Metamodern Meaning

Tony Wolf joins me to discuss his new book out from Sky Meadow Press: 'Poetic Faiths: New Religions and Rituals as Works of Living Art, Vol I.' First we tackle the idea of "Poetic Faiths" and what they are before going over what's in this new anthology of interviews with creators of such Poetic Faiths. Tony shares part of his story that led him to this work as well as some of the specifics of his own Poetic Faith, The Mysterium. Finally, we consider the significance and future of this form of spirituality. 0:00 Introduction2:02 What is a "Poetic Faith"?15:13 The Anthology18:53 Poetic Faiths and Metamodern Religion23:04 Tony's Story: The First of The Three Moments31:09 Tony's Poetic Faith: The Mysterium38:51 Mindful Ritual and Serious Symbols44:02 A Mycelial Network of New Faiths54:42 The Roles for Creators1:10:39 Conclusion To hear more, visit brendangrahamdempsey.substack.com

Cheryl Armon joins me to talk about her work in the field of developmental psychology. After discussing how she developed a passion for moral philosophy, entered the field, and met Lawrence Kohlberg, as well as the important theoretical distinctions between "hard" stages and "soft" stage models which they published about, we dive into the data Armon has amassed over her career on how people's conceptions of "The Good" complexify across the lifespan. 0:00 Introduction3:07 Cheryl's Path to Developmental Studies11:30 Studying Complexification of the True, the Good, and the Beautiful17:15 Meeting Kohlberg22:16 The "Right" vs. the "Good"28:07 Asking People about the Good30:57 Hard Stage Models vs. Other Kinds38:24 Are There Domain-General Stages?Stages of the Good43:16 Stage 1. Egoistic Hedonism47:36 Stage 2. Instrumental Hedonism50:11 Stage 3. Altruistic Mutuality59:17 Stage 4. Individuality 1:10:07 Stage 5. Autonomy/Interdependence1:17:42 The Complexification of Value1:19:47 Doing the Work Right1:23:50 Taking Adult Developmental Reasoning Seriously1:30:37 ConclusionSOURCESCheryl Armon, "Ideals of the Good Life: A Longitudinal/Cross-Sectional Study of Evaluative Reasoning in Children and Adults." PhD Dissertation, Harvard University, 1984.Cheryl Armon, "Ideals of the Good Life and Moral Judgment: Ethical Reasoning across the Lifespan," in Beyond Formal Operations, ed. Michael L. Commons, Francis A. Richards, and Cheryl Armon (New York: Praeger, 1984), 357–380.Cheryl Armon and Theo Linda Dawson, "The Good Life: A Longitudinal Study of Adult Reasoning," in Handbook of Adult Development, ed. Jack Demick and Carrie Andreoletti (New York: Kluwer Academic, 2003), 271–300. To hear more, visit brendangrahamdempsey.substack.com

Zak Stein joins me in a constructive discussion about our respective projects to reconstruct value after postmodernism. Having talked to Zak about his work with David J Temple, this time he responds to my work in the first volume of the Evolution of Meaning Series. Here we explore in greater detail his concerns about projects that would situate human cultural evolution within the broader cosmic evolutionary process more generally. How do we avoid reducing the human in the process? How do we properly understand what uniquely delineates human cultural processes from animal ones? What is the proper role of science in all of this?0:00 Introduction2:24 Irreducible Humanity: Continuity and Discontinuity15:34 The Role of the Philosopher: Translating the Sciences for Human Meaning20:34 Situating the Insights of Modern Science: Integrating Postmodern Critiques35:46 Interior vs. Exterior Accounts29:37 Metaphysics and Methodology: Religion or Radical Empiricism?41:58 Intersubjectivity and Universal Pragmatics1:04:30 Science after Postmodernism To hear more, visit brendangrahamdempsey.substack.com

Layman joins me for further jamming on the human/biosphere relationship. We explore the idea of entropy reduction (negentropy) as a natural trajectory and its relationship to the evolution of consciousness. Folding in Nietzsche, we consider the "will to power" in terms of a natural drive related to such processes before turning to the "mereological question": Is humanity (the noosphere) part of the biosphere or is the biosphere part of the noosphere? This leads to further considerations of the unique human contribution to biospheric dynamics, and the question of anthropocentrism in how we frame such relationships. 0:00 Introduction1:28 Nature and Negentropy14:44 Towards a Qualitative Typology of Negentropic Systems25:00 A Natural Direction: The Role of Consciousness and Care35:41 Decentration and Ecologization 41:16 Negentropy and the Will to Power57:35 Mereology and Mutual Transformation 1:11:29 Art and Nature1:21:16 An Appetition for Noospheric Mapping1:39:44 Anthropocentrism and the Human Perspective1:57:43 Conclusion To hear more, visit brendangrahamdempsey.substack.com

