. One character has split personalities to the point of schizophrenia, but we all have these different voices from our past in…</p>
<p>At FB Balder linked to <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/culture-mind-and-brain/201604/daring-hear-voices?fbclid=IwAR1-GXAeWkysgSEs81xW1Ycic0XTsloMmoAKZP8Gq8PXz21aPW0wFEgOyTU#_=_" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this</a> article. I recently saw a preview of Glass the movie. The same character from Split is in it, as well as the previous movie Unbreakable. One character has split personalities to the point of schizophrenia, but we all have these different voices from our past in our head: Parents, teachers, different points in our own lives, etc. It can become a healthy psychological practice to acknowledge and engage them when they arise. There is no need to find metaphysical sources for them. Exteriorizing them like that just might facilitate schizophrenia.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2016-06-23/inner-voices-how-internal-dialogue-helps-us-make-sense-of-world/7535538?fbclid=IwAR0xCZ4ihfrd2Zsnq6nkCj5i2rzATSvnCwkGL0ojbXUTdoUahpBtGTZPXXI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This</a> article on inner dialogue, "the voices in our head," highlights that it's a common phenomenon. And it does have a verbal quality, as if we hear it, at least in our thoughts. It "involve[s] representing the point of view or the perspective of another person." Vygotsky noted how in our development we internalize our external dialogues with others, particularly caregivers. Our self talk is social in nature. <br/> <br/> This is distinguished from auditory hallucinations, which is considered mental illness. And yet even those, according to the topic article, can be considered healthy in the right context.</p>
<p>Btw, I put it in the 'engagement' sub-forum as it involves engaging with others through our internal dialogue. As Captain Picard is fond of saying: Engage!</p> Is meta-theory necessary to an integral life?tag:integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com,2016-08-17:5301756:Topic:662122016-08-17T17:52:17.892ZEdward theurj Bergehttp://integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com/profile/theurj
<p>I started <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/470435939720069/permalink/1030218777075113/">this</a> inquiry at FB IPS. Is integral all about meta-theory? And does one have to be involved in meta-theory to be integral? Even more broadly, do we have to meta everything? <span><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody"><span>So I'm curious about how one can be integral and not necessarily participate in meta-theory.…</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p>I started <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/470435939720069/permalink/1030218777075113/">this</a> inquiry at FB IPS. Is integral all about meta-theory? And does one have to be involved in meta-theory to be integral? Even more broadly, do we have to meta everything? <span><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody"><span>So I'm curious about how one can be integral and not necessarily participate in meta-theory.</span></span></span></span></span> <span><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody"><span>It seems most discussion that claim integrality usually go through delineating AQAL, as if that is what defines it in toto.</span></span></span></span></span><br/> <br/> <span><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody"><span><span><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span>I'm reminded of <a href="http://integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-evolution-of-consciousness-as-a-planetary-imperative">Gidley's work</a>. She talks about the difference between research that identifies postformal operations (PFO) from examples of those that enact PFO. And that much of the research identifying PFO has itself “been framed and presented from</span></span> <span><span><span>a formal, mental-rational mode” (109). Plus those enacting PFO don’t “necessarilty conceptualize it as such” (104). <span><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span>And of course this now infamous Gidley quote:</span><br/><br/><span>"For Gebser, integral-aperspectival consciousness is not experienced through expanded consciousness, more systematic conceptualizations, or greater quantities of perspectives. In</span></span> <span><span><span>his view, such approaches largely</span> <span>represent over-extended, rational characteristics. Rather, it involves an actual re-experiencing, re-embodying, and conscious re-integration of the living vitality of magic-interweaving, the imagination at the heart of mythic-feeling</span> <span>and the purposefulness of mental conceptual thinking, their presence raised to a higher resonance, in order for the integral transparency to shine through" (111).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br/> <br/> <span><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody"><span><span><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody"><span>So how do we DO that? And is a meta-theory necessary to do that?