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Integral World: Exploring Theories of Everything

An independent forum for a critical discussion of the integral philosophy of Ken Wilber

Jan Krikke is a former Japan correspondent for various media and former managing editor of Asia 2000 in Hong Kong. He pioneered the study of axonometry, the Chinese equivalent of European linear perspective overlooked by Jean Gebser. He is the author of several books, including Leibniz, Einstein, and China, and the editor of The Spiritual Imperative, a macrohistory based on the Indian Varna system by feminist futurist Larry Taub.

Why Metamoernism Can, And Can't, Play A Global Role In The 21st Century

Jan Krikke / ChatGPT

As in real life, Rule Number 1 in using Chatbots: The questions we ask contains the seed of the answers

Metamodernism Can Play a Global Role in the 21st Century

Metamodernism— broadly defined as the cultural, philosophical, and political sensibility “ beyond both modern and postmodern” — has emerged as one of the few frameworks capable of addressing the deep contradictions of the 21st century. It is not a school of thought but a structure of feeling, a way of seeing the world after the exhaustion of grand narratives and the paralysis of irony.

Its global potential arises from four converging historical forces.

1. The World Has Outgrown Both Modernism and Postmodernism

Most societies now live in a condition where:

• modern systems (science, industry, nation-states) provide material infrastructure

• postmodern critique (pluralism, relativism, identity) shapes cultural life

• digital networks amplify fragmentation and ambiguity

Neither modern optimism nor postmodern skepticism offers sufficient guidance.

Metamodernism steps in as a “ both-and” synthesis:

• it keeps modern seriousness without na�vet�,

• it keeps postmodern reflexivity without cynicism,

• it integrates multiple ontologies without collapsing into relativism.

This makes it uniquely suited to a world that is both interconnected and fractured.

2. It Matches the Cognitive Demands of a Hypercomplex World

21st-century challenges— AI, biotechnology, climate instability, polycentric geopolitics, information warfare— cannot be solved by linear, binary, or single-perspective thinking.

Metamodernism encourages:

• perspectival fluidity

• systems thinking

• developmental understanding of values

• integration of contradictory truths

• a balance between sincerity and irony

This capacity to hold opposing realities at once mirrors the world we now live in: global and tribal, scientific and mythic, data-driven and meaning-hungry.

3. It Offers a Framework for Post-Postmodern Identity and Meaning

As traditional religions decline and postmodern critique undermines metanarratives, many societies face what Charles Taylor called “ the malaise of immanence.”

Metamodernism fills the void not by returning to old dogmas but by enabling:

• new forms of spirituality compatible with science

• new narratives that allow hope without na�ve utopianism

• new forms of community beyond identity tribalism

• new aesthetic sensibilities that blend myth and rationality

This is why metamodern culture (films, art, literature, architecture, digital communities) is spreading rapidly across continents.

4. It Provides a Platform for a New Kind of Global Governance

The world is entering an era of planetary-scale problems:

• pandemics

• cyber threats

• AI governance

• climate migration

• geopolitical multipolarity

Metamodernism supports governance capable of integrating:

• local identities with planetary responsibilities,

• national interests with human futures,

• pragmatic realism with ethical idealism,

• technological solutions with cultural transformation.

This is why metamodern political theorists (e.g., Hanzi Freinacht, Lene Rachel Andersen, Jonathan Rowson) emphasize:

• developmental models

• education reforms

• deliberative democracy

• global citizenship

• long-termism

• inner development alongside institutional reform

These are increasingly recognized as necessary for global cooperation.

5. It Resonates Across Civilizations

Unlike postmodernism— which was primarily Western and academic— metamodernism can integrate multiple civilizational insights:

• Chinese relational holism

• Indian consciousness-centric traditions

• European rationality

• Islamic ethical unity

• African Ubuntu relationality

• Indigenous cosmologies

Metamodernism does not impose a single worldview; it builds bridges between them.

This makes it potentially the first culturally translatable global paradigm.

6. It Aligns with the Digital Age's Emotional Structure

The internet has created a global culture characterized by:

• oscillation between hope and despair

• irony layered over sincerity

• longing for authenticity in a world of simulation

• community through fragmentation

• humor masking existential anxiety

This emotional landscape is exactly what metamodernism describes: a structure of oscillation.

People around the world— especially younger generations— already feel metamodern.

The philosophy simply names and organizes what has emerged organically.

7. It Offers a New Story for Humanity

Metamodernism is attractive globally because it tells a compelling story:

• We are between worlds.

• The old narratives no longer work.

• A new planetary consciousness is emerging.

• We must integrate the rational, the emotional, the scientific, the artistic, and the spiritual.

