Science, Society and The Merchants of Light

From the Origins Symposium at Arizona State University:

A conversation between Roger Bingham and Richard Dawkins, AC Grayling, Brian Greene, Lawrence Krauss and Steven Pinker on science, consciousness the the future of humankind.



April 5, 2009 Run Time: 58 minutes

Of Faith and Science

From the World Science Festival 2008:

Prominent clashes - both historical and contemporary - have led to the widely held conclusion that science and religion are fundamentally incompatible. Yet, many scientists practice a traditional faith, having found a way to accommodate both scientific inquiry and religious teaching in their belief system. Other scientists are bringing science to bear on the phenomenon of religion and spiritual belief - neuroscientists are studying what happens in the brain during religious experiences, while anthropologists are investigating how religion is linked to cooperation and community.

This program provided an intimate look at what scientists have to say about their religious beliefs and what might be revealed by scientific studies of spirituality:

Faith & Science from World Science Festival on Vimeo.

Integral Future Scenarios

Two Papers by Chris Stewart:

Towards Integral Scenarios: Creative suggestions for translating AQAL integral theory into scenario methodologies

by Chris C Stewart

This paper outlines a range of methodological suggestions for approaching the design of scenarios from an integral theory perspective. The integral theory used is based primarily on the work of Ken Wilber, and his AQAL meta-theory. As an integral approach to scenarios, and Futures Studies (FS) generally, is only just beginning in the 21st century, there are few examples to draw on that example the promise of integral scenarios. Accordingly this paper is largely a creative exposition of potential. The suggestions herein will need to be tested, refined and will undoubtedly evolve in quite different ways as the realities of practical application shape their forms into value adding, repeatable, grounded methods and practice insights. There are also many areas where further development are identified as being possible and beneficial for scenarios and FS more generally.

Building on the contributions of [two former] papers the purpose of this third paper is to use the scenario worldview competencies, quality maxims, and Integral Operating System to develop a framework for methodological renewal of scenario development processes. Given that a developmental history of scenarios invites the investigation of an integral worldview approach, and the presentation of an integral worldview level theory provides the means for this investigation, the first new task of this paper is to provide an explanation of how the theory meets the worldview quality maxims and can incorporate the core competencies of the previous worldviews of scenarios.

Read More: Here


Integral Scenarios: Reframing Theory, Building from Practice

by Chris C. Stewart

Australian futurists have been working with a range of integral theories over the past decade to inform new approaches to scenarios. Chief among the integral theories explored is Wilber's All Quadrant, All Level, All Lines, All States, All Types (AQAL) meta-theory. This emerging and diverse set of scenario methods, falling under the term ‘integral scenarios’ as reviewed in this paper, have mostly been developed in practice and to date, have not been represented in futures journals.

This paper contextualizes integral scenarios with a summary of the theoretical background to their development before arriving at a generic scenario generation process together with a set of utility and quality criteria. This generic framework and criteria are then used to situate a range of case studies of integral scenarios, outlining their features, benefits and limitations. Finally, the areas of potential for further development are highlighted—for both refined and wholly new types of integral scenario methods.

Learn More: Here

CHRIS STEWART is a consultant with Emergent Insights in Australia. As a futurist, integral theorist, and public affairs and strategy consultant, Chris attempts to enable individuals, teams and organisations to act with more comprehensive strategic foresight.

What It Means To Be Human

Below is part 1 of 5 of 'What it Means To Be Human' - an interdisciplinary exploration of how discoveries in areas like fundamental physics, anthropology, and genomics are challenging our understanding of human nature.

This event happened on May 31, 2008, at the 2008 World Science Festival - and was moderated by Charlie Rose. Participants include philosopher Daniel Dennett, artist Jonathan Harris, anthropologist Ian Tattersall, geneticist Francis Collins, neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, philosopher Patricia Churchland, sociologist Nikolas Rose, embryonic stem cell biologist Renee Reijo Pera, and Nobel Laureates Harold Varmus and Paul Nurse.

What it Means to Be Human (Part 1/5) from World Science Festival on Vimeo.

Watch All 5 Parts: Here

The Biosemiotic View of Nature

Life is Semiosis: The Biosemiotic View of Nature

by Marcello Barbieri

The idea that life is based on signs and codes, i.e., that “Life is semiosis”, has been strongly suggested by the discovery of the genetic code, but so far it has made little impact, and is largely regarded as philosophy rather than science. The main reason for this is that there
are at least three basic concepts in modern biology that keep semiosis squarely out of organic life.

(1) The first is the classical model that describes the cell as a biological computer made of genotype and phenotype. A computer contains codes but is not a semiotic system, and this makes it possible to say that the cell too can have a genetic code without being a semiotic system.

(2) The second idea is physicalism, the doctrine that everything in life must ultimately be accounted for by physical quantities. This amounts to saying that signs and codes do not exist at the molecular level and are but linguistic metaphors that biologists use simply because they are convenient.