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br/> <br/> <span><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody"><span><span><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody"><span><span><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span>I'm also reminded of <a href="http://www.integralworld.net/ferrer.html">this</a> Ferrer essay on integral transformative practice, abstract below:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span>"Most psychospiritual practices in the modern West suffer from favoring growth of mind and heart over physical and instinctive aspects of human experience wit</span><span><span><span>h many negative consequences. Michael Murphy and Ken Wilber have each made excellent contributions in offering prescriptions for “Integral Transformative Practice” (ITP) which includes various physical and psychospiritual disciplines. Their prescriptions, however, can easily perpetuate the mind-centered direction of growth characteristic of the modern West in that they inherently ask one's mind to pick and commit to already constructed practices. Needed is an approach that will permit all human dimensions to co-creatively participate in the unfolding of integral growth. As one possible solution, the author presents a program of ITP developed by Albareda and Romero in Spain. Their Holistic Integration is based in group retreats to practice “interactive embodied meditations,” which involve contemplative physical contact between practitioners that allows access to the creative potential of all human dimensions."</span></span></span></p> Exploring integral educational programmingtag:integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com,2015-12-08:5301756:Topic:632052015-12-08T17:39:18.484ZEdward theurj Bergehttp://integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com/profile/theurj
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/470435939720069/permalink/879636108800048/">this</a> FB IPS thread Zak Stein asked for examples of integral training programs. When a few offered criticism of those programs Zak noted there'd be time enough for that later, as his thread was just to find out about those programs in existence. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/470435939720069/permalink/882052671891725/">This</a> FB IPS thread is to explore that…</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/470435939720069/permalink/879636108800048/">this</a> FB IPS thread Zak Stein asked for examples of integral training programs. When a few offered criticism of those programs Zak noted there'd be time enough for that later, as his thread was just to find out about those programs in existence. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/470435939720069/permalink/882052671891725/">This</a> FB IPS thread is to explore that criticism. <br/><p></p>
<p>I'm also posting it here for those not on FB and I'll share comments here with that discussion and vice versa.</p>
<p>How about forums such as this as legitimate integral educational programming? We have several academics here that share their knowledge to many that cannot afford institutional tuition. Plus there are quite a few bright and highly self-educated folks here that are not institutional academics who add astute analysis and innovative synsthesis to the integral database.</p>
<p>There is a marked difference in educational approach between the standard academic degree credentialing model and the P2P peer credentialing model, the latter being an example of the emerging neo-Commons worldview where peers value each other on the actual merits of their contributions without requiring institutional degree authority. Which is not to say that any old view is of equivalent value. But smart folks, institutional or not, can tell when someone's views are intelligent, relevant, sound and make a contribution to a project or not. To just ignore or dismiss non-academics though, as if that is the only authority worth attention, is part and parcel of a rapidly defunct educational model as widely documented BY academics on the emerging neo-Commons and P2P movements.</p>
<p>The only jobs for graduates of integral degree programs are teaching within a university with integral programs or as entrepreneur selling the integral model to businesses. There are very few jobs in the former category, certainly not enough to hire all the people in such training programs. And many of those jobs are as independent contractors with low pay and no benefits. Aiding job placement has always been one of the responsibilities of educational programs and should be of any integral program as well. If there aren't enough academic jobs out there to support the number of students in such programs then such programs have the additional responsibility to create those jobs in their and other institutions, as well as create tenure-track jobs with job security and benefits.</p>
<p>The other job track assumes everyone else is an extroverted salesperson in addition to scholar-practitioner who can boldly forge their own way, which many are not. Which of course is part and parcel of the capitalistic rugged individualism myth. And that it's just fine to teach this stuff to any capitalist business that has the money because the model itself will transform said business into a benevolent integral company that will do the right thing by its employees and the environment. Which of course flies in the face of the ITC integral anticapitalism debate and real-time examples like Whole Foods.</p>
</div> What for is philosophy?tag:integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com,2015-09-03:5301756:Topic:619792015-09-03T20:41:00.267ZEdward theurj Bergehttp://integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com/profile/theurj
<p>This is a compilation of recent threads on the FB IPS forum. This meme seems to be floating around the Facesphere, to wit Levi Bryant's recent relevant post documented <a href="http://integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com/forum/topics/object-oriented-ontology?commentId=5301756%3AComment%3A62219" target="_self">here</a>. Steven Shapiro's FB post <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/470435939720069/permalink/840288382734821/" target="_blank">here</a> linked to a comic on philosophy…</p>
