The Daily Evolver

Integral psychotherapist Dr. Keith Witt sparked this episode of our ongoing conversation, “The Shrink and the Pundit”, by writing to me about a dilemma that many evolutionaries share: In our personal relationships we are pretty good at harmonizing differences. But when it comes to politics and culture it is a much harder task. He writes: I’m mostly stable at teal and turquoise helping my clients at whatever Kosmic address they occupy, but I find that much more difficult when considering the larger social struggles. It’s as if a primitive part of me wants war so I can attack and defeat enemies, while the mature part of me wants to turn enemies into allies, even brothers and sisters. I can do this on the local, individual level, but keep struggling with it on larger cultural levels. I objectify and attack individuals, institutions, and groups, knowing I’m objectifying them, knowing that it is not the most beautiful, good or true reaction. I feel like I’m missing something that’s just on the edge of awareness. WDYT? Together, I think Keith and I found some answers, and may even have caught a glimpse of what can happen when the cats and dogs stop fighting. Enjoy and let us know what you think! Dr. Keith Witt is a practicing psychotherapist and author of many books and courses on integral psychotherapy.

One of the most powerful projects to come out of the integral movement is the practice of “authentic relating” with its core 2nd-person technology of “circling.” The Boulder Integral Center was a laboratory for its development, and Jason Digges was in the thick of it, first by being personally transformed, then by teaching it to others … and now with his terrific new book Conflict = Energy, The Transformative Practice of Authentic Relating. Here’s the blurb I wrote for the book: Did we really think we were doomed to become social media automatons? No, a new consciousness is arising, what Jason Digges calls the Human Connection Movement. Central to it is the practice of “Authentic Relating”, the fruits of which Digges transmits in this wise and beautifully-written book. He provides both the map and the means, through a series of well-honed practices, for growing into nothing less than the next stage of human relations, for both individuals and the culture at large. I’m happy to have my old friend Jason Digges on the show and I hope you enjoy our conversation! Jason Digges has been working in the Integral space for over 15 years. He co-founded Authentic Relating Training International and has led courses in 20 cities around the world.

We are in a cultural moment regarding race where we can literally see and feel the movements of history. It’s making for many great conversations among integralists, and in this episode I share one I enjoyed recently with two evolutionary thinkers, Greg Thomas and Phil Anderson. Our topics include differentiating the often-conflated concepts of race, culture and development … recognizing and harmonizing both poles of the culture war … and exploring the uniquely cosmopolitan role that Black folks play in the ever-accelerating evolution of humanity. As always you are welcome to join the conversation by writing to me at jeff@dailyevolver.com or leaving a voice mail here. Greg Thomas, CEO of the Jazz Leadership Project, is a writer, intellectual, and entrepreneur. Greg was instrumental in developing programs such as the National Jazz Museum in Harlem’s flagship interview series, Harlem Speaks. He has written about culture, race, and democratic life in publications ranging from the Village Voice, Integral+Life, New Republic, Salon, UPTOWN, The Root, the Guardian Observer, and the New York Daily News—as jazz columnist. Greg has lectured on American cultural history and jazz at Columbia, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Hamilton College, and Harvard. His blog is Tune In To Leadership. Phil Anderson has a background in electronics hardware design and software engineering and has spent the last few decades engaged in various Internet-related entrepreneurial activities. An epiphany that occurred in 2007 when trying to model the process of evolutionary emergence using engineering control theory concepts led Phil to the idea of Holons, Holarchies and Wilber’s Integral theory, although because of how Phil arrived at Integral thinking, he retains his own unique holonic Integral perspective. His blog is published at Integral World.

