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Movements toward holism in futures inquiry
Abstract
This article takes up the question of the various movements toward holism in futures inquiry. The Ken Wilber inspired integral futures, developed by Richard Slaughter and others, and put forth as the most comprehensive approach to-date, is critiqued and assessed. While Wilber's integral and the variant it has inspired in futures represent significant innovations, it also contains the tendency to un-necessarily close down, lock out or to sub-ordinate alternative conceptions of holism, what I term ‘Wilber-ism’. Wilber's ‘theory of everything’ and integral futures are analysed, re-assessed and re-situated in the context of the alternative approaches to holism that exist. What emerges is a rich view of potential genealogies and ontogenies as movements toward holism. One variant from the action research tradition, which I call ‘integrative foresight’, is put forward as an example of an alternative. The article concludes by proposing a process of dynamic dialogue between diverse conceptions of holism, which can at once honour the great diversity of approaches, while likewise continuing the journey of creating shared meaning and common understandings of the complex contexts in which futures inquiry works.
... Some other futurists state that Inayatullah's CLA methodology and the action futures research also present integral futures [5] and [6]. According to Gidley beside Wilber's theory other complexity theories should be integrated in futures [7]. ...
... Towards this it needs to form the future concept, the approach, the methodology and the paradigm of the science of futures, furthermore it has to create new knowledge. Developing its own co-evolutionary paradigm solves this task, because the creation of theoretical knowledge adjusts to reality 6 Futurists and their community are participant observants in both newer paradigms that do not make any change in the content of the components of the paradigm. Likewise the societal role and general goals of futures do not change, thus we can say that integral futures support the formation and improvement of society's future shaping thoughts. ...
... Likewise the societal role and general goals of futures do not change, thus we can say that integral futures support the formation and improvement of society's future shaping thoughts. 6 The concept of co-evolution was first used in the biological sciences and in ecological researches, but there some other denominations for co-evolution and to similar systems of interconnections, like connectionism, interconnectedness or interactionism. The latter does not refer to dynamic characteristic of interconnections that is very important in futures. ...
The study discusses the interpretation of integral futures in the context of paradigm. The
dynamic matrix model of futures paradigm has been developed for carrying out meta-analysis
of futures. As a result of meta-analysis integral futures and its new paradigms are defined by
way of reconstructing futures paradigm history as responses to changing societal needs and
through the outcomes of dynamic and comparative analysis of futures paradigms. The study
sets the argument that integral futures: a) is entering a new phase in development of futures
that responses to societal demands for sustainability, democratic participation and continuous
knowledge production and integration, b) it is the phase of cooperation building between
theoretical and practical futures, c) it is the complementary development of co-evolutionary
and participatory paradigms, d) it unfolds further research perspectives for futures.
... While reading the articles in the 2010 rebuttal issue, I was struck by the paucity of evidence presented to support assertions. For example, Jose Ramos (2010) argues that "integral" implies an "end to history" and draws an analogy between integral theories of social, cultural, and consciousness evolution and what he (and others) derisively refers to as "developmentalism" (p. 118). ...
... Yet where is the evidence to support these allegations? Ramos (2010) makes this comparison, alleging that Wilber's model is the same sort of "developmentalism" that "buttressed colonialism" (p. 118), and yet he provides no evidence that this is a valid observation or interpretation based on Wilber's writings or his proponents'. ...
This paper is a response to Epistemological Pluralism in Futures Studies, featured as a special edition of Futures (42:2). Since that special edition was a response to Integral Futures, a previous special edition of Futures (40:2), this paper begins with a treatment of some of the critiques of IF, as well as the critiques of Ken Wilber and integral theory. I examine the validity of those critiques, focusing in particular on the accuracy of the “portraits” given of Ken Wilber and his contribution to integral theory. I also examine the claims of “epistemological pluralism” to determine whether it is a more appropriate framework for futures inquiry and practice. In this consideration, I treat epistemological pluralism (devoid of an “integrating” theory) as an expression of skeptical postmodernism. Finally, I conclude with a historical overview of integral theory.
... Action research is a crucial component of decolonising using the future, as it seeks to break the domination of monopolies that characterise an inner circle of initiates (Ramos, 2010). For example, at the community-level, anticipatory action research entails deliberately devolving the leading role to local organisations, so that "local community organizations engage in, and use future thinking as producers of foreknowledge to reflect, and potentially act, on their own futures" (Bourgeois et al., 2017: 4). ...
The Capacity to Decolonise is an IDRC research project at the intersection of futures studies, decolonial theory and participatory action research. The present research document introduces the relevance of 1) adopting a capacity-based approach to futures in a context where the images of the future and the ability to create them remain strongly affected by coloniality, and 2) the clarification of design principles that it entails.
The present document figures in IDRC 2020-2029 research results.
... Much of what we know and need to know comes with the pains and pleasures of experience, and through the acquisition of a great deal of Of-Knowledge that is of a tacit and experiential nature. Similar emphasis is placed on the critical role that action research, dialogue and participatory approaches play in futures research, and of the importance of 'context-specific understanding, based on diverse experiences' and of an ongoing 'relational process of dialogue across diversities, where holisms can emerge as aspects of our ongoing journeys' [63]). These are not pre-packaged knowledges, but ones which are dialogically innovated and discovered. ...