<p>This is a compilation of recent threads on the FB IPS forum. This meme seems to be floating around the Facesphere, to wit Levi Bryant's recent relevant post documented <a href="http://integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com/forum/topics/object-oriented-ontology?commentId=5301756%3AComment%3A62219" target="_self">here</a>. Steven Shapiro's FB post <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/470435939720069/permalink/840288382734821/" target="_blank">here</a> linked to a comic on philosophy <a href="http://existentialcomics.com/comic/96" target="_blank">here</a>. I replied in that thread:</p>
<p><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody"><span>I agree with the cyborg that we need to end something, but not human life. How about the end to useless philosophy that has virtually no impact on human life because it is "no longer immanent to anything other than itself?" To paraphrase one of its last news items: "Philosophy store robbed at gunpoint but nothing of value was stolen."</span></span></span></span></p>
<p>I also linked to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur5fGSBsfq8" target="_blank">this</a> Monty Python video. A discussion between Balder and I ensued:</p>
<p>Balder: <span><span><span class="UFICommentBody"><span>Almost as meaningless as participating in a rigged political system with near-zero chance of significant reform....</span></span></span></span></p>
<p>Me: <span><span><span class="UFICommentBody"><span>Is that what you think of Sanders campaign? Or how we the people got significant changes to laws like marriage equality, minimum wage increases, legal marijuana? Or on how the internet and social media gave us the capacity to organize globally? I'd say all of those had significant impact on countless lives.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p>Balder: <span><span><span class="UFICommentBody"><span>I was meeting your cynical hyperbole with cynical hyperbole</span></span></span></span>.</p>
<p>Me: <span><span><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span>Which brings me to a legitimate question then. When I originally posted the Warren/Clinton thread on politics I was challenged to how it related to an integral postmetaphysical spirituality. It seems at least some here agreed that it does. And especial</span></span><span><span><span>ly given that the last ITC is on impact, I'd really like to hear from some in this group how philosophy impacts the spiritual lives of a great number and how it also impacts the socio-economic lives of a great number, a spiritual endeavor. Is this a legitimate inquiry?</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p>Balder: <span><span><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span>Yes, it's a legitimate inquiry. A simple answer for now (since I'm supposed to be working!): A good part of the ITC was dedicated to showing where Wilber's (and other integralists') philosophical work is being applied on the ground, translated into a</span></span><span><span><span>ction, etc, in multiple spheres (social, political, medical, scientific, religious, educational, environmental engineering, artistic, etc). The common person doesn't have to read philosophy to be affected by it. Strong ideas end up permeating a culture and can play a role in its organization, in a people's self-conception and aspirations, etc. And philosophy also has a significant role to play in interrogating the presuppositions that currently inform a culture or institution. Some philosophy is certainly insular and overly specialized and doesn't impact much more than the space it claims on some shelf or hard drive. But good philosophy underlabors for a culture or a discipline (in Bhaskar's terms) and that work is not wasted.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p>Me: <span><span><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span>I appreciate the general statements of philosophy's overall purpose. But I'd like more specifics on how integral philosophy is achieving such impacts in the world, and the degree of measurable impact.</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span>As one example, I really appreciated the discussi</span></span><span><span><span>on around the ITC debate on capitalism in the sense described above, how it interrogated its presuppositions. And how some integral expressions like conscious capitalism supported those presuppositions. So what are some of the actions taken by integralists to not only publicly challenge capitalism philosophically but to impact a change in that system? Is philosophy enough for that mission? To frame it in the philosophical soccer video, doesn't someone have to go kick the soccer ball to change the score?</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span><span>*</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p>At this point in the discussion I linked to the Bryant post above, so please see it. And then Cameron Freeman <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/470435939720069/permalink/841752349255091/" target="_blank">posted</a> the following in the FB IPS forum:</p>
<p>I genuinely like and respect many of you guys (and gals), but just want to be straight up and brutally honest with you all about some of my overriding impressions and sentiments re: Integral PM. So please understand that this doesn't reflect on some of the truly brilliant individuals that frequent this page, I’m just referring to the more general drift of the activity in the Integral PM universe here.</p>
<p>The Integral model is so clear, simple and elegant; making it so attractive to those of us who tend toward cognitive understanding and intellectual reasoning a lot. But when it comes to (post-metaphysical) spirituality I'm more like a soldier in war zone, when everything is quiet and the birds are singing something is profoundly wrong. Integral is too clear, too elegant to tell us anything useful about reality.</p>
