Egypt’s Stage of Development (Modern lens)

02.11.2011 By
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Speaking about the need for a leader popularly elected in free and fair elections, former U.S. National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski states, "Egypt is now at a stage of development in which it is reasonable and expected by the population.” The term "development" means many things to many people, and it is — as Ken Wilber has suggested — the "backbone" of integral theory. As I blogged about in a recent posts (Worldviews in Conflict and New-Breed Leader Uses Facebook to Start Egypian Revolution), there appears to be a clear shift occurring in Egypt in particular and in this region in general as development accelerates and the Modern worldview increasingly seeps in and displaces the longstanding Traditional and Imperial worldviews so common in this region. As I often discuss with my students of Integral Leadership, there is an opportunity here for us to notice how people with different worldviews (and preferred values dialects and leadership styles) frame these … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Culture and Society, Current Events, Development, Economics, Integral Theory and Methodology, Leadership, Worldviews

Evolution of Civilization

11.01.2010 By
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The American archeologist Howard Winters defined civilization as “the process in which one gradually increases the number of people included in the term ‘we’ or ‘us’ and at the same time decreases those labeled ‘you’ or ‘them’ until that category has no one left in it.” Civilization today includes a rainbow of perspectives along this spectrum.  Each step along civilization’s spiraling evolution involves deeper and wider perspectives – from egocentric (“I matter”) to ethnocentric (“My group matters”) to worldcentric (“All humans matter”). To glimpse the civilization of tomorrow, one need not look further than the most comprehensive and inclusive perspectives of today.  The integral frameworks created by worldcentric pioneers foreshadow a new civilization that works for everyone, where all perspectives—though far from equal—have a right to exist. Integral mapmakers aim to find a place for the horizontal and vertical diversity that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Culture and Society, Development, Integral Practice Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

An Integral Approach to Religious Freedom

10.23.2010 By
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A Proposal to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent bipartisan U.S. federal government commission established “to review the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and to make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and Congress.” (see: http://www.uscirf.gov/about-uscirf.html) USCIRF desperately needs an Integral Approach to Religious Freedom. In this blog proposal (originally submitted directly to USCIRF), I introduce a new and more sophisticated model of religious analysis that will (1) aid in the reduction of religious extremism, (2) prevent the repression of religious minorities around the globe, and (3) improve foreign policy implementation of International Governments, Human Rights Groups, in general and USCIRF in particular. The latest research in adult psychological development allows one to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Development, Politics, Religion