Abstract This paper centralises the question of what academics in higher education settings need to know about other fields to stimulate cross-disciplinary collaborative work. The concept of ‘knowledge’, while recognised as important within cross-disciplinary studies, has failed to be properly problematized. Little attention has been paid to what cross-disciplinary knowledge actors should possess, the purposes that knowledge might serve and few pause to consider the concept of collaboration itself, as an inherent source of situated learning. The result is recommendations about what researchers should ‘know’ that cannot be operationalised in practice. Highlighting a distinction between ‘Of-Knowledge’, entailing a detailed understanding of a field, and ‘About-Knowledge’, a rudimentary form of knowledge about fields, we explore two key points of the cross-disciplinary collaborative life-cycle to evaluate the needs, purposes, limits and possibilities of knowing. Noting that cross-disciplinary learning is a long process, and for which no pre-packaged ‘knowledge’ emerges to address the kinds of cognitive deficits that researchers typically identify, we argue that collaboration itself provides a non-substitutable venue for cross-disciplinary learning. In contrast, focusing on the point of ‘envisioning’ where specialisms are ‘scoped out’ and collaborative horizons ‘mapped’, we argue for efforts to be placed in enhancing researchers’ ‘About-Knowledge’, a form of connective knowledge that extends researchers’ basic knowledge about other fields prior to constructing collaborative projects. Critical for the aspirations of futures research, and the importance of fostering global, national, regional and local collaboration, we highlight how a little knowledge can go a long way.
... As one anonymous reviewer pointed out, we should beware of the risk of "boxing" in futures studies: whereas some futures thinking resonates well with the Chinese themes developed in this paper, we should emphasize that much also does not. For recent metatheoretical discussions of the complex history and internal epistemological, ontological, and methodological diversity of future studies, see Ahlquist and Rhisiart, 2015;Erik Karlsen et al., 2010;Fuller and Loogma, 2009;Hines and Gold, 2013;Kuosa, 2011;Liebl and Schwarz, 2010;Marien, 2010;Miller, 2011;Morgan, 2011;Nelson, 2010;Öner, 2010;Patokorpi and Ahvenainen, 2009;Ramos, 2006Ramos, , 2010Roth and Kaivo-Oja, 2016;Samet, 2010;Sardar, 2010;Son, 2015;and Van der Helm, 2009. ...
This article provides an analysis of the problematic of foresight in traditional Chinese thought, articulating it with current developments in the epistemology of futures studies, planning theory, and strategic management. It is argued that in Chinese thought the answer to the question " Can the future be predicted? " depends on the forecasting horizon: whereas the immediate future can be sensed and taken advantage of by immersing oneself in the evolving situation, the remote future is fundamentally unpredictable. These dual answers are entrenched in discussions of what constitutes wisdom, opening up productive spaces of encounter between the problematic of foresight and the problematic of wisdom. https://doi.org/10.6531/JFS.2018.22(3).00A35
... "Inclusive foresight" has six objectives, four of them being partly or fully addressed through public participation: creating awareness, anticipate desirable futures, create policy processes and meet societal expectations related to decision-making processes (Cagnin, Loveridge, & Saritas, 2011). "Integrative foresight" is fundamentally participatory; it is a process of engaging in futures inquiry, which is inclusive of diverse perspectives, yet dealing with common challenges (Ramos, 2010). "Participatory scenario-building" is proposed as a useful and desirable approach, especially at local level, to foster political responsibility, engagement and action (Özkaynak & Rodríguez-Labajos, 2010). ...
Actionable foresight for food and agriculture faces the double challenge of including, and impacting on multiple stakeholders. We present here a state of the art of participation, stakeholder inclusion and impact of 38 recent foresight studies on food and agriculture. All cases were selected through a worldwide survey in seven languages, a bibliography and multi-lingual web review, and a review by a group of foresight experts. Our results indicate that global foresight studies are led by experts or scientists from international organizations or national organizations from advanced countries, with rather limited participation of stakeholders, while more local studies are more inclusive and directly linked to policy making. Leadership in foresight by least developed countries', farmers' or civil society's organizations is marginal. While there is more than anecdotic evidence of the impact of these foresight works, this is rarely documented. The paper combines literature review and case study to provide evidence on the links between stakeholder inclusion and impact and presents the Global Foresight Hub, an innovative initiative at global level for strengthening participation, inclusion and impact of foresight in food and agriculture. (Resume d'auteur)
... The way the future is approached regarding food, agriculture and rural development can also be seen as a "model monopoly" with universal application. In a model monopoly, a group of initiated people understand the model and others have either to accept it or fight it (Ramos, 2010). This model monopoly can potentially create an "attractor state" in the sense that it could prevent from alternative future development paths to exist outside the pre-determined perceptions on which the future is explored (Derbyshire, 2016). ...
... Above and beyond this and as a pragmatic tool, Gunderson (Gunderson, 2001) states that meta-networks emerge to meta-problems so complex for isolated individuals to deal with. Why not consider internet as pseudoplasmodium -an aggregate "action centered network" (Carley [ 3 9 6 _ T D $ D I F F ] and Christie, 2000) deploying higher modes of self cognition (auto-poiesis) and self-organization-by means of which meta-solutions can be generated, implemented, tested and the real action triggered after "the emergent common is woven" permitting Netizens to rebel against "Model Monopoly" in a heuristic movement which has been discussed to a great length in action research (Ramos, 2010). ...
Simulation is likely to become a prominent method of theory development. Futures studies have used simulation in different ways such as evaluating scenarios. Nonetheless, the central attributes of computer simulation such as reductionism-based abstraction, determinism and elimination of stakeholders are the main barriers of successful implementation of simulation in FS. In this paper, we would paint the plausible evolutionary panorama of futures of simulation in futures studies after looking at the role of simulation in FS so far. The possible mechanisms and partnerships required to be applied to grapple the above-mentioned difficulties will be enumerated and investigated. These, in three categories, comprise firstly, human-machine interactions such as quasi-game simulations, and scenario visualization, secondly, large-network simulations including crowd sourcing, and thirdly, simulation platforms for replication of emergence. Ergo, crafting a classification of simulation in futures studies and the possible developments will be the main contribution of this paper. A novel double diamond classification will be presented as well which reflects the past and plausible futures of simulation in futures studies.
