INTEGRAL DEFINITIONS.
‘Integral’ is used in at last two different ways in this paper.
1) The ‘integral’ way that the evolution of stages occurs, and
2) The ‘integral’ or mature rational stage of consciousness evolution.
1) Integral evolution of stages. The concept of consciousness evolution by stages, from body to mind to spirit, originated in the wisdom traditions and has been revised and expanded by modern scientists, psychologists, and philosophers. Consciousness evolutionist Jean Gebser first proposed the historical stages of archaic, magic, mental/rational, and integral. Theorist Ken Wilber has integrated many of these ideas and popularized the word “Integral” to describe them.
Integral stage evolution means that each stage is based on and incorporates the previous one (per Arthur Koestler’s holon theory). [E.g. Atoms form cells which form complex animals which evolve into hominids. Human tribes develop into ethnic-states and then into global civilization. ]
The manifestation at each stage is also integral in the sense that it develops in many facets – primary among these are the four quadrants:
| 1. “I” Interior-Individual – intention, consciousness, … |
2. “IT” Exterior-Individual – behavior, brain, technology, … |
| 4. “WE” Interior-Collective – cultural, morals, … |
3. “ITS” Exterior-Collective – social, economics … |
The interplay between interior and exterior seems to ratchet us to more and more complex systems. Higher consciousness can manifest higher technology – which in turn can stimulate even higher consciousness. Plow agriculture expanded our consciousness from tribe to ethnic group — and globalization is expanding it even further.
The interplay between competition and cooperation has also stimulated development. Robert Wright in “Non-Zero” proposes that our striving to selfishly compete (say for status) playing zero-sum (win/lose) games results in lower status members learning to altruistically cooperate by playing non-zero-sum (win/win) games in order to defeat a stronger competitor. [Intertribal war has the same stimulating effect on intra-tribal cooperation.]
2) The Integral-Rational Stage. The word “integral” is used in a different in way in the name: “Integral-Rational Stage” — what AE calls the mature level of the Rational Stage of development (See sidebar tables). This is the first stage that integrates — or values and utilizes (rather than trying to annihilate) people at other levels of stage development. [See later discussion.]
Please check out my presentation to the 2008 Integral Theory Conference:
"Is our accelerating technology driving us to a higher morality?"
See
for more details.
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Table 1. AE TWELVE STAGE MODEL [Approximate start time - - years ago (ya). bya=billion years ago. m=million. k=thousand
Each stage develops ten times as fast as its predecessor stage. Each stage builds on its predecessor stage. Atoms form cells; cells form animals; etc. Each stage has interior and exterior manifestations. |
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MATTER. [indefinite past] Our universe of matter /energy starts with the big bang 14 bya, but current cosmological theory says the seeds were there earlier. [Using the term "consciousness" here is a stretch, but atoms do distinguish between self and other.] |
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CELLS. [5 billion years ago] The earth cools and 4 bya microscopic life/cells begin. About 2 bya nucleated cells and sex began - - larger, but still microscopic. [Cellular "consciousness" is pretty microscopic.] |
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ANIMALS. [500 million years ago] "Cambrian explosion" -- complex life (legs, eyes, spines, brains) forms from the cellular ooze. 350mya animals crawled onto land. 200mya dinosaurs reigned. [Reptilian brain, primarily instinct driven.] |
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4. MAMMALS. [50 million years ago] Meteor kills off dinosaurs 65mya and gives mammals/ sex/ "love" a chance to flower. [Triune brain, emotional/ social drives.] |
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5. HOMINIDS. [5 million years ago] Climate change impels apes to walk upright on the African plains. [Bigger brains with globe spanning Homo erectus 1.8mya, signs/symbols but pre-conceptual. Early self consciousness.] [The fascinating new field of evolutionary psychology is examining how the last 5-10 million years affects our current genetic capacities for aggression, compassion, sex, etc. For instance, it is genetically advantageous for a man to be a supportive "dad" but an occasional opportunistic "cad". ] |
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6. ARCHAIC HUMANS.
[500 thousand years ago] Evolutionary pressure produced big brained hunters that spread over the earth. Neanderthals, 350kya, had modern sized brains but changed little over time. The more verbally equipped anatomically modern humans appeared in Africa over 150kya, but did not flourish until the "Upper Paleolithic Revolution" 50kya. |
.[While the driving force for our evolving and expanding consciousness for the last 50,000 years seems primarily cultural, some scientists point out that the current rate of genetic evolution is 100 times faster than the 5 million years average -- and that there is substantial evidence that there have been critical genetic changes related to our cultural evolution from independent forager-hunters to regimented peasants to industrial workers and entrepreneurs.]
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7. MAGIC. |
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8. MYTHIC. Agriculture writing-empires civilization starts. With plow agriculture one man can produce food for several. Slavery or serfdom is the rule with bureaucratic priests controlling for autocratic patriarchy and God-Kings. Cherishes rules and roles. Current Islam and other fundamentalists world wide. [Piaget's concrete-operational thinking. "Conventional" or "Traditional".] |
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9. RATIONAL.
