Integral Politics and the Evolution of Consciousness and Culture

J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 0 8 W W W. T I K K U N . O R G T I K K U N 37 I havealwaysidentifiedmyselfasa“spiritualprogressive,” but I think it is possible to be both “spiritual” and “progressive” while continuing to cherish the economic and personal freedoms that are an indelible part of America’s “capitalist” system. Nevertheless , I appreciate the sentiments and concerns being expressed by Rabbi Michael Lerner and other writers for Tikkun Magazine. At the same time, I’m also disappointed by the relative failure of progressive politics to make much of a positive difference in America during this decade. AsI’vethoughtaboutwhatcanbedonetoimprovethe“politicalcondition” of our country, I’ve come to see how every problem in the world is, at least in part, a problem of consciousness—a result of worldviews that are no longeradequatetothechallengesofourtime.Soitfollowsthatthesolution to almost every problem involves the raising of consciousness. And by followingthisinsightaboutconsciousness ,Ihavecometoappreciatehowthe newly emerging “integral perspective” is our best hope for raising consciousnessinAmerica . Theintegralperspectiverecognizesthatconsciousnessevolvesthrough a series of distinct worldviews, each of which results in new perspectives, newconcerns,andnewvalues.Theseworldviewstageshavebeencarefullymappedthroughtheempiricalresearchofdevelopmentalpsychologists such as Robert Kegan and Lawrence Kohlberg, as well as through the researchofsociologistssuchasRonaldInglehartandPaulRay .Thisresearch confirms that the American political milieu can no longer be accurately characterized as only a simple left-right continuum. Rather, our national politicallandscapecanalsobeunderstoodasathree-waystrugglebetween the historically significant worldviews identified as traditionalism, modernism , and what is coming to be known in integral parlance as postmodernism . The word “postmodern” is, of course, a battleground of meaning. But eventhoughithasbeenusedtodescribediscretesubsetsofculture,suchas art movements or critical academic theory, integral thinkers use this term as an overall description of the distinct worldview that has arisen in the last fifty years as an alternative to the stale materialistic values of modernism and the chauvinistic and oppressive values of traditionalism. This large demographic group (comprising approximately 20 percent of the U.S.population)isalsoknownasthe“culturalcreatives,”the“post-materialists ,” and the “green meme.” Although there is as yet no clear agreement on terms, the “postmodern” label is becoming the most widely used IntegralPolitics and the Evolution of Consciousness and Culture by Steve McIntosh TRADITIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS PERCEIVED LIFE CONDITIONS: an“evil”worldinneedoflawandorder; asufferingworldwhereGod’slawshouldreignsupreme WORLDVIEW AND VALUES: •sacrificeselfforthegroup’stranscendentpurpose •a“blackandwhite”senseofrightandwrong •loyaltytotherulesofthemythicorder •salvationthroughobedienceandfaith CONTRIBUTION TO THE CULTURE: senseofcivicduty;lawandorder;respect forauthority;strongmoralregardforgroupmembers;preservestraditions; loyalty;hope,andastrongsenseoffaith PATHOLOGIES: rigidintolerance;dogmaticfanaticism;prejudice; fundamentalism;chauvinism CONTEMPORARY EXAMPLES: followersoftraditionalreligions;patriotic nationalism;conservativeideologies;militaryorganizations ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES: feudalism;dictatorships;bureaucracy;commandandcontrolorganizations EXEMPLARY LEADERS: WinstonChurchill;PopeJohnPaulII;BillyGraham ESTIMATED PERCENT OF WORLD POPULATION: 55% ESTIMATED PERCENT OF WEALTH & POLITICAL POWER: 25% TECHNO-ECONOMIC MODE OF PRODUCTION: agrarian;trading;maritime KEY TECHNOLOGIES: writing;law;centralizedpoliticalauthority;thewheel;spiritualpractices andrituals TYPE OF MEDICINE: traditionalmedicine;folkmedicine;faithhealing THE TRUE: scriptureofthemythicorder THE BEAUTIFUL: childrenandfamily;artapprovedbyarightfulauthorityrepresentingthe wholesomethemesof“theOneTrueWay;”countrymusic;gospelmusic THE GOOD: God’swill;theeightfoldpath;theflowoftheTao;therulesofthemythicorder AVERAGE NEUROLOGICAL ACTIVATION: increasedneocorticalactivitywith continuinginfluenceofthelimbicsystem ISTOCKPHOTO/MARYLB politics_2.qxd:Politics 6/11/08 12:35 PM Page 37 because it describes well the antithetical relationship between much of this worldview andmodernistandtraditionalistculture. Thepostmodernstageofculturehasalreadymadesignificantprogressinthefightfor humanrights,throughtheprogressithasmadeinraisingoursociety’sconcernfortheenvironment ,andinthewaythatAmericanculturehasnowbecomemoretolerantofalternativelifestylesandmoreconsciousofthevaluesofspiritualpluralism .Althoughthereis obviously much more work to be done in these areas, when we compare our current national culture to the state of American culture in the 1950s, it appears that evolution has been achieved through the rise of the postmodern worldview. And this worldview is continuing to actively develop and persuade people about the importance of its issues and concerns. Yet there are also signs that this worldview is no longer showing the same creative vitality and dynamism that characterized its emergence in the 1960s and 1970s. As we come to appreciate the way culture actually evolves, we can see that it is unlikely that themajorityofAmericanswillexperiencea“greatawakening”andadoptthepostmodern worldviewanytimesoon.Althoughpostmodernranksaregrowing,atthisrateitmaytake generations before the majority of the American body politic becomes conscious enough toeffectivelydealwithourenvironmentalcrisisandelectleaderswhowillconductamore moralforeignpolicy.Andjustscoldingpeople,justadmonishingthemtocaremoreandbe moreresponsibleisnotgoingtoproducetheresultsweneed.Thepaceatwhichourglobal problems are increasingly becoming “more local” requires that spiritual progressives findawaytobecomemoreeffectiveatraisingconsciousness. The Integral Stage of Culture Although the healthy version of the postmodern worldview represents the most evolved form of culture that has yet to appear, postmodernism is not the end of history . So as we come to see signs of postmodernism’s consolidation, as we recognize both the successes and failures of postmodernism, we can begin to discern how...