... The special issue stirred up quite a bit of controversy among futurists and Futures published a second special issue in March 2010 on epistemological pluralism in futures studies that gave voice to the key critics, led by Sohail Inayatullah. iv My own piece received some strong criticism from many of the authors (Barber, 2010;Bussey, 2010;Gidley, 2010;Inayatullah, 2010a;2010b;Ramos, 2010;Russo, 2010). The criticism is diverse and multi-faceted but one of the strongest sentiments was that we had done CLA, and the broader field of integrative or holistic futures work, a disservice by trying to force it to fit within an AQAL framework. ...
This article is a personal reflection on what integral practitioners can learn from a dialogue that played out in the pages of the journal Futures. In March 2008, Futures published a special issue on Integral Futures methodologies, in which the authors used the AQAL model to explore futures thinking and methods. I contributed an article that used the AQAL model to analyze and propose an extension of a futures method called Causal Layered Analysis. The response to the special issue from some futurists was critical, and Futures published a second special issue in March 2010 giving voice to these critiques. After reflection, some of the criticism of the original special issue (and particularly of my article) seems justified. The experience has caused me to question the way that I (and others) have applied the AQAL model. I am sharing my reflections in the hope that there are valuable lessons for other integral practitioners, particularly those who are relatively new to the AQAL model. My perspective is that of a practitioner seeking to use integrative approaches to grapple with sustainability problems. I argue for an ecology of integrative approaches in which the AQAL model is one viable approach, existing in dialogue with other integrative approaches.
... I argue this approach -one of several holistic or integrative approaches to futures inquiry that explicitly respects plural perspectives (e.g. see Gidley, 2010;Inayatullah, 2010;Ramos, 2010;Slaughter, 2004Slaughter, , 2008aVoros, 2008) -is valuable in drawing out the futures associated with differing levels of consciousness. Indeed, we all attempt to project our own values into the future and to create futures reflecting these values. ...
In this paper, I use a Wilberian integral futures approach to examine visions of the future within the climate action movement and identify sources of agreement and contention. I argue that the Wilberian approach is particularly valuable in drawing out diverse futures associated with differing levels of consciousness. Applying this approach to the climate action movement, I identify a likely future in which the continued promotion of a particular set of ecological values limits the appeal of the movement and reduces its effectiveness. An alternative future sees movement leaders working from or adopting more diverse value positions to develop movement visions that have broader appeal and support more effective results.
Cet article est en accès libre jusqu'au 31 décembre 2022 sur https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/FS-08-2022-0090/full/html
Objectif
L'objectif visé est de nourrir les réflexions sur la colonisation du futur dans le présent en mettant particulièrement l’accent sur le continent africain. Nous visons à explorer comment la recherche participative, et plus particulièrement la recherche-action anticipatoire, peut contribuer au processus de décolonisation effective.
Conception/méthodologie/approche
Considérant le futur comme un bien public, nous mobilisons une réflexion sur les processus coloniaux qui l’ont transformé, à bien des égards, en bien de club ou en bien privé. Nous faisons ensuite appel aux notions de production participative de connaissances et de recherche-action locale comme moyens de décoloniser le futur et de libérer l'imagination. Nous revisitons ensuite les principes de la recherche-action participative pour atteindre cet objectif et nous examinons les principales caractéristiques d'une recherche-action anticipatoire non coloniale dans le contexte des futurs de l'Afrique.
Résultats
Nous mettons en évidence les défis issus de la relation entre les efforts d'anticipation axés sur la recherche-action, la création d'une intelligence collective et la co-conception ( codesign ), dans le but d'encourager le processus de décolonisation. Cette démarche inclut des principes de conception, établit les bases pour un processus anticipatoire, potentiellement décolonial et envisage une possible réaction du système dominant à l’encontre de ce processus de décolonisation.
Implications/limitations
Il s’agit d’un travail conceptuel, qui ne fournit pas d’éléments testés sur le terrain. Toutefois, nous espérons que cela constituera un apport permettant de concevoir des méthodologies qui préviendront la colonisation du futur lors de la participation à des activités de recherche tournées vers les futurs en Afrique et ailleurs.
Originalité/valeur
Nous proposons une approche intégrale de la colonisation du futur, comme renouvellement d’une question ancienne. Nous articulons également cette démarche autour d’une réflexion sur la nature de ce que pourrait être une recherche-action anticipatoire décoloniale.
This article is on open access until December 31, 2022 at https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/FS-11-2021-0225/full/html
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to nurture reflections on the colonization of the future in the present with a particular focus on Africa. This paper aims at exploring how participatory research and particularly anticipatory action research can contribute to a decolonising process.
Design/methodology/approach
Considering the future as a public good, this paper develops a reflection on the colonization processes that can turn it into a club or a private good. This paper mobilizes the notions of participatory knowledge production and local action research as a way to decolonize the future and empower imagination. This paper revisits the tenets of participatory action research as a means to achieve this objective and discusses the main features of a non-colonial anticipatory action research in the context of African futures.
Findings
This paper highlights the challenges associated with connecting anticipatory endeavours focusing on action research, the creation of collective intelligence and co-design, with the intention of encouraging the decolonisation process. It includes design principles and anticipates a possible process of counter-decolonization.
Research limitations/implications
This is a conceptual paper, which does not provide field-tested evidence. Yet, the authors hope it serves as an input enabling to design methodologies that will prevent the colonisation of the future when engaging in future-oriented research activities in Africa and elsewhere.
