The Integral Stage

Bruce and Layman assemble with other Austin Emerge attendees to reflect on their experiences, learnings, appreciations & criticisms, and thoughts for moving forward.  Joining the discussion are Roger Walsh, Ph.D.; Ivo Mensch; Nomali Perera; and Ēlen Awalom.

In Re/thinking Religion, a new Integral Stage series, John Vervaeke joins Bruce Alderman and Layman Pascal to explore possible points of contact and confluence between their respective approaches to religion and spirituality.  For the fifth episode, they reflect on an ecological reading and extension of Nietzsche, the nature of virtue and the virtues needed for navigating the meta-crisis, and the kinds of vision and practice systems necessary to contain and process the trauma of our grief for the world.

Jim Rutt joins Layman Pascal on The Integral Stage to talk about his recent essay, Musk and Moderation.   Does Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter represent a threat or opportunity for social media and the freedom of speech?  That isn't clear yet, but Jim Rutt has some advice for Musk, and he discusses it with Layman in a convivial, insult-filled exploration of the challenges of free speech in radically pluralist environments; the new oligarchs and their threat to democratic values; social media and the evolution of public squares; "decorum" moderation versus "point-of-view" moderation; opportunities to move towards GameB values; incentivizing companies to better caretake and preserve free discussion spaces; and much more.   "Musk and Moderation" essay: https://quillette.com/2022/04/27/musk-and-moderation/ Jim Rutt is the former CEO of Network Solutions. The New York Times once referred to him as “the Internet’s bad boy” due to his reputation for creative mischief. He sold Network Solutions at the peak of the Dot Com boom and then went into scientific research. Jim has been affiliated with the Santa Fe Institute since 2002, serving as Chairman from 2009 thru 2012.  Currently he runs the Jim Rutt Show podcast, and is the gun-totin' godfather of the Game B movement.  Additional Links and Resources   Jim Rutt Show Podcast https://www.jimruttshow.com/  Support The Integral Stage on Patreon to make more of these conversations possible! https://www.patreon.com/theintegralstage

For the fourth episode, they turn from reflection on grieving the death of God and the loss of the transcendental sacred, to grieving the state of the world and the impending loss of the immanent sacred.  They  discuss Nietzsche's insights into the pervasiveness of affective  nihilism in modern cultures, and the strengths and shortcomings of his  prescriptions; the problem of "god surrogacy," in a world that has lost  its center; the dynamics of a culture of make-believe and the  impediments to facing collective cultural shadow; the process of  grieving the state of the world and our implication in many of its  crises, environmental and otherwise; the radical challenge of moving  beyond anthropocentrism in our social organization and self conception;  and much more.

For the third episode, we continue our discussion of griefwork and reflect on the meaning of the "death of God," the factors that have forestalled many in the modern world from properly grieving this loss, and what such a grief process would look like.

Is Integral Theory a "poisoned chalice" -- wondrously made in some regards, but poisoned from within?  Has it failed in its promise and become unusable?  Bruce and Layman sit down with Daniel Görtz, one half of the metamodern avatar, Hanzi Freinacht, to discuss both the strengths of integral theory, but also the criticisms that have driven a number of people to abandon it -- whether in rejecting it altogether, or in forming counter projects (Hanzi's Metamodernism, various Integral 2.0 efforts), or just in the gradual dispersion of the "integral diaspora."  What is the future of the integral movement?  Will it fade in influence going forward, or is its full promise still yet to come?

Layman is joined by Jason Medland to talk about the wisdom and insight from both software engineering and long-running Western esoteric traditions, such as the Free Masons, for organizing effectively, preventing system stagnation, maintaining high-level sensemaking and moral commitment, promoting the continued growth of members, and much more.  Jason Medland is an OpenSource Software/Systems Architect, Free Mason, firearms and combat sport enthusiast, a Natural Born Psychonaught, and a Meanderthal.   Jason's Medium page: https://jasonmedland.medium.com/  Please consider supporting The Integral Stage on Patreon to make more of these conversations possible! https://www.patreon.com/theintegralstage

In Re/thinking Religion, a new Integral Stage series, John Vervaeke joins Bruce Alderman and Layman Pascal to explore possible points of contact and confluence between their respective approaches to religion and spirituality.  For the second episode, we discuss the distinction between absolute and relative in traditional and modern metaphysics, the Two Worlds mythology, and the Ascender and Descender paths, and we consider some historical and contemporary approaches to reconceiving their relations.   In the second half of the dialogue, we turn towards the emotional or 'felt' dimensions of a fundamental shift in perspectives, including David Michael Levin's notions of 'crying for a vision' and gelassenheit as the resolution of dualism; and we begin to touch on the importance for a Religion that is Not a Religion of 'moving into the lack' and fully grieving the death of God.   John Vervaeke is a cognitive scientist, a professor of psychology at Toronto University, and the creator of the popular YouTube series, "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis."  "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis" Playlist:

In this episode of New Education Systems, Layman is joined by Bonnitta Roy to talk about her new experiment in serial, transformative education: The Pop-Up School.  They discuss her inspirations and intentions for the school; her life-long history as an educator; the shortcomings of many current educational models; her ideal transformational curriculum; and the importance of education for the senses, the stages of the self, grief and 'dark nights,' and much more.   Bonnitta Roy is a process philosopher, the founder and president of Alderlore Insight Center, an associate editor for Integral Review, and a consciousness studies and transpersonal psychology professor at The Graduate Institute.  She is also the inspiration and instructor behind The Magellan Courses and the Pop-Up School.   Please consider supporting us to help make more of these videos possible: https://www.patreon.com/theintegralstage

In this special Integral Stage episode, Layman Pascal is joined by Cadell Last to inquire into the concept of self-relating negativity; the place of lack and the 'gap' in our thinking; the importance of Hegelian and Zizekian perspectives for emerging integrative and metamodern worldviews; the status and problem of the "One"; the question of suffering and our relationship to psychopathology and the symptom; Osho, mysticism and psychospiritual development; and much more.  For, as Hegel observed, "The owl of Minerva spreads its wings only with the falling of dusk."   Cadell Last is a philosopher (Ph.D.) with an interest in anthropology and psychoanalysis, and the author of Global Brain Singularity, and Sex, Masculinity, God.   Philosophy Portal https://www.philosophyportal.online  Home page https://cadelllast.com  YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCtCqYQFPhnU1OnHPveEnYw Please consider supporting us to help make more of these videos possible: https://www.patreon.com/theintegralstage