<p>Now forgive me in advance for the vulgarity to come, but this is the only way I know of to get to the core of my view of Integral. While there are a few rare exceptions, the vast majority of the Integrally informed FB postings here are like watching others masturbate to a favorite fantasy. It is just stimulating the intellect's ability to sort and categorize, occupying the mind with soothing illusions. Like masturbation it is safe and gratifying to those engaging it, but no more than that. The pleasure, reward and satisfaction is already built into the Integral trap. There is no risk, and therefore no discovery. It's a mental mirage. Integral is an apparition mistaken for a reality map. Real life isn't like Integral's mental playground. It hurts a hell of a lot, and for no reason. One gets fooled, betrayed and sick without comfort or the comfortable chimera of understanding that Integral insists on. There’s no need to stray outside the safety nets of the Integral model to investigate what might lie in the tall grasses and on the barren turf.</p>
<p>Where is the suffering in IPM? Whose going to die for states and stages, and all the other distractions? Give me the proclamation of good news that says engage the mirage and believe that it is as it should be, and you are not as trapped as you cannot help but think you are. Believe that Reality is just beyond your reach, and throw yourself into that belief placing all your chips on the "insanity" revealed in the life of the Nazarene. Don't read maps, arguing about topography - become the Way, insecure, unknowing and exposed to the trembling at the heart of things...</p>
<p>Thanks for paying attention, I just needed to get that off my chest…</p>
<p></p> The Arrogance of the Imperial Integral Mindtag:integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com,2015-08-06:5301756:Topic:619372015-08-06T20:41:21.974ZEric W. Towlehttp://integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com/profile/EricWTowle
<p>The Arrogance of the Imperial Integral Mind</p>
<p>I need to post an opinion of one panel discussion at the recent ITC 2015. I hope this is a good place to do so. I’ve been carrying this anger and disappointment around with me since the conference but have been unable until now, due to family obligations, to get this down. </p>
<p> The name of the panel discussion was: <b>An Integral Consideration of Radical Islam</b>. The panel was made up of Steve McIntosh, the moderator,…</p>
<p>The Arrogance of the Imperial Integral Mind</p>
<p>I need to post an opinion of one panel discussion at the recent ITC 2015. I hope this is a good place to do so. I’ve been carrying this anger and disappointment around with me since the conference but have been unable until now, due to family obligations, to get this down. </p>
<p> The name of the panel discussion was: <b>An Integral Consideration of Radical Islam</b>. The panel was made up of Steve McIntosh, the moderator, and Said Dawlabani, Marie Pace, and Miriam Gabriel was supposed to be on as well but dropped out due to a disagreement with the moderator. She was replaced by a gentleman known to the community whose name completely escapes me.</p>
<p> The gist of the discussion was centered on the notion that the reason that some Islamic people are driven to violent acts against Western targets is simply due to their lowly evolutionary station. It was explained that because these poor creatures are not yet high enough on the spiral color scale they are mistakenly moved to attack modernity itself in the form of European and American representatives. Mr. McIntosh told the audience that these young Islamic men are radicalized though a philosophical opposition to the world embraced by us modern people living above them in, shall we call it: <i>the green zone</i>. As the discussion moved on the rest of the panelists concurred from their own limited realm of experience.</p>
<p> It was at this point that a voice in my head remarked: “wait a minute, did I just hear an integral leader and his chosen panelists basically agree with George W. Bush as to why radical Islam attacks the West?” Yes, upon further reflection I have to say that I did. That’s right friends; the <i>brain trust</i> at the ITC 2015 is telling you that radical Islamic violence exists because “They hate our freedom!” If this doesn’t make you crazy you might want to brush up on the actual history of the Middle East.</p>
<p>Mr. Dawlabani, although Middle Eastern, is a Christian and expressed a barely vailed hatred of radical Islam in his suggestion that those he conceived as perpetrators would only learn through suffering. I’m paraphrasing here (I don’t remember his exact words) but he seemed to be telling us that the hammering of Islamic fundamentalists was the only way, he feared, to achieve their acquiescence to modernity. “Well, yeah,” I thought, “unrelenting violence and oppression certainly worked wonders on Native Americans.”</p>
<p> At no time was the century long exploitation of Middle Eastern peoples by the Europeans, principally the British Empire, and now the American imperial presence, ever mentioned. Not one word, not a breath. Some passing expression regarding some undisclosed bad behavior by the West was offered in a brief reference but this seemed only to dismiss this idea as not important in the great color scheme of things.</p>