Originality/value
This paper provides an integral approach to the colonisation of the future, as a renewed old question. This paper also connects this process with a reflection on the nature of what could be non-colonizing anticipatory action research.
Verantwortung in Unternehmen zu übernehmen bedeutet, jeden Tag Unsicherheiten zu akzeptieren und damit umzugehen. Aus diesem Grund bemühen sich Wissenschaft und Praxis um Theorien, Methodologien und Methoden, um dieses Bedürfnis zu unterstützen. Das mittlerweile sehr ausdifferenzierte Feld der Futures Studies ist geprägt von epistemologischen Grundannahmen, die in die theoretischen Positionen hineinragen. Bezüglich der theoretischen Positionen und den methodologischen Rahmen ist danach zu fragen, worauf diese ausgerichtet sind. Geht es nur um Darstellungen oder um bestimmte Vorstellungen, die erreicht werden sollen? Auch die Wahl der Methode, hier konkret die Szenario-Technik, wird davon beeinflusst. Der Rahmen ist damit klar, aber die konkrete Ausgestaltung muss geklärt werden. Das Ziel dieses Beitrags ist es, diese Differenzierung herauszuarbeiten und am Ende mittels zwei Methoden zu erläutern.
The development of futures studies in New Zealand over several decades is reviewed. As in other jurisdictions, early futures studies in New Zealand were predominantly problem-oriented using trend analysis and scenarios. More recently it is heading towards developing more long-term perspectives including crowd-sourcing possibilities through social media. This is supported by the strong sense of stewardship embedded in its indigenous culture and an increasing use of participatory processes in environmental decision-making around highly complex issues. The potential to address complexity through technologies for wicked problems and futures literacy is discussed in detail. While the potential for wider relevance appears to move in disconnected phases of activity, there is a movement towards forms of long-term stewardship, albeit tempered by presentism. One highlight is the 2017 Act providing the Whanganui River with legal status equal to that of a person. Another is the use of collaborative environmental governance such as the Land and Water Forum and the Canterbury Water Management Strategy. Observations are made on how futures studies might develop in New Zealand and may be of significance more broadly. In particular the most significant elements of change may well be inspired through indigenous Māori culture which links, to developments in philosophy such as Dark Ecology which propose a shift in the current anthropogenic perspective.
This article is a commentary on the Integral Futures controversy that arose between authors in two special editions of Futures (Vol. 40, No. 2, and Vol. 42, No. 2). The vitriolic rhetoric of the debate suggests the need for a new form of scholarship, which I call "postformal-integral-planetary scholarship." Such scholarship would require creative altruism, nuanced theorizing, and recognition that we share something of uncommon value with our colleagues-a deep desire and willingness to work toward a more equitable, just, sustainable, and peaceful world. Postformal-integral-planetary scholarship has the potential to move our discourse beyond the personal ego and into a field where we can jointly address global crises.
Increasingly, decision makers seek to harness “big data” to guide choices in management and policy settings as well as in professions that manufacture, build, and innovate. Scholars examining this trend tend to diagnose it at once as techno positivist in its insistence on design yoked to quantifiable variables and computational modeling and, alternatively, as an imperative integral to realizing ecologically sustainable innovation. This article investigates this tension. It reflects on the role of futurists, designers, architects, urban planners, social scientists, and artists in interpreting and utilizing comprehensiveness as a design frame. Among nine experimental foresight workshops at the inaugural Emerge conference at Arizona State University, many focused on producing physical objects or media, one modeled and expanded upon a method pioneered by architect and polymath, R. Buckminster Fuller. At a time when many of the capabilities to realize Fuller's specifications for big data have matured, I investigate whether comprehensive design as framed by Fuller's method shows promise as a trend enabling ecologically sustainable innovations. A historical look at Fuller's Design Science and the reflection on it in the Emerge workshop marks an opportunity to highlight and interpret the resurgence of comprehensive thinking in design while navigating the contradictions this orientation engenders.
An increasing consensus is emerging among holistic educators about the need for an integral education that incorporates all human dimensions—body, vital, heart, mind, and spirit—into the learning and inquiry processes. Most contemporary attempts at implementing this vision, however, fall back into “cognicentrism” in that they essentially focus on the use of the mind and its intellectual capabilities. This paper introduces a participatory approach to integral transformative learning in which all human dimensions are invited to cocreatively participate in the unfolding of the educational process. The metaphor of “the four seasons” is used to illustrate this multidimensional approach, as well as to suggest concrete ways in which learners can support the various stages of the integral creative cycle. After identifying three central challenges of integral education—lopsided development, mental pride, and anti-intellectualism—the authors conclude with some reflections about the importance of reconnecting education with its transformative and spiritual dimensions.
25 -40 As a musician I often find myself thinking about society, culture, history and education via analogies with music. I know there are certain limitations in doing so: the most obvious for a post structuralist being that music imposes an artificial order on any moment that is read 'musically'; while, for instance, a structuralist might express doubts over music's romantic proclivities that somehow blur the distinctions between rational and somatic categories. So, having had some months to think about the question of "Global education from a Neohumanist perspective", and knowing that I am going to be meeting some friends who had gathered with me in Israel last year just before the 'disaster' of the Israel-Lebanon action and just after Daniel Barenboim had given the last two Reith Lectures in Jerusalem on music as a form of socio-political engagement, I thought to pick some of the thematic-melodic strands of that meeting and work them here into something resembling a fugue. Abstract I frame my exploration of global education with reference to two of the Reith Lectures given by Daniel Barenboim in 2006. Three possible models of global education are mapped, the neohumanist, the flat class-room and the multicultural world, and then the possibilities of a neohumanist inspired global pedagogy are expanded upon. Issues of epistemology and the tension of the local/global, agency/structure dichotomies are referred to in order to shift the discussion from the usual neo-liberal Western concerns over content and out-comes to an appreciation of service as a pedagogic context and of the possibilities of a prophetic yet pragmat-ic strategic pedagogy of hope.