(3) The third concept is the idea that all biological novelties have been brought into existence by natural selection, an idea which implies that semiotic processes did not have any creative role in evolution.

These arguments have effectively ruled out the existence of semiosis in the organic world, thus depriving the discovery of the genetic code of all its revolutionary potential, but here it will be shown that there are experimental facts against all of them. More precisely, it will be shown that the cell is a true semiotic system, and that the genetic code has been the first of a long series of organic codes that have shaped the whole history of life on our planet. Biological semiosis, in other words, is a scientific reality because the organic codes are experimental realities.

This paper intends to underline precisely the scientific nature of biosemiotics and argues that the time has come to acknowledge that semiosis not only is a fact of life but is ‘the’ fact that allowed life to emerge from inanimate matter.

Read More (PDF): Here

Integral Education from Next Step Integral

From Next Step Integral:

Integral Education
FROM CRADLE TO KOSMOS
Exploring the leading edge of educational theory and practiceAugust 2–7, 2009 - Whidbey Institute, Whidbey Island, WA

Integral education stands out as one of the most pertinent and practical means of creating positive change in ourselves and the world. This seminar will bring educators of all age groups together from around the globe, educators who are seeking the necessary vision, skills, and processes to fully serve students and the world that we inhabit.

Integral education is an emerging field, propelled by people who seek to push the envelope of what education can be. The seminar will provide an inspiring environment to meet with colleagues and to network with a small but growing community that clearly understands that addressing a more complete spectrum of personal, cultural, and systemic realities at play in education is one of the most powerful ways to begin effecting the changes we hope to see in the world.

Some of the core questions we will be asking ourselves are

• How can education coherently address the whole human being, a being of body, mind, and spirit, immersed in cultural meaning making, social structures, and natural systems?
• How can we embody an integral perspective in all aspects of curriculum, teaching stances, activities, and assessment?
• In a universe unfolding into increasing consciousness and complexity, how can we work not only to develop current capacities, but also to create the conditions for the emergence of more complex perspectives in the future?

<< More about the Seminar Here >>

Krishnamurti on the Human Condition

This documentary clip is the first from an original series of eight made for television in 1966. They were the earliest sound-films of J. Krishnamurti speaking to audiences:



Here K talks about society and human consciousness:



And here K raps on universal human suffering, psychology and responsibility:



In this clip K speaks about life, death, misery, conflict:



Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895–1986) was a well known writer and speaker on philosophical and spiritual subjects. His subject matter included: psychological revolution, the nature of the mind, meditation, human relationships, and how to enact positive change in society. He constantly stressed the need for a revolution in the psyche of every human being and emphasized that such a revolution cannot be brought about by any external entity whether religious, political or social.

See Also: Krishnamurti - The Real Revolution

An Interview with Daniel Gustav Anderson

Below is a transcript of an interview Erik S. Thornquist conducted with Daniel Gustav Anderson by email between 30 April and 26 May 2009, originally published by Integral World.

Daniel Gustav Anderson is a literary scholar, cultural critic and integral theorist currently teaching literature and cultural history in Washington D.C. Along with Mark Edwards, Steve McIntosh and Sean Esbjörn-Hargens, Anderson is one of the most innovative thinkers to emerge out of the integral movement.

This interview highlights the importance of evolving a much more radical approach to integral thinking, being and doing. Daniel and Erik challenge us to reconceptualize what it means to intentionally explore an ever expansive worldview. Enjoy.

Nonviolence of Nonmetaphysics
An Interview with Daniel Gustav Anderson

Erik: How did you become interested in integral theory?

Daniel: How I came to be interested in integral theory and integral culture is a separate question from how I came to be committed to an integral project. I'll try to address both of them.

The first has to do with everyday life for me. I am an intellectual by trade and a practicing Buddhist. My politics have always been to the left as a matter of conscience. There are other factors but I don't think my life is interesting. I find memoirs rather dull and, as the great American sage Steveland Morris observes, I don't want to bore you with my troubles. The gist of it: my commitment to this project comes from an unwillingness to endure the sufferings of others when that suffering could be avoided. I don't want to see children who should be developing into responsible adults go hungry and not learn to read, for instance. There's something wrong with me that I can't tolerate it, like you can't just sit there and watch your grandmother trip and fall down a flight of stairs with a disinterested attitude. I can't do that, I'm not that cool, so I have to step in and do what I can. This has meant that I have spent most of my adult life learning how to do certain things, and learning what is possible for me to do well. I read a lot. I am slowly losing my hearing, so I will never be a revolutionary piano tuner, but I have found that I can write American English. So, I write American English.

