Spiral Dynamics

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Spiral Dynamics (SD) is a model of the evolutionary development of individuals, organizations, and societies. It was initially developed by Don Edward Beck and Christopher Cowan based on the emergent cyclical theory of Clare W. Graves, combined with memetics. A later collaboration between Beck and Ken Wilber produced Spiral Dynamics Integral (SDi). [1] Several variations of Spiral Dynamics continue to exist, both independently and incorporated into or drawing on Wilber's Integral theory. [2] In addition to influencing both integral theory and metamodernism, [3] Spiral Dynamics has applications in management theory and business ethics, [4] [5] [6] [7] and as an example of applied memetics. [8] However, it lacks mainstream academic support.

Contents

Overview

Spiral Dynamics describes how value systems and worldviews emerge from the interaction of "life conditions" and the mind's capacities. [9] The emphasis on life conditions as essential to the progression through value systems is unusual among similar theories, and leads to the view that no level is inherently positive or negative, but rather is a response to the local environment, social circumstances, place and time. [10] [11] Through these value systems, groups and cultures structure their societies and individuals integrate within them. Each distinct set of values is developed as a response to solving the problems of the previous system. Changes between states may occur incrementally (first order change) or in a sudden breakthrough (second order change). [12] The value systems develop in a specific order, and the most important question when considering the value system being expressed in a particular behavior is why the behavior occurs. [13]

Overview of the levels

VMemes as described in Spiral Dynamics (1996) [14]
ColorGraves codeDescriptionAttributes
First Tier
BeigeA-NSurvivalSense — Instinctive
  • Automatic, reflexive
  • Centers around satisfaction
  • Driven by deep brain programs, instincts and genetics
  • Little awareness of self as a distinct being (undifferentiated)
  • Lives "off the land" much as other animals
  • Minimal impact on or control over environment
PurpleB-OKinSpirits — Clannish
  • Obey desires of the mystical spirit beings
  • Show allegiance to elders, custom, clan
  • Preserve sacred places, objects, rituals
  • Bond together to endure and find safety
  • Live in an enchanted, magical village
  • Seek harmony with nature's power
RedC-PPowerGods — Egocentric
  • In a world of haves and have-nots, it's good to be a have
  • Avoid shame, defend reputation, be respected
  • Gratify impulses and sense immediately
  • Fight remorselessly and without guilt to break constraints
  • Don't worry about consequences that may not come
BlueD-QTruthForce — Purposeful
  • Find meaning and purpose in living
  • Sacrifice self to the Way for deferred reward
  • Bring order and stability to all things
  • Control impulsivity and respond to guilt
  • Enforce principles of righteous living
  • Divine plan assigns people to their places
OrangeE-RStriveDrive — Strategic
  • Strive for autonomy and independence
  • Seek out "the good life" and material abundance
  • Progress through searching out the best solutions
  • Enhance living for many through science and technology
  • Play to win and enjoy competition
  • Learning through tried-and-true experience
GreenF-SHumanBond — Relativistic
  • Explore the inner beings of self and others
  • Promote a sense of community and unity
  • Share society's resources among all
  • Liberate humans from greed and dogma
  • Reach decisions through consensus
  • Refresh spirituality and bring harmony
Second Tier
YellowG-TFlexFlow — Systemic
  • Accept the inevitability of nature's flows and forms
  • Focus on functionality, competence, flexibility, and spontaneity
  • Find natural mix of conflicting "truths" and "uncertainties"
  • Discovering personal freedom without harm to others or excesses of self-interest
  • Experience fullness of living on an Earth of such diversity in multiple dimensions
  • Demand integrative and open systems
TurquoiseH-UGlobalView — Holistic
  • Blending and harmonizing a strong collective of individuals
  • Focus on the good of all living entities as integrated systems
  • Expanded use of human brain/mind tools and competencies
  • Self is part of larger, conscious, spiritual whole that also serves self
  • Global networking seen as routine
  • Acts for minimalist living so less actually is more
CoralI-Vunknownunknown