This paper describes the psychology of future consciousness and its evolution and historical develop- ment from prehistoric to contemporary times. Visions of the future are described pertaining to ancient religion and myth; the rise of Western science, rationalism, and the secular theory of progress; the Romantic counter- reaction; science fiction and future studies; modern Eastern and Western thinking; and contemporary para- digms highlighting evolution, technology, psychology, society, religion, and integrative perspectives, culminat- ing in a discussion of wisdom and the Second Enlightenment.
In this article I aim to broaden and deepen the evolution of consciousness discourse by integrating the integral theoretic narratives of Rudolf Steiner, Jean Gebser, and Ken Wilber, who each point to the emergence of new ways of thinking that could address the complex, critical challenges of our planetary moment. I undertake a wide scan of the evolution discourse, noting it is dominantly limited to biology-based notions of human origins that are grounded in scientific materialism. I then broaden the discourse by introducing integral evolutionary theories using a transdisciplinary epistemology to work between, across and beyond diverse disciplines. I note the conceptual breadth of Wilber's integral evolutionary narrative in transcending both scientism and epistemological isolationism. I also draw attention to some limitations of Wilber's integral project, notably his undervaluing of Gebser's actual text, and the substantial omission of the pioneering contribution of Steiner, who, as early as 1904 wrote extensively about the evolution of consciousness, including the imminent emergence of a new stage. I enact a deepening of integral evolutionary theory by honoring the significant yet undervalued theoretic components of participation/enactment and aesthetics/artistry via Steiner and Gebser, as a complement to Wilber. To this end, I undertake an in-depth hermeneutic dialogue between their writings utilizing theoretic bricolage, a multi-mode methodology that weaves between and within diverse and overlapping perspectives. The hermeneutic methodology emphasizes interpretive textual analysis with the aim of deepening understanding of the individual works and the relationships among them. This analysis is embedded in an epic but pluralistic narrative that spans the entire human story through various previous movements of consciousness, arriving at a new emergence at the present time. I also discuss the relationship between these narratives and contemporary academic literature, culminating in a substantial consideration of research that identifies and/or enacts new stage(s) or movements of consciousness. In particular, I highlight the extensive adult developmental psychology research that identifies several stages of postformal thinking, and recent critical, ecological and philosophical literature that identifies an emerging planetary consciousness. In summary, my research reveals an interpretation of scientific and other evidence that points beyond the formal, modernist worldview to an emerging postformal-integral-planetary consciousness. I posit that a broader academic consideration of such an integration of integral theoretic narratives could potentially broaden the general evolution discourse beyond its current biological bias. The article concludes with a rewinding of narrative threads, reflecting on the narrators, the journey, and the language of the discourse. Appendixes A and B explore the theoretical implications of the emergence of postformal-integral-planetary consciousness for a reframing of modernist conceptions of time and space. Appendix C holds an aesthetic lens to the evolution of consciousness through examples from the genealogy of writing. Citation: Gidley, J 2007, 'The evolution of consciousness as a planetary imperative: an integration of integral views', Integral Review: A Transdisciplinary and Transcultural Journal for New Thought, Research and Praxis, no. 5, pp. 4-226.
Forecasts that predict disastrous consequences for our most cherished economic activities have created an unbearable tension at the heart of modern societies. We stand accused by science of prospering at the cost of the future. Yet we are assured by economics that gains in prosperity guarantee future well being. One way of solving this tension, popular with governments, is the idea that technological innovation can provide sufficient fixes allowing modernity to stay on course with a fundamentally unaltered identity, vision and mission. In this context, 'innovation' is framed as an essentially conservative construct operated by a technocratic elite. As a change-making tactic, the techno-fix amounts to action framed exclusively in the positive polarity: it seeks to bolster an existing system by adding in relevant fixes. Yet the literature that refers to 'action' in all its developmental capabilities refers to a second, negative polarity - so-called 'non-action' - that is defined by renunciation. In view that non-action options are rarely discussed or formulated, this paper serves as an introductory exploration into the nature and value of non-action and makes the case that it offers foresight practitioners methodological possibilities for innovating responses to social and environmental crisis.
In this paper, the World Social Forum Process (WSFP) is situated within contemporary and historical utopian contexts. In so doing the article puts forth the proposition that the WSF sits toward the end of two great utopian projects of the West, state socialism and economic liberalism. Through its tacit and explicit critique of both, the WSF re-configures utopianism around the principle of diversity. In counter-distinction to this, however, a number of forces are articulating totalities, utopian conceptions of alternatives to corporate globalisation. The WSF process is therefore becoming the site of a commingling between a utopianism of diversity and a utopianism of totality, in the movement toward alternative globalization.
In this article I re-evaluate the potential contribution of postmodernism to integral theory via integrally-derived perspectives. I identify a premature foreclosure: the underappreciation of postformal modes of thinking (cognitive development beyond Piaget’s formal operations). I then enact certain forms of postformal reasoning in relation to integral theory. This includes an engagement with such perspectives as complexity theory, conceptual ecology, vision-logic, dialectics, genealogy, critical theory, and construct-awareness. A major theme concerns the dialectical relationship between reconstruction and deconstruction—partly explored through a developmental assessment of contra-indicative discourse by both Wilber and Derrida. Although the territory is complex, the relationship between current Wilberian theory and postmodernism is clearly problematised. I posit that a deeper engagement with postmodernism can lead to an autopoietic deepening of integral theory.