Cognitive scientist Anna Riedl helps me get a sense of the emerging paradigm in cogsci and beyond dedicated to understanding how we make meaning in an uncertain and entropic world. After that, we tackle ideas Anna is working on informed by her experience with and critique of effective altruism: a framework she provisionally calls "autopoiethics," which relates to the normative decision-making processes of autopoetic systems.0:00 IntroductionI. State of the Art in Meaning Studies1:22 Meaning, Relevance, and Rationality 11:28 Synthesizing Abstract and Particular 21:56 Metarationality and the Transjective Frame30:03 A New Paradigm?40:41 Related Fields and ThinkersII. Autopoethics52:11 Normativity and Collective Welfare57:06 Autopoietic Normativity vs. Effective Altruism1:15:05 Perspectival Values1:26:50 Function vs. Process1:31:44 Conclusion To hear more, visit brendangrahamdempsey.substack.com

Lene Rachel Andersen, a Danish philosopher and author of 'The Nordic Secret', teams up with Jason Ananda Josephs, co-founder of the Metamodern Theory and Praxis Journal. They dive into the groundbreaking concept of polymodern economics, challenging traditional economic metrics like GDP. The discussion highlights the evolution of societies, the need for sustainable economic models, and the significance of local economies. With a focus on emotional health and social equity, they envision a future where diverse economic systems thrive harmoniously.

On Saturday, January 18, Sky Meadow Institute hosted a virtual meet-up and open Q&A with Tim Freke, author of Soul Story and a leading thinker in the emergent spirituality space. For more upcoming events, check out skymeadowinstitute.org To hear more, visit brendangrahamdempsey.substack.com

This conversation features Layman Pascal, a leading thinker in the metamodernism and integral communities. He delves into the intricate distinctions among terms like 'nature,' 'natural,' and 'natural order.' Layman explores how cultural perceptions shape our understanding of the biosphere and emphasizes the need for a balanced relationship between civilization and wilderness. He also discusses the impact of natural aesthetics on mental well-being and advocates for a more nuanced understanding of ecological contexts in relation to individual and collective responsibility.

I continue my discussion with Layman Pascal about the role of the human in/as/and for the biosphere. After an elegant summary and recap of the topic so far, Layman offers thoughts on specific roles and projects that might be undetaken through collective action to traverse along the negentropic course of the "ecodrome." We chat economics, ideology, ethics, and religion, and also tackle the question of biosphereic consciousness. 0:00 Introduction2:03 Layman's Recap: Sacred Naturalism and the "Ecodrome"18:26 Gaian Demography I: Eco-Heirophants23:30 Civics: Green Mobilization Efforts25:52 Economics: Negentropy as Currency35:03 Ideology: A Post-Neoliberal Spirit of Eco-Cultus43:59 Lower- to Mid-Scale Enaction47:49 The Ethics of Biosphere Extension and Reproduction1:03:53 Gaian Demography II: Roles and Tribes1:21:42 Waking Gaia1:34:44 Religion: A Planetary Devotion1:40:20 Looking Ahead To hear more, visit brendangrahamdempsey.substack.com

In the first of a series of discussions, Layman Pascal offers his thoughts on the role of humanity in the biosphere. What new ways are there for appreciating our place on/as the planet and in/as the cosmos? Here we focus primarily on the role of the individual in biospheric processes. How do religion-like activities and sensibilities serve ecological viability and flourishing? How can this vision unite various approaches to value and knowledge in the 21st century? Timeline:0:00 Introduction 3:16 The Role of the Human in, for, and as the Biosphere 7:48 A Biophilic Universe 14:51 A Comprehensive Story for Our Time 23:30 Nurturing Nature 27:28 Minds and Societies as Systems of Gaia 38:42 Contingency and Teleology, Problems and Progress 44:22 Religionizing Eco-Consciousness: Promise and Pathology 1:04:09 Psychotechnologies and the Biosphere 1:14:08 The Center of the Mandala 1:20:38 Moving out of Flatland To hear more, visit brendangrahamdempsey.substack.com