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June 8, 2009

Integral Theory and Global Developmental Pathologies

A Future in the Balance: Integral Theory and Global Developmental Pathologies

By Mark Edwards

This essay employs three fundamental principles of Integral theory to consider the developmental nature of some of the major pathologies currently afflicting social development at the global level. It has been quite apparent for some time now that there are very powerful global forces which cause immense harm to communities and environments.

However, these very forces are also responsible for some of the most important advances in human welfare and social development. There’s a very deadly race in progress between the developmental potential of these movements to create a worthy future for our planet and their destructive capacity to consign humanity and many other innocent parties to the evolutionary scrap heap.

How might we better understand how these developmental forces can be held in balance? Is it possible to untangle the beneficial side of these movements from the destructive side? How might we better enunciate and work towards a truly healthy form of global development instead of a socio-centric form of rampant “progress”? This essay presents some considerations on these and associated questions from an integral theory perspective.

Read More: Here

MARK EDWARDS PhD. is a registered psychologist with a Masters degree in developmental psychology and a PhD (awarded distinction) in organization theory from the University of Western Australia. He currently teaches business ethics at the Business School, University of Western Australia and metatheoretical studies at John F. Kennedy University in California.

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1 comment:

Bob Lieberman said...

I teach business leaders how to capitalize on the creative potential of their colleagues and themselves. I'm not well-versed in Integral Theory, but I noticed some interesting parallels between my assessment of the prevailing business culture and Mark Edwards' assessment of the culture at-large. I've developed a model of the creative process that I use to help leaders develop facility and motivation beyond the evolutionary, individual, and materialistic ruts they are stuck in. Perhaps some of your readers would be interested in it.

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