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Integral World: Exploring Theories of Everything
An independent forum for a critical discussion of the integral philosophy of Ken Wilber
 Chris Charuhas is author of the self-published Let's Get Integral: An illustrated introduction to Integral thought (2014), which can be downloaded as PDF for free from his website letsgetintegral.com. He is an information architect and former president of Visibooks, a publisher of illustration-based computer class textbooks. The book is also available as paperback at lulu.com. Let's Get Integral
Chapter 1: What is Integral?
Chris Charuhas
Just because you think at the Integrative level doesn’t mean you’re perfect.
Philosopher Ken Wilber uses the term "integral" to mean:
A synthesis of all the stages of consciousness and culture.
That’s the sense in which we’ll use it here.
But wait a minute: There are stages of
consciousness? And stages of culture? Yes.
Are these stages hierarchical, like the
progression up through different
colored belts in karate? Yes.
So why would I want to "get integral?"
Because Integral thought represents a
new, more sophisticated way of
looking at the world. It promises to
spark a leap forward in human affairs,
similar to how scientific thinking did
during the Enlightenment.
Okay, so what is Integral thought all
about?
To answer that question, let’s begin at
the beginning…
Human consciousness evolves.
The way people see the world can, and often does, change over time. Some
examples might be:
A street hustling drug dealer becomes "born
again" in prison.
He used to see the world as a place where you
took what you wanted, by force if necessary.
Now he sees it as God’s domain, where His word
is law and that law must be obeyed.
A bank teller takes a Dale Carnegie course to
help her "move up" in the world.
She used to see the world as a place where you
deferred to authority and knew your place.
Now she sees the opportunity to "win friends and
influence people," and thus "better herself."
An editor known for working grueling hours
begins taking afternoon naps.
He used to see the world as a place where you
strove for excellence, pushing to succeed.
Now he sees "work-life balance" and a "natural
lifestyle" as the way to health and happiness.
Human consciousness evolves in response to one’s environment.
A person’s worldview often changes when her environment does. That is, her
worldview evolves. Changes in her living conditions can trigger evolution in her
consciousness.
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Person
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Change in environment
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Evolution triggered
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Drug Dealer
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I'm in prison. My life stinks.
Life was pretty good for the
drug dealer until he was sent
to prison, an ugly, gritty,
dangerous environment he
could not control.
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I'm ready, Mohammed.
He began reading the Koran
and became a Muslim. Why?
Religion offered him
structure, stability, and a
sense of higher purpose.
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Bank Teller
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My old car broke down.
The bank teller would like a
new car, but can't afford one
on her salary. The executives'
cars in the parking lot, by
contrast, are shiny and new.
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The sweet smell of success.
She wants a car like those
who've "made it," so she takes
a Dale Carnegie class that
puts her on the path to
"upward mobility."
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Editor
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When will you be home?
The hardworking editor
worked long hours and drove
himself into a heart attack,
which served as a big "wakeup
call."
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Love my new yoga class…
He began eating better and
working fewer hours. He now
delegates work. He takes
time to exercise, and is much
more relaxed.
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Human consciousness evolves through a series of stages.
The way adults see and deal with the world changes according to stages. According
to the Integral model, the most common stages of consciousness are:
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Tribal
My life belongs to the tribe.
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Warrior
I defeat my enemies, demand respect, and feel no
guilt.
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Traditional
I identify with my church/military unit/team.
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Modernist
If I've got the "right stuff," and work hard, I can
succeed.
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Postmodern
My relationships are what get me through and enrich
my life.
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These stages represent a hierarchy, so we’ll put the most expansive worldview at the
top of the chart, and the most limited at the bottom. Here’s an overview of their
characteristics:
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Consciousness
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Worldview
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Positive Aspects
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Examples
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Postmodern
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The Earth is a
garden, and
everyone living on
it should get along.
Sadly, the garden is
polluted and
conflict is
prevalent.
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Sensitive, with a
strong moral sense.
Cares about the
oppressed, the
exploited.
Diversity is prized.
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The Netherlands
Martin Luther
King
Greenpeace
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Modernist
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The world is a
place of
opportunity. It's
also competitive.
Achieve wealth
and status, strive
for excellence.