<p> There are many reasons why this is the most narrow, uninformed, ignorant, and I must add: completely arrogant, position on our troubles with Islam that any educated person could possibly hold. I can only begin to address these reasons here. It’s not that the Spiral Dynamics assessment is completely wrong, it’s just that it is not at all the driving issue with Islamic violence. If philosophical disagreements could gave rise to such wide spread violence then we are long overdue for an Eskimo uprising. There are tribal and traditional cultures all over the world, when can we expect their attack? These should be pressing questions for those who adopt Mr. McIntosh’s view. The reality, of course, is that people rarely go to war over philosophy, and when they have this seems to have been a peculiar preoccupation of modernists, not tribalists or traditionalists . It is modern people who go nuts over whether you are a socialist or a capitalist or some such ideology. The Islamic invasions of the middle ages were not about spreading Islam, they were about wealth, power, and land. The spread of Islam was the result, not the cause, contrary to popular belief. The British Imperialists were fond of telling their people that they were conquering the world to “spread the light of civilization and the grace of Christian values” but the smart people knew that it was about wealth, power, and land. People need a moral story to tell themselves to expunge the greed and slaughter. Our moral story is: “they hate our freedom!” And like all the previous imperialist excuses, it’s bullshit.</p>
<p> The veteran CIA Middle East analyst, Michael Scheuer, in his book <i>Imperial Hubris, Why the West is Losing the War on Terror,</i> has stated categorically that the violent response of Islamic people is the direct result of “specific American foreign policy actions” and has nothing, what-so-ever, to do with any animosity to Western lifestyles, democracy, or Christianity (Dulles VI: Potomac Books, 2007). This is not an ivory tower intellectual saying this. This man lived in the Middle East for years and not only studied the history of the region but was privy to classified intelligence reports. He might just know a thing or two. This is not a minority opinion; it is overwhelmingly echoed by scholars of Middle Eastern affairs across the globe. It is the “they hate our freedom,” crowd that is the minority opinion but unfortunately the story that is most loudly trumpeted by the corporate media. </p>
<p> And what are those specific foreign policy actions? It would take an encyclopedia sized effort to encompass them but let’s just start with one little bit of history. In 1953 Teheran was one of the most sophisticated cities on Earth. It was a cosmopolitan, progressive center of culture and philosophy. Then the CIA with the help of British Intelligence decided that they didn’t like the recent efforts of the democratically elected president, Mohammed Mossadegh, to return oil resources to the control of his people from British Petroleum. So, they fomented a coup and replaced the president with the Shah who ran the country for the British and Americans by keeping his people in line with secret police and torcher chambers. By arresting and disappearing all the more progressive elements the only ones left to speak up were the clerics who could not be touched. When the Islamic revolution took place 25 years later the country was transformed into a radical anti-Western enclave. Can you blame them? This is one of many examples where Western imperialist meddling brought on radical Islam. This is largely the story of the Middle East whose curse it is to have lots of oil. In my paper submitted to the 2015 ITC you will find the story of how the CIA cultivated radical jihadists to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan, another huge influence that resulted in a promotion of violent Islam. </p>
<p> The history of the CIA is littered with what the agency terms “blowback,” which is simply what happens when your machinations turn around and bite you in the ass. What we are experiencing with Islamic violence has two major sources that legions of scholars point to: blowback from British and American manipulations and Israel. The creation of the state of Israel, however you may stand on the issue, is broadly considered the main driver of Islamic animosity to the West. This issue is constantly referred to as “complicated.” (At the ITC we had an excellent one man performance that was all about this perceived complication.) The problem is that this is really only the view from the Israeli supporter side, from the Palestinian side it’s not complicated at all. First they had a country and now they don’t. What’s complicated about that? There’s nothing complicated about it when an Israeli bulldozer drives through your house? What’s complicated about being starved to death in Gaza? What’s complicated about a drone firing a missile into your wedding party and killing your whole family in Afghanistan or Iraq? Is it complicated when the Western stooge running your government throws you in prison and pulls off your finger nails for whispering the truth? This, Mr. McIntosh, is what creates jihadist fighters, not philosophy issues. They would have no argument with modernity if modernity hadn’t discovered oil and come calling to murder, manipulate, and dispossess them. The only confrontation with modernity I can see is when a sophisticated jet fighter launches an attack on a herding village lacking electricity and running water. That’s when modernity really makes an impression.</p>
<p> Here’s the topper: I had a discussion with Miriam Gabriel at a soirée the evening after the panel discussion she was supposed to be a part of. She explained to me that as a person of Egyptian heritage she had taken exception to the one sided nature of the planned panel discussion by Steve McIntosh. When she attempted to explain the plight of Islamic people in a phone conversation she was accused by him of being “an Isis supporter.” This is when she declined the honor of being a part of the smear job against her people. </p>
<p> Is this where we’re at in the Integral movement? Really? It’s embarrassing to claim association with such a movement when people seen as respected voices express such terrible ignorance. </p>
<p>Reading list for the historically impaired:</p>
<p><i>Islamaphobia and the Politics of Empire.</i> By Deepa Kumar</p>