The social-scientific treatment of the relationship between human action and social structure is characterized by an unproductive and often extreme dichotomization. Although both dimensions are claimed to be complementary and , hence, necessary for a full underst and ing of the complexity of ongoing processes--both societal and individual--they increasingly drifted apart and are often treated as opposites. The results for social theory and research as well as for social and community intervention have been profound and growing concern about this segregation seems to spread in all relevant fields. This dissertation attempts to take account of these developments and proposes a framework allowing for a more comprehensive underst and ing of and intervention in social processes. A broad assessment of recent developments in four related areas of theory and practice (community organization, social work methods and training and community theory and research) illustrates both the institutionalized dichotomizations and some emerging alternatives. This first chapter closes with a generalist blueprint for reconceptualizing social work intervention and for redirecting social theory and research endeavors in support of such novel orientation. The central objective of the second chapter is to retrace--diachronically and across various discourses in social theory and philosophy--the development of the action-structure dualism and its emerging resolution in a variety of disciplinary contexts. This chapter lays the conceptual groundwork for a frame of interpretation and intervention which is presented in a rather condensed fashion in chapter three. The framework suggests that action and structure are constituted and therefore to be interpreted simultaneously and reciprocally on three levels: the level of subjective and everyday-action and interaction; the level of institutionalization; and the level of political-economic constitution of action/structure. The final chapter briefly illustrates some possible applications of such generalist, action-theoretically informed framework; a comprehensive working context for community intervention and an outline of non-positivistic action-research begin to suggest ways of practically and theoretically moving beyond the discussed dualisms.
Lukács' book The Young Hegel can be read in many ways. We can read it exclusively as a history of philosophy and evaluate the soundness of its method. We can ask, for example, whether Lukács is correct in attributing a decisive role in the genesis of the Hegelian dialectic to Hegel's progressive discovery of the contradictions in developing bourgeois society, especially to his discovery of the economic facts which split that society. The novelty of the Lukacsian insistence on the role of Hegel's economic conceptions provoked violent reactions from the very beginning. Alluding to the publication of Lukács' book (whose subtitle is “On the relations between Dialectics and the Economy”)
We explore the ways second-person inquiry supports, deepens, and enhances first-person inquiry when an emotionally laden identity issue is at stake. The identity issue from which we draw our argument is the impact of one's own white supremacist consciousness on oneself and others. Using detailed accounts of three individual inquirers' experience, we examine how secondperson inquiry provides support for the first-person inquirer's capacity for critical humility as well as the inquirers' abilities to: live in the inquiry, practice new behaviors and unlearn old ones, reflect-in-action, conceptualize new learning and stay open to a range of emotional responses.
The Fisher King myth provides an explanatory logic for reviewing globalisation: its past, present and potential.1 The conclusion is twofold.2 The real predicament of globalisation is simple survival. Then, the quality of that survival. Humanity is, for the first time in history, poised on multiple fronts to wilfully or negligently commit humanicide: the annihilation of our species to all but a stranded handful.3 Both survival and its quality involve the whole of humanity. They speak to the consequences that are integral to any choices we make, as individuals, communities, nations, and, as a species. This Fisher King mythic interpretation of Western globalisation identifies the outlines of the risk profile for humanity in the 21st Century, and, speaks to a global agenda for action.
The Material and Trading Worlds, ca. 1400 Starting with China Empires, States, and the New World, 1500-1775 The Industrial Revolution and its Consequences, 1750-1850 The Gap Conclusion: Change or Continuity?
This paper describes a new approach to scenario planning, known as scenario network mapping (SNM for short). The method, developed by the author in his doctoral thesis work, is contrasted with three more standard types of scenario planning. SNM differs from the conventional methods in using many more scenarios, each forming part of a particular pathway of possible events. In SNM, the focus is more on the network-like structure than on the scenarios themselves. The resulting network is easily modified as history unfolds; scenarios can be repositioned in the structure, new scenarios added, and irrelevant ones removed. The method lends itself to a highly participative development approach: the more actor groups participate in the construction of the scenarios, the more comprehensive the structure is likely to be. A case study of the current war in Iraq demonstrates the method in action.
William I. Robinson, Latin America and Global Capitalism: A Critical Globalization Perspective (Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 2008), 412 pages, $55.00, hardcover.
Latin America and Global Capitalism delivers a scathing indictment of neoliberal globalization from an explicitly anti-capitalist perspective. Its scope is theoretically and empirically ambitious, beginning with a wide-ranging treatment of structural shifts in global capitalism since the early 1970s, before turning to rigorous examination of a range of themes in Latin American political economy in light of these global changes. Robinson then brings these threads together with an argument that neoliberalism entered its twilight phase in the region beginning with the recession of the late 1990s and early 2000s, as extra-parliamentary mass movements concomitantly exploded onto the scene and a variety of self-described left governments took office. The focus then tightens, with conjunctural analyses of the current upsurge in indigenous revolts, the immigrant rights movement in the United States, and the complicated and contradictory processes of the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela. This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.