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Strong sense of
justice and liberty.
Implements
meritocracy.
Strategic,
scientific.
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Periclean Athens
Bill Clinton
Wall Street
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Traditional
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The world is a
sinful place that
requires law and
order.
Right and wrong
are black and
white.
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Strong sense of
loyalty and duty.
Friendship and
generosity toward
group members.
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Queen Victoria
The Baptist
Church
The U.S. Army
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Warrior
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The world is like a
jungle. It's survival
of the fittest.
Do or die.
No guts, no glory.
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Empowers the
individual.
Encourages
initiative.
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Alexander the
Great
Drug Lords
NFL Linebackers
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Tribal
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The world is a
mysterious place
where spirits dwell.
Honor my
ancestors.
Follow sacred
rituals.
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Strong bonds to
family and tribe
members.
Feels the power
and grace of
nature.
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The Shoshone
The Navajo
The Israelites
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Each worldview also has its latent "bad side," its potential negative aspects. These
negative aspects don’t have to be manifest, but when they do appear they’re often
destructive.
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Consciousness
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Potential Negative Aspects
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Postmodern
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- Moral relativism.
"What's right and just in our culture might not be in yours."
Our reluctance to judge others can be taken to an extreme.
- Aversion to hierarchy.
"Everyone should be equal everywhere." We often ignore
distinctions in expertise and capability among people.
- Cultural myopia.
We fail to recognize the positive contributions of other
stages, especially the Traditional.
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Modernist
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- Materialism.
I concentrate on the acquisition of stuff and status, and
derive my identity from them.
- Exploitation.
People are "resources" to be obtained, used, and gotten rid
of when they're no longer useful. So is the natural world.
- Greed.
Because my measures of self-worth lie outside myself, I
constantly want more of the stuff by which I "keep score."
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Traditional
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- Intolerance.
People who aren't part of our group are second-class citizens. People who don't share our beliefs are immoral.
- Dogma.
If we encounter facts that contradict our beliefs, we reject the facts. "The earth revolves around the sun? Not true."
- Fanaticism.
We have The Truth—it's all in our holy book. We have a duty to spread that Truth by whatever means necessary.
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Warrior
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- Violence.
My impulsive nature and physical orientation means that if
I get angry, I lash out in a physical way.
- Ruthlessness.
I'll do whatever it takes to maintain and increase my power,
and avoid appearing weak. Torture, killing, beating, etc.
- Egocentrism.
I am the "Alpha Dog," and my wishes are paramount. I will
be remembered for my glorious self and conquests.
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Tribal
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- Cruelty.
People outside the tribe receive no mercy or solicitude. Captured warriors get flayed alive, cooked and eaten, etc.
- Superstition.
Our animistic beliefs prevent us from figuring out how the world really works. Evil spirits, not germs, cause disease.
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Integral worldviews transcend and include all previous stages.
"Integral" means understanding each previous stage of consciousness. It means
letting all the stages positively inform the way we think and act.
Integral thinkers "transcend and include" the Tribal through Postmodern stages.
When we do that, we enter an Integral stage: the Integrative.
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Consciousness
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Worldview
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Positive Aspects
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Examples
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Integrative
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The galaxy is an
interesting place,
adhering to
rhythms and
patterns that we
humans can
understand.
Everything evolves
toward increasing
complexity: matter,
life, consciousness,
culture.
Let's cultivate
balance and
harmony to live
together happily.
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Accepts everyone
for who they are.
Doesn't try to
change them, tries
to bring out the
best in them.
Insightful about
others' feelings,
thoughts, and
motivations.
Attentive,
competent.
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Nelson Mandela
RSA Animate
videos
Symphony of
Science songs
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Postmodern
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Modernist
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Traditional
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Warrior
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Tribal
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Integrative thinkers can sometimes be egotistical, aloof, and impatient.
Just because you think at the Integrative level doesn’t mean you’re perfect.
Integrative thinkers can sometimes be egotistical, aloof, and impatient.
But people at the Integrative level are pretty decent, by and large. They try to
employ the positive aspects of any worldview, depending on the situation. They
work to help people at each stage contribute to their communities/our society/the
world in a positive way.
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