<p><i>A Century of War, Anglo-American Oil Politics.</i> By: F. William Engdahl</p>
<p><i>The Road to 911.</i> By: Peter Dale Scott</p>
<p><i>Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire.</i> By Chalmers Johnson <i> </i></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p> The Next System Projecttag:integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com,2015-07-29:5301756:Topic:618572015-07-29T16:06:36.848ZEdward theurj Bergehttp://integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com/profile/theurj
<p>I introduced it in this post in another thread. I'll copy and paste the info here:</p>
<p><a href="http://thenextsystem.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Next System Project</a>. See their about page <a href="http://thenextsystem.org/#about" rel="nofollow">here</a>. Signatories include Gar Alperovitz, Robert Reich, Jeffrey Sachs, Bill McKibben, Noam Chomsky, Ralph Nader and many more. From the main link:</p>
<p>"The Next System Project is an ambitious multi-year initiative aimed at…</p>
<p>I introduced it in this post in another thread. I'll copy and paste the info here:</p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://thenextsystem.org/" target="_blank">The Next System Project</a>. See their about page <a rel="nofollow" href="http://thenextsystem.org/#about">here</a>. Signatories include Gar Alperovitz, Robert Reich, Jeffrey Sachs, Bill McKibben, Noam Chomsky, Ralph Nader and many more. From the main link:</p>
<p>"The Next System Project is an ambitious multi-year initiative aimed at thinking boldly about what is required to deal with the systemic challenges the United States faces now and in coming decades. Responding to real hunger for a new way forward, and building on innovative thinking and practical experience with new economic institutions and approaches being developed in communities across the country and around the world, the goal is to put the central idea of system change, and that there can be a 'next system,' on the map.</p>
<p>"Working with a broad group of researchers, theorists and activists, we seek to launch a national debate on the nature of “the next system” using the best research, understanding and strategic thinking, on the one hand, and on-the-ground organizing and development experience, on the other, to refine and publicize comprehensive alternative political-economic system models that are different in fundamental ways from the failed systems of the past and capable of delivering superior social, economic and ecological outcomes.</p>
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<p>"By defining issues systemically, we believe we can begin to move the political conversation beyond current limits with the aim of catalyzing a substantive debate about the need for a radically different system and how we might go about its construction. Despite the scale of the difficulties, a cautious and paradoxical optimism is warranted. There are real alternatives. Arising from the unforgiving logic of dead ends, the steadily building array of promising new proposals and alternative institutions and experiments, together with an explosion of ideas and new activism, offer a powerful basis for hope."</p>
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</dl> O'Connor's Awareness-in-Actiontag:integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com,2015-06-25:5301756:Topic:615962015-06-25T00:56:18.693ZBalderhttp://integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com/profile/BruceAlderman
<p>The following text by Daniel O'Connor is lengthy but it looks like quite a worthwhile read:</p>
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<p><a href="http://integralventures.typepad.com/articles/OConnor-Awareness-in-Action.pdf" target="_blank">Awareness-in-Action: Critical Integralism for the Challenges of Our Times</a></p>
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<p>It <span><span><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span><span>integrates integral theory, critical theory, and action-oriented research methodologies, and offers a concerted focus on…</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p>The following text by Daniel O'Connor is lengthy but it looks like quite a worthwhile read:</p>
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<p><a href="http://integralventures.typepad.com/articles/OConnor-Awareness-in-Action.pdf" target="_blank">Awareness-in-Action: Critical Integralism for the Challenges of Our Times</a></p>
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<p>It <span><span><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span><span>integrates integral theory, critical theory, and action-oriented research methodologies, and offers a concerted focus on "justice" that Joe Corbett and others have noted is often missing in Integral discussions.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
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<p></p> Pope Francis' Encyclical on Integral Ecology and Climate Changetag:integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com,2015-06-18:5301756:Topic:616482015-06-18T15:04:42.692ZBalderhttp://integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com/profile/BruceAlderman
<p>The full document is available here:</p>
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<p><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html" target="_blank">Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home</a></p>
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<p>...and I will post some excerpts below from Chapters 4 and 6</p>
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<p>~*~</p>