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The book consists of five parts. Part 1 looks at the main trends in the world over the next 50 yr and their likely environmental consequences. Chapter 2 looks at the nature of sustainable development: whether it is compatible with economic growth, the idea of carrying capacity and the limitations of market economics. Part 2 looks at patterns of thought and action deeply ingrained within the Western industrial model of development. Sources are examined to help us understand the relationship of individuals with industrial societies, and that of humankind with nature and its embodiment in our economic systems. This section also looks at the political assumptions of Westernisation and "market-friendly' policies, and their implications for the management of sustainable development. Part 3 turns to the present organisation of world business and finance, the emerging global culture of industrial consumption and consumerism, and the implications of these for sustainable development. In Chapter 6, these "top-down' economic arrangements are contrasted with growing need for "bottom-up' local participation, both to fulfil democratic aspirations and for effectiveness in developing and implementing policy in environmental management. Part 4 turns to the potential of innovative management approaches to contribute to sustainable development. Chapter 7 reviews the main institutional and organisational constraints on "integrated' environmental management. Chapter 8 considers management in conditions of endemic turbulence and uncertainty, and the potential role of networks in environmental management, including policy, issue, professional and producer networks. Chapter 9 describes the assumptions and methods of working in action-centred networks. Part 5 comprises four case studies in environmental management, which illustrate the action-centred network approach in the industrialised and developing worlds. -from Authors
How can dystopian futures help provide the motivation to change the ways we operate day to day? Futures Beyond Dystopia takes the view that the dominant trends in the world suggest a long-term decline into unliveable Dystopian futures. The human prospect is therefore very challenging, yet the perception of dangers and dysfunctions is the first step towards dealing with them. The motivation to avoid future dangers is matched by the human need to create plans and move forward. These twin motivations can be very powerful and help to stimulate the fields of Futures Studies and Applied Foresight. This analysis of current Futures practice is split into six sections: The Case Against Hegemony Expanding and Deepening a Futures Frame Futures Studies and the Integral Agenda Social Learning through Applied Foresight Strategies and Outlooks The Dialectic of Foresight and Experience. This fascinating book will stimulate anyone involved in Futures work around the world and will challenge practitioners and others to re-examine many of their assumptions, methodologies and practices.
Complex societies in fast-changing environments give rise to sets or systems of problems (meta-problems) rather than discrete problems. These are beyond the capacity of single organizations to meet. Inter-organizational collaboration is required by groups of organizations at what is called the “domain” level. The required capability at this level is mediated by “referent organizations. ” Key aspects of domain formation are discussed in relation to the functions and types of referent organization, of which there are several varieties. Four processes of domain development are identified which compose a sequence.
Integral futures (IF) has developed over several years to a point where it has emerged as a productive way of understanding futures studies (FS) itself and re-evaluating its role in the wider world. It is not merely a new ‘take’ on FS but has brought the field to a new stage of development with many practical consequences. For example, consulting, research, publishing, the design and implementation of training programs can now draw on a broader and deeper set of intellectual, practical and methodological resources than ever before. Similarly, with its new clarity regarding the individual and collective interior domains, IF profoundly affects the way people operate and changes the way in which the advanced skills and capabilities involved in strategic and social foresight are developed and used. Some of the reasons for these developments are explored here in a review of specific effects as shown by a sample of futures methods. The paper concludes with some brief suggestions about broader implications for the field as a whole.
This article considers the use of systems methodology in futures studies and foresight, in relation to Slaughter's call for Integral methodological renewal in futures studies. The diversified methodologies that have developed within the systems practice field over the past 25 years are examined for their potential to address concerns about the field's reduction of interior realities to epiphenomena of systemic processes, articulated by Habermas in the 1970s, and more recently by Wilber from the perspective of his Integral Methodological Pluralism. It is argued, though, that Integral methodology requires more than methodological pluralism: some understanding of the structures of consciousness within which methodologies are conceived and applied is needed. Drawing on the work of Dr. Susanne Cook-Greuter, capacity to understand “system” itself is explored, looking at the way that humans make sense of reality and the stages through which this sense-making develops. It is argued that systems methods and tools used with sufficient practitioner awareness of epistemological biases have an essential role to play in improving the quality of our futures perception and knowledge.
The conceptual bases of futures studies are constrained by physical reality only to the extent that we construct these according to our best understanding of physical principles. This places a burden on futures practitioners to ensure that engagement and use of these principles is sufficiently robust to protect the plausibility of their work. The second law of thermodynamics is widely recognised as having fundamental implications for the nature of our physical reality. It is also widely misinterpreted, leading to distorted understanding of this reality. Thermodynamic principles are frequently referred to in the futures literature, and are sometimes fundamental to the futures thinking underlying the work. Reflecting the widespread misunderstanding of the second law, usage in the futures literature is usually problematic. This has implications for the value of the work, and also for the credibility of the field. In this article, the problem is demonstrated, and an updated interpretation of the second law is introduced. The origin of the problem is examined from historical and scientific perspectives within the thermodynamics field. The updated interpretation's implications are examined in the context of futures and other transdisciplinary perspectives.
In this article the various epistemological premises embedded in planning and futures studies1 are examined. While many planners and futurists might locate themselves in separate discursive spaces, from the perspective developed in this article the similarities in their epistemic basis are more similar than different. Thus, the focus of this effort is on planning and futures studies generally; and specifically, the various perspectives on how the future is planned for: namely, the predictive-empirical, the cultural—interpretative, and the critical—post-structural are articulated.
This paper suggests that environmental scanning (ES) has been restricted to parts of the external world and has largely overlooked the inner one. In fact the inner/outer distinction has itself been lost sight of within Futures Studies (FS), as in many other fields of enquiry and action. The result is that much well-intentioned and otherwise disciplined work takes place in a cramped empiricist frame that has, for good reason, been dubbed “flatland”. For ES to more adequately comprehend a richer and more complex reality, a broader scanning frame is needed. This paper provides a model for working toward that goal.