This narrative resonates across cultures because it mirrors the actual lived experience of the 21st century.

Summary: Why Metamodernism Can Play a Global Role

Because it:

1. solves the modern/postmodern impasse

2. matches the cognitive demands of hypercomplexity

3. provides meaning without dogma

4. supports new forms of governance

5. is culturally universalizable

6. resonates emotionally with digital-age consciousness

7. offers a forward-looking narrative for humanity

In short:

Metamodernism is emerging not because it is fashionable, but because the 21st century requires it.

* * *

Metamodernism Can't Play a Global Role in the 21st Century

Despite its promise, Metamodernism faces serious structural obstacles that may prevent it from becoming a dominant global paradigm. Its strengths— fluidity, complexity, inclusiveness— also generate vulnerabilities. The 21st century may require integration, but it does not automatically reward it. Here are the main reasons Metamodernism might fall short.

1. Lack of Institutional Anchoring

Like Integral Theory, Metamodernism has:

• no universities built around it

• no policy institutions adopting it

• no economic or political structures explicitly grounded in it

• no major civilizational power using it as a guiding philosophy

It exists primarily in:

• avant-garde cultural circles

• intellectual subcultures

• digital communities

• a few think tanks and small political movements

A paradigm without institutional power remains a cultural mood, not a global force.

2. It May Be Too Abstract and Intellectual

Metamodernism excels at:

• nuance

• multi-perspectival thinking

• oscillation between poles

• epistemic humility

But most societies— especially in crisis— gravitate toward simple, emotionally charged narratives:

• nationalism

• fundamentalism

• populism

• techno-utopianism

• conspiracy thinking

Metamodernism's complexity may be:

• too subtle for mass politics

• too demanding for public discourse

• too reflective for a meme-driven culture

• too self-critical to mobilize collective action

Its very sophistication could be its downfall.

3. It Lacks a Clear Political Program

Although “ metamodern politics” gets discussed, it remains vague:

• stronger democracy, but with what institutions?

• sustainability, but with what sacrifices?

• global governance, but who enforces it?

• developmental education, but how to scale it?

• inner transformation, but via what traditions?

Without a clear, implementable program, metamodern politics risks becoming:

• inspirational but not actionable

• idealistic but not strategic

• a discourse rather than a doctrine

History favors operational ideologies, not poetic ones.

4. It Risks Being a Western, Elite Phenomenon

Despite its universal aspirations, Metamodernism is currently:

• centered in Europe and the Anglosphere

• largely white, urban, educated, and digital

• expressed through academic or avant-garde aesthetics

• disconnected from working-class and Global South realities

For many societies:

• modernity remains unfinished

• postmodernity never arrived

• premodern traditions remain strong

Metamodernism may be a niche sensibility of late-modern Western culture, not a global paradigm.

5. It May Be Too Gentle for a Hard Century

The 21st century is defined by:

• authoritarian resurgence

• AI-driven asymmetry

• climate stress

• resource competition

• disinformation

• declining democracies

Metamodern ideals— empathy, pluralism, dialogical synthesis— may not match the brutal power politics unfolding globally. Moral imagination does not automatically overcome:

• military force

• economic coercion

• ideological extremism

• technological domination

Metamodernism may nurture beautiful visions but fail to survive realpolitik.

6. It Lacks a Compelling Meta-Narrative for Civilization

Metamodernism is self-consciously anti-grand-narrative— but global paradigms require:

• a motivating story

• a sense of destiny

• a metaphysics of purpose

Traditional civilizations offer:

• Confucian harmony

• Vedantic consciousness

• Islamic unity

• Western progress

• Indigenous reciprocity

Metamodernism offers oscillation, irony, and developmental complexity.

This may be psychologically accurate but civilizationally weak.

People follow stories, not structures of feeling.

7. It Risks Becoming a Lifestyle Aesthetic Rather Than a Paradigm

Already, metamodernism is often associated with:

• art styles

• movie genres

• online affect

• intellectual fashion

• “ soft sincerity” aesthetics

But aesthetics without institutions, power, and metaphysics rarely shape civilization.

At worst, metamodernism could become:

• a vibe

• a branding strategy

• a cultural soft drink

• “ post-postmodern chic”

— rather than a guiding philosophy for humanity.

Summary: Why Metamodernism May Fail Globally

Metamodernism might fail because:

1. it lacks power institutions

2. it is too abstract for mass adoption

3. it lacks political specificity

4. it is still a Western intellectual phenomenon

5. it lacks a motivating civilizational myth

6. it may be tied to a passing digital mood

7. it risks becoming an aesthetic, not a paradigm