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<p><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span>"<strong>I. ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL…</strong></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p>The full document is available here:</p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html" target="_blank">Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>...and I will post some excerpts below from Chapters 4 and 6</p>
<p></p>
<p>~*~</p>
<p></p>
<p><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span>"<strong>I. ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL ECOLOGY</strong></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span><br/> <span>138. Ecology studies the relationship between living organisms and the environment in which they develop. This necessarily entails reflection and debate about the conditions required for the life and survival of society, and the honesty needed to question certain models of development, production and consumption. It cannot be emphasized enough how everything is interconnected. Time and space are not independent of one another, and not even atoms or subatomic particles can be considered in isolation. Just as the different aspects of the planet – physical, chemical and biological – are interrelated, so too living species are part of a network which we will never fully explore and understand. A good part of our genetic code is shared by many living beings. It follows that the fragmentation of knowledge and the isolation of bits of information can actually become a form of ignorance, unless they are integrated into a broader vision of reality.</span><br/> <br/> <span>139. When we speak of the “environment”, what we really mean is a relationship existing between nature and the society which lives in it. Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it and thus in constant interaction with it. Recognizing the reasons why a given area is polluted requires a study of the workings of society, its economy, its behaviour patterns, and the ways it grasps reality. Given the scale of change, it is no longer possible to find a specific, discrete answer for each part of the problem. It is essential to seek comprehensive solutions which consider the interactions within natural systems themselves and with social systems. We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature.</span><br/> <br/> <span>140. Due to the number and variety of factors to be taken into account when determining the environmental impact of a concrete undertaking, it is essential to give researchers their due role, to facilitate their interaction, and to ensure broad academic freedom. Ongoing research should also give us a better understanding of how different creatures relate to one another in making up the larger units which today we term “ecosystems”. We take these systems into account not only to determine how best to use them, but also because they have an intrinsic value independent of their usefulness. Each organism, as a creature of God, is good and admirable in itself; the same is true of the harmonious ensemble of organisms existing in a defined space and functioning as a system. Although we are often not aware of it, we depend on these larger systems for our own existence. We need only recall how ecosystems interact in dispersing carbon dioxide, purifying water, controlling illnesses and epidemics, forming soil, breaking down waste, and in many other ways which we overlook or simply do not know about. Once they become conscious of this, many people realize that we live and act on the basis of a reality which has previously been given to us, which precedes our existence and our abilities. So, when we speak of “sustainable use”, consideration must always be given to each ecosystem’s regenerative ability in its different areas and aspects.</span><br/> <br/> <span>141. Economic growth, for its part, tends to produce predictable reactions and a certain standardization with the aim of simplifying procedures and reducing costs. This suggests the need for an “economic ecology” capable of appealing to a broader vision of reality. The protection of the environment is in fact “an integral part of the development process and cannot be considered in isolation from it”.[114] We urgently need a humanism capable of bringing together the different fields of knowledge, including economics, in the service of a more integral and integrating vision. Today, the analysis of environmental problems cannot be separated from the analysis of human, family, work-related and urban contexts, nor from how individuals relate to themselves, which leads in turn to how they relate to others and to the environment. There is an interrelation between ecosystems and between the various spheres of social interaction, demonstrating yet again that “the whole is greater than the part”.[115]</span><br/> <br/> <span>142. If everything is related, then the health of a society’s institutions has consequences for the environment and the quality of human life. “Every violation of solidarity and civic friendship harms the environment”.[116] In this sense, social ecology is necessarily institutional, and gradually extends to the whole of society, from the primary social group, the family, to the wider local, national and international communities. Within each social stratum, and between them, institutions develop to regulate human relationships. Anything which weakens those institutions has negative consequences, such as injustice, violence and loss of freedom. A number of countries have a relatively low level of institutional effectiveness, which results in greater problems for their people while benefiting those who profit from this situation. Whether in the administration of the state, the various levels of civil society, or relationships between individuals themselves, lack of respect for the law is becoming more common. Laws may be well framed yet remain a dead letter. Can we hope, then, that in such cases, legislation and regulations dealing with the environment will really prove effective? We know, for example, that countries which have clear legislation about the protection of forests continue to keep silent as they watch laws repeatedly being broken. Moreover, what takes place in any one area can have a direct or indirect influence on other areas. Thus, for example, drug use in affluent societies creates a continual and growing demand for products imported from poorer regions, where behaviour is corrupted, lives are destroyed, and the environment continues to deteriorate."</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> Monica Sharmatag:integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com,2015-05-19:5301756:Topic:613182015-05-19T14:43:52.485ZBalderhttp://integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com/profile/BruceAlderman