My last episode, Toward A Post-Progressive View of Race Relations, sparked a lot of letters from listeners. In this episode, I answer some of the very good questions and very smart criticisms I received. Keep them coming! Send email to jeff[at]dailyevolver.com or leave a voicemail here. – Jeff

The videotaped murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police and the subsequent two weeks of demonstrations has galvanized the nation. In part 1 of this episode (00:10), I look at the evolutionary potency of the events of the last two weeks, which have brought into searing clarity the realization that a part of the American family has been grievously discounted and mistreated. And that we as a country passionately desire to set things right. I describe a resulting turn of the “spiral of development” regarding race, with red behaviors becoming more constrained, traditionalists becoming more professional, and modernists becoming more sensitive and humane. In part 2 of this episode (12:50), I look at the continued development of the leading edge of society: postmodernism. What might growth beyond contemporary political progressivism look like? I attempt to flesh this out under the guidance of two leading African American intellectuals, Ibram X.Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist, and Thomas Sowell, author of Black Rednecks and White Liberals. Though each of these men come from opposite poles of contemporary American politics, both bring essential truths to the table. Integrating them reveals a more complete understanding of America’s tragic racial legacy and the unique role of Black America in building an ever-more vibrant nation of ever more vibrant people.

It’s subtle but some of you have noticed: I’ve changed the tagline of the Daily Evolver to “A post-progressive look at politics and culture”. It used to read “Integral insights into politics and culture”, which still describes what I attempt to do in this podcast: to point out what I see as the emerging edges of human and cultural evolution, and to foster new habits of thinking for people who wish to embrace multiple worldviews. So when my pal, neighbor and integral philosopher Steve McIntosh, used the term post-progressive in one of our evening hangouts, my integral chimes rang. Steve and I both paused to ponder. Post-progressive … is it a term? Are people using it? A quick google search showed that it describes a genre of rock music. How about politics? Yes, there was one prominent article that had the term post-progressive in its title; the author used it, however, to describe certain combative streams of leftist politics. But how about the next stage in the evolution of political thought? While Steve and I have both happily identified as progressives for decades, we have also begun to chafe at the hardening of its orthodoxy, especially in the age of Trump, and to feel an evolutionary pull forward. We notice this is true of many other folks in the integral community and the culture at large. If we and integral theory are correct, the post-progressive move forward will, in part, involve integrating the best of progressivism and the best of its conservative opposition. But unlike centrism, which seeks to compromise competing ideals of the status quo, post-progressivism represents a vertical move that will expand the political playing field to embrace emergent thinking and policies. In this episode, Steve and I explore the new terrain of post-progressive political thought, as well as its “felt sense”. For more, check out Steve’s new article, Toward a Post-Progressive Progressive Political Perspective, published in Aero Magazine online. Many of the core ideas are also expressed in his new book Developmental Politics: How American Can Grow Into a Better Version of Itself – and of course in the Daily Evolver podcast archives.

I’m a big fan of The Integral European Conference (IEC), which has become the leading event in the international integral community. The fourth and latest IEC, Global Integral Awakens, was scheduled for the end of this month at Lake Balaton in Hungary. Then came COVID-19 and reluctant cancellation. But the show will go on – online! Founder Bence Ganti and his conference team have risen to the challenge of reimagining the conference on the Zoom platform, complete with over 70 presenters and a full range of activities including workshops, games, even live concerts and dance. In this short episode, Bence shares some of how the online conference will work and how you can participate. See IEC ONLINE. Bence and the team are also planning the next in-person event in May 2021. For more on the goals and spirit of the conference check out our earlier conversation.

Human beings have evolved – and continue to – within the domains of first-person, second-person, and third-person reality. In first-person (I-space) we integrate ideas and worldviews. In third-person (it-space) we create new systems and technologies out in the world. This episode is about evolution in the domain of second-person (we-space), where we develop in relationship with others. My guest is my longtime friend and colleague, Diane Musho Hamilton, who discusses the ideas behind her new book, Compassionate Conversations, co-authored with Gabriel Menegale Wilson and Kimberly Myosai Loh. She explains how, by simply talking and listening to other people more consciously, we can enact our own – and humanity’s – evolution into the Integral Age.

Dr. Keith Witt and I have way too much fun discussing the consequences, in all four quadrants, of life in the time of COVID-19.

Consider, friend, as you pass by, as you are now, so once was I. As I am now, you too shall be. Prepare, therefore, to follow me. This famous epitaph from a Scottish tombstone sums up the central dilemma of human existence: it ends in death. But is death the end? All peoples throughout history have intuited that there is more to this life than meets the eye. And they (we!) have created endless practices and art forms to invoke reality beyond time and space. In the spirit of preparation and good cheer, I share some ideas and poetry that have come in handy for me.