Would it ever be possible to devise a genuine "Theory of Everything," one that would truly explain not just the world of insentient matter addressed by physics, but the emotional, mental, and spiritual realms as well? In this book, Ken Wilber begins just such an attempt with a concise presentation of his integral vision--a quest for a holistic approach that, he says, invites us to be a little more whole, a little less fragmented, in our work, our lives, and our destiny. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Fundamental processes of both technological development and globalization are leading to new frontiers in sexuality and relationships, driving new imperatives of parenthood and territoriality and redefining concepts of both the family and humanity itself. This article explores new views and expressions of love, and sees an escape route from the prison of gender through paths of cooperation, community and caring. It is concluded that humanity has entered an evolutionary stage where all individuals' self-interests have become identical, and altruism has become pragmatic.
This paper discusses how the social change theory of P.R. Sarkar is introduced to students of the Australian Foresight Institute's Masters in Strategic Foresight program through an action learning process. Through action learning, the student can come to appreciate the qualitative difference in understanding that can be obtained through taking an 'integral' or meta-perspective on social change processes. Such a perspective increases the efficacy and scope of all social interventions. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a new approach to the study of the future.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper describes six foundational concepts (the used future, the disowned future, alternative futures, alignment, models of social change, and uses of the future), six questions (will, fear, missing, alternatives, wish, and next steps as related to the future) and six pillars (mapping, anticipating, timing, deepening, creating alternatives, and transforming), giving examples and case studies where appropriate.
Findings
In an increasingly complex and heterogeneous world, futures studies can help people to recover their agency, and help them to create the world in which they wish to live.
Originality/value
The paper integrates and builds on a variety of futures studies' concepts, ways of thinking and techniques and integrates them into a new approach.
This paper reports on a breakthrough in thinking based on 33years of field practice-based inquiry and previously published
studies. It brings together several bodies of established and emerging thought including systems thinking, epistemology, psychology
and sociology, in a way of thinking about the living fabric of complex human systems-in-process. It is offered here as a kind
of transdisciplinary ‘Rosetta stone’ to those working around the world with one or more of these bodies of thought as a way
of making some critical connections between them. In summary, an integrating ‘mental architecture’ is proposed whereby inquiry
(research as an evaluative dynamic act of seeking) may be seen as the way by which living (notably human) systems come alive,
and which is incorporated, organ-ised, ‘structured’ and relationally embodied in an individual and their psychological mind
as personal process, and in social collectivities and their sociological organisation as cultural process.
This article puts forward the proposition that the confluence of action research and futures studies can be seen across a number of domains: political, organisational, grassroots, global and individual. While this confluence embodies an heterogeneity of practices, it is their underlying approach, the processes used, which are shared. Identifying both the many distinctive practices in their unique contexts, and their more homogeneous processes is the primary task of this paper. Aspects of this confluence are explored as they relate to social change, empowerment, humanisation, ways of knowing and ethics.
Causal layered analysis is offered as a new futures research method. It utility is not in predicting the future but in creating transformative spaces for the creation of alternative futures. Causal layered analysis consists of four levels: the litany, social causes, discourse/worldview and myth/metaphor. The challenge is to conduct research that moves up and down these layers of analysis and thus is inclusive of different ways of knowing.
The history and development of futures studies is explored in interviews with three leading futurists. Ashis Nandy, Ziauddin Sardar and Richard Slaughter provide a personal perspective on their involvement in the field and the World Futures Studies Federation and reflect on future possibilities.
The now-classic Metaphors We Live By changed our understanding of metaphor and its role in language and the mind. Metaphor, the authors explain, is a fundamental mechanism of mind, one that allows us to use what we know about our physical and social experience to provide understanding of countless other subjects. Because such metaphors structure our most basic understandings of our experience, they are "metaphors we live by"âmetaphors that can shape our perceptions and actions without our ever noticing them. In this updated edition of Lakoff and Johnson's influential book, the authors supply an afterword surveying how their theory of metaphor has developed within the cognitive sciences to become central to the contemporary understanding of how we think and how we express our thoughts in language.
The Age of Ideology-Political Thought, 1750 to the Present
- F Watkins
F. Watkins, The Age of Ideology-Political Thought, 1750 to the Present, Prentice-Hall, New Jersey, 1964.
Questioning the Future: Future Studies, Action Learning and Organisational Transformation
- S Inayatullah
S. Inayatullah, Questioning the Future: Future Studies, Action Learning and Organisational Transformation, Tamkang University Press, Taipei, Taiwan, 2002.
Macroshift: Navigating the Transformation to a Sustainable World
- E Laszlo
E. Laszlo, Macroshift: Navigating the Transformation to a Sustainable World, Berrett-Koehler, 2001.
Macrohistorians compared: toward a theory of macrohistory
- Inayatullah
S. Inayatullah, Macrohistorians compared: toward a theory of macrohistory, in: J. Galtung, S. Inayatullah (Eds.), Macrohistory and Macrohistorians, Praeger,
Westport, 1997, pp. 159-202.
The cult of Ken Wilber
- M Bauwens
M. Bauwens, The cult of Ken Wilber, 2005, http://www.kheper.net/topics/Wilber/Cult_of_Ken_Wilber.html, accessed May 2008.
Foresight practice in Australia: a meta-scan of practitioners and organisations
- Ramos
J. Ramos, Foresight practice in Australia: a meta-scan of practitioners and organisations, in: R. Slaughter (Ed.), Australian Foresight Institute Monograph
Series, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, 2004.
Rescuing All our Futures: The Future of Futures Studies
- A Nandy
A. Nandy, Futures and dissent, in: Z. Sardar (Ed.), Rescuing All our Futures: The Future of Futures Studies, Praeger, Westport, CT, 1999.