How specifically did I become committed to integral theory? I was teaching English Literature surveys as a lecturer at the University of Idaho. My students were struck by some passages in Matthew Arnold that I had asked them to read, which reminded me of some materials I had been studying on my own in Aurobindo Ghose. I have long been an admirer of Aurobindo's poetic work, and had some notes on a paper regarding some problems in Aurobindo's poetry and also his theories of time and race. So I put all this together in a tidy package and submitted it on a lark to the Integral Review. The editors at that journal did a remarkable thing: they decided to publish it but more importantly they challenged me.

Read More: Here

Also by Daniel Gustav Anderson: New Theses on Integral Micropolitics

Integral Capital the Global Commons

In the following podcast host John D. Schmidt continues his wide-ranging exploration of the strengths and limitations of our current economic/financial system. His aim: a comprehensive understanding of current socioeconomic realities on the way to realizing desirable and sustainable futures.

His guest and co-explorer in this project is James Quilligan - an analyst and administra­tor in the field of international development since 1975. Quilligan has served as policy advisor to many international politicians and leaders, including Pierre Trudeau, François Mitterrand and Jimmy Carter. He has also served as an advisor for several United Nations programs and international development organizations.

Quilligan has recently been applying an integral approach as an economic consultant to government agencies in 26 countries, including the United States. In this podcast Quilligan introduces a view of the future built upon expanded perspectives of the global commons and what he calls "integral capital". Integral capital, Quilligan explains, includes explicit recognition of private capital, public capital, commons capital, and personal capital—and how they come together as a platform for future transformation.

The dialogue between these leaders intentionally showcases the intricate relationships between systems, structures, and behaviors (the exterior forms of life) and the many dimensions of culture and mindsets (the inner nature of life) that inform them.

Listen to the Podcast Here:
Transformation: The Commons and Integral Capital

JOHN D. SCHMIT is the founder and CEO of Avastone Consulting, an international consultancy committed to the vitality and sustainability of client organizations and the larger global community. He serves as advisor to global corporations and nongovernmental enterprises, and is a thinker, designer, and practitioner in integral approaches to complex challenges and human development.

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.

Also by Mark Edwards:

• The Depth of the Exteriors
• Integral Sociocultural Studies and Cultural Evolution
• Integral Theory into Integral Action
• Organizational Transformation and Integral MetaTheory
• A Brief History of Holons

The Future of the Secular

Here is a lecture by philosopher Charles Taylor on how we understand secular human culture. Charles Taylor is a Canadian philosopher who has made significant contributions to political philosophy, philosophy of social science, and the history of philosophy. He is a world-renown thinker and practicing Roman-Catholic.



Follow the Discussion: Here. And thanks to Integral Options Cafe for bringing this to our attention.

Climate Change, Integral Urbanism and the Question of Human Intelligence

Linked below is another fascinating offering from the folks at Integral Life. Marilyn Hamilton, author of Integral City: Evolutionary Intelligences for the Human Hive, talks with Jim Garrison about applying the integral model to city design and development, emphasizing the important roles that the cities of the world have to play in responding to the climate change crisis.

Listen Now: Here

Dr. Marilyn Hamilton is the founder of Integral City Meshworks Inc, www.integralcity.com and TDG Global Learning Connections.

Jim Garrison is the chairman and president of the State of the World Forum, which he cofounded with Mikhail Gorbachev in 1995. The State of the World Forum is often thought of as a "shadow UN," in that it is the largest forum of world leaders outside of the United Nations. From Margaret Thatcher to Ted Turner, from the Queen of Jordan to Desmond Tutu, from Jimmy Carter to George Bush Sr., all have been part of the extraordinary dialogue that is the State of the World Forum.

Integral Perspectives on the Climate Crisis

From Integral Life:

Mobilizing to Save Civilization

Lester Brown and Jim Garrison discuss the real-world consequences of climate change, especially as it pertains to the global food supply. Lester also offers a summary of his new book, Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization.

Topics include:

• Tipping points: A discussion of Dr. Rajendra Pachauri's statement that if we do not decisively address the issue of climate change by the year 2012, "ecological forces could synergize out of control and humanity could lose any capacity to influence events.
• Our melting future: Some of the dramatic impacts climate change is already having upon the Arctic region
• The politics of scarcity: The direct effects of climate change upon India and China's wheat and rice harvest, as well as the rest of the world's food supply—culminating in nations purchasing vast quantities of property in other nations, just so they can grow food and send it back home.
• System shock: Some of the reasons why the world's governments have yet to form a global response to climate change
• Good under pressure: Examples of how humanity has been able to quickly restructure itself and adapt to crises in the past
• Plan B 3.0: A discussion of Lester's new book, a survival strategy for our early 21st-century civilization (available for free download here.)

Lester’s recommendations to help governments respond to the climate change issue; including cutting carbon emissions, stabilizing population growth, eradicating poverty worldwide, and restoring natural resources (replenishing forests, fisheries, aquifers, soil, etc.)

LISTEN: HERE

See Also:

• Responding to Climate Change: The Need for an Integral Approach
• State of the World Forum
• Reactivity to Climate Change
• New Thinking on the Climate Crisis