Printing-science-"age of reason"-democracy-market economy. Predominant first world thinking today -- developing from: ►Individualistic
(Modern) to [Piaget's formal-operational thought. "Post-conventional".] (See Table 2 below for details) |
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10-11-12. THE SPIRITUAL STAGES.
(INSIGHT-SUBTLE-CAUSAL) |
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JOEY -- A STORY OF INDIVIDUAL CONSCIOUSNESS DEVELOPMENT.
In a year or so he will develop to the mythic-stage where he can consider other people’s viewpoints, and where Santa no longer is magic, and rules and roles and mythical Gods reign supreme. By adolescence, his cognitive development will hopefully triumph over raging hormones and make it to the rational-stage. Later, frogs will lead Joey to a PhD in zoology, and a taste for magic will lead him to Zen meditation and the trans-rational spiritual stages of consciousness.
Joey’s
50 year individual development from zygote to zoologist to Zen master
echoes our five billion year collective development from amoebas to
apes to astronauts. |
Joey
is a squirming bundle of energy who, like other children of five, views
the world thru a magic-stage self-centered consciousness. For Joey, his
bite can make a tomato morph into a frog, and Kermit the frog is as
real as his sister, and his good behavior caused Santa to bring him a
bike, and his bad behavior (he unfortunately believes) caused Daddy to
leave him and Mommy.
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Table 2. CURRENT STAGE DEVELOPMENT [Distribution of adult population and power in 2000.] [Percentages based on Spiral Dynamics and Wilber's "Integral Psychology" (2000). Note that Wilber breaks the AE Rational stage into three separate stages.] All children start in the pre-mental stages and mature up their current culture stage (more or less). While world power has moved to the Rational Stage, many country cultures are still at pre-rational (tribal, authoritarian, etc.) And some segments of even advanced cultures are also at pre-rational (gangs, fundamental religions, etc.) |
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PRE-RATIONAL (Magic and Mythic) STAGES. [59% of population / 29% of power.] Most of these people are in the later Mythic (conformist-rule-role or "Traditional") ego developmental stage. However some of these folks in tribal areas or inner city gangs are at the Magic Stage [15% of population / 2% of power.]. |
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INDIVIDUALISTIC RATIONAL (early rational or "modern" ) STAGE. [30% of population / 50% of power] Provided the initial break from the mythic church-state with science, democracy and the market economy. Still the dominant view. Strong in business and governments. |
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PLURALISTIC RATIONAL (middle rational or "post-modern" ) STAGE. [10% of population / 15% of power. Small minority 50 years ago.]. Softens the Individualistic- Rational stage with multi-perspective human bonding, anti-hierarchy, diversity, and eco-psychology. Controls universities. Strong in Europe. |
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INTEGRAL RATIONAL (mature rational) STAGE. [ 1% of population / 6% of power. Very few 50 years ago – but could double every dozen years and be dominant within 50 years.] Expands and matures the Pluralistic view to integrate and value other stages instead of denigrating them. A holistic prelude to Spiritual. |
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TRANS-RATIONAL (SPIRITUAL) STAGES. [Very few today. But could easily be measurable in 50 years as people develop beyond the Integral-Rational.] Deepens the Integral view to an actual experience or trans-rational direct knowing of an impermanent non-separate self -– that we are all one -- and evolving. |
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"Mystics need to become more
scientific. Scientists need to become more mystical." |
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The idea of linear
time is a relatively recent idea -- born of god-king
proclamations and rational science investigations. For the mystics: "Time is a trick, a sleight of hand, a vast illusion in which figures come and go as if by magic." A Course in Miracles. |
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The very concept of time itself has
shifted radically over the stages. For the tribal shaman time
was circular. For the mythic priest and even early modern scientist the
world was only a few thousand years old. Only in the last
century did we start measuring the age of the universe in billions of
years. A future person with spiritual stage consciousness may
find our current concept of linear time to be quaintly limited. |
HEAVEN, EARTH, MAN
Osel Tendzin
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What we can do to reach the Integral and Spiritual Stages.
Rather than rejecting the spiritual as an irrational belief perpetrated by archaic religions, we can be open to a direct experience of the divine through meditation or contemplation.
Rather than fighting globalization with blood and terror, we can use globalization to help all the world's people find a better life.
Rather than defending outmoded American jobs, we can help other countries workers and our own consumers by retraining our workers.
Rather than clutching the scriptures as the only sacred view, we can be open to a direct experience of the divine through meditation or contemplation.
Rather than defending entrenched interests, we can help economic growth and our general welfare by maintaining fair laws and markets.
Rather than blindly protecting the environment, we can balance the needs of the people with the needs for the environment.
Rather than resisting the birth of a new era, we can midwife it with all our considerable compassion and skill.
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