<p></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2311755854?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2311755854?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"></img></a></p>
<p>I've been hearing (from colleagues and friends who know her) a lot about the integral 'activist' and 'transformative leadership' work of Monica Sharma, so I've decided to create a thread on her work here in the Engagement section of IPS. Her process is used at JFKU, where I work, and a number of students have reported how significantly they have been impacted…</p>
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<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2311755854?profile=original"><img width="750" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2311755854?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"/></a></p>
<p>I've been hearing (from colleagues and friends who know her) a lot about the integral 'activist' and 'transformative leadership' work of Monica Sharma, so I've decided to create a thread on her work here in the Engagement section of IPS. Her process is used at JFKU, where I work, and a number of students have reported how significantly they have been impacted by it.</p>
<p>Here is an excerpt from her <a href="http://www.kosmosjournal.org/contributor/monica-sharma/" target="_blank">bio in Kosmos Journal</a>:</p>
<p>"Monica Sharma, trained as a physician and epidemiologist, worked for the United Nations since 1988 for 22 years. Currently, she engages worldwide as an International Expert and Practitioner on Leadership Development for sustainable and equitable change. She works with United Nations, Universities, Management Institutions, governments, business, media and civil society organizations. She is the Tata Chair Professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai. As a practitioner, her proven track record of generating measurable results at scale, as well as enhancing leadership on every continent, is unique. She brings this experience and capability to all her work. She designs and facilitates programmes for whole systems transformation and leadership development in both developed and developing countries. Using cutting–edge transformational approaches and methodologies, the purpose is to achieve measurable and sustainable change in development, business and peace. She fosters results-oriented partnerships with governments, civil society, business, media and United Nations. She also designs and implements workshops – “learning –in-action programmes” – with both business and non-profit organisations on different aspects of Leadership Development for Sustainable Change. She engaged with over 20 organisations, mostly global."</p>
<p>And here is a link to one of her articles: <a href="http://www.kosmosjournal.org/article/personal-to-planetary-transformation/" target="_blank">Personal to Planetary Transformation</a></p> The Center for a New American Dreamtag:integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com,2015-05-01:5301756:Topic:609342015-05-01T20:30:13.824ZEdward theurj Bergehttp://integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com/profile/theurj
<p>Their <a href="http://www.newdream.org/about/mission" target="_blank">Mission</a>:</p>
<h3><strong>The mission of the Center for a New American Dream is to improve well-being by inspiring and empowering all of us to shift the ways we consume. </strong></h3>
<p>Since its founding in 1997, New Dream has raised awareness of the negative impact of a hyper-consumer culture. Our focus on the connections between consumption, quality of life, and the environment has made New Dream unique among…</p>
<p>Their <a href="http://www.newdream.org/about/mission" target="_blank">Mission</a>:</p>
<h3><strong>The mission of the Center for a New American Dream is to improve well-being by inspiring and empowering all of us to shift the ways we consume. </strong></h3>
<p>Since its founding in 1997, New Dream has raised awareness of the negative impact of a hyper-consumer culture. Our focus on the connections between consumption, quality of life, and the environment has made New Dream unique among environmental and progressive groups.</p>
<p>We work with individuals, institutions, businesses, and communities to conserve natural resources, counter the commercialization of our culture, support community engagement, and promote positive changes in the way goods are produced and consumed. New Dream seeks to change social norms around consumption and consumerism and to support the local movement of individuals and communities pursuing lifestyle and community action.</p>
<p>We want to cultivate a new American dream—one that emphasizes community, ecological sustainability, and a celebration of non-material values, while upholding the spirit of the traditional American dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.</p>
<p>New Dream envisions a society that pursues not just “more,” but more of what matters—and less of what doesn’t.</p>