Development of the theory

University of North Texas (UNT) professor Don Beck sought out Union College psychology professor Clare W. Graves after reading about his work in The Futurist. They met in person in 1975, and Beck, soon joined by UNT faculty member Chris Cowan, worked closely with Graves until his death in 1986. Beck made over 60 trips to South Africa during the 1980s and 1990s, applying Graves's emergent cyclical theory in various projects. [15] This experience, along with others Beck and Cowan had applying the theory in North America, motivated the development of Spiral Dynamics. [16]

Beck and Cowan first published their extension and adaptation of Graves's emergent cyclical theory in Spiral Dynamics: Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change (Exploring the New Science of Memetics) (1996). They introduced a simple color-coding for the eight value systems identified by Graves (and a predicted ninth) which is better known than Graves's letter pair identifiers. Additionally, Beck and Cowan integrated ideas from the field of memetics as created by Dawkins and further developed by Csikszentmihalyi, identifying memetic attractors for each of Graves's levels. These attractors, which they called "VMemes", are said to bind memes into cohesive packages which structure the world views of both individuals and societies. [1]

Diversification of views

While Spiral Dynamics began as a single formulation and extension of Graves's work, a series of disagreements and shifting collaborations have produced three distinct approaches. By 2010, these had settled as Christopher Cowan and Natasha Todorovic advocating their trademarked "SPIRAL DYNAMICS®" as fundamentally the same as Graves's emergent cyclical theory, Don Beck advocating Spiral Dynamics Integral (SDi) with a community of practice around various chapters of his Centers for Human Emergence, and Ken Wilber subordinating SDi to his similarly but-not-identically colored Integral AQAL "altitudes", with a greater focus on spirituality. [2]

This state of affairs has led to practitioners noting the "lineage" of their approach in publications. [17]

Timeline

The following timeline shows the development of the various Spiral Dynamics factions and the major figures involved in them, as well as the initial work done by Graves. Splits and changes between factions are based on publications or public announcements, or approximated to the nearest year based on well-documented [18] events.

Vertical bars indicate notable publications, which are listed along with a few other significant events after the timeline.

Spiral Dynamics

Bolded years indicate publications that appear as vertical bars in the chart above:

Cowan and Todorovic's "Spiral Dynamics"

Chris Cowan's decision to trademark "Spiral Dynamics" in the US and form a consulting business with Natasha Todorovic contributed to the split between Beck and him in 1999. [27] Cowan and Todorovic subsequently published an article on Spiral Dynamics in the peer-reviewed journal Strategy & Leadership, [31] edited and published Graves's unfinished manuscript, and generally took the position that the distinction between Spiral Dynamics and Graves's ECLET is primarily one of terminology. Holding this view, they opposed interpretations seen as "heterodox." [27]

In particular, Cowan and Todorovic's view of Spiral Dynamics stands in opposition to that of Ken Wilber. Wilber biographer Frank Visser describes Cowan as a "strong" critic of Wilber and his Integral theory, particularly the concept of a "Mean Green Meme." [44] Todorovic produced a paper arguing that research refutes the existence of the "Mean Green Meme" as Beck and particularly Wilber described it. [34]

Beck's "Spiral Dynamics integral" (SDi)

By early 2000, Don Beck was corresponding with integral philosopher Ken Wilber about Spiral Dynamics and using a "4Q/8L" diagram combining Wilber's four quadrants with the eight known levels of Spiral Dynamics. [39] [27] Beck officially announced SDi as launching on January 1, 2002, aligning Spiral Dynamics with integral theory and additionally citing the influence of John Petersen of the Arlington Institute and Ichak Adizes. [27] By 2006, Wilber had introduced a slightly different color sequence for his AQAL "altitudes", diverging from Beck's SDi and relegating it to the values line, which is one of many lines within AQAL. [39]

Later influences on SDi include the work of Muzafer Sherif and Carolyn Sherif in the fields of realistic conflict and social judgement, specifically their Assimilation Contrast Effect model [45] [46] and Robber's Cave study [47]

SD/SDi and Ken Wilber's Integral Theory

Ken Wilber briefly referenced Graves in his 1986 book (with Jack Engler and Daniel P. Brown) Transformations of Consciousness, [48] and again in 1995's Sex, Ecology, Spirituality which also introduced his four quadrants model. [26] However, it was not until the "Integral Psychology" section of 1999's Collected Works: Volume 4 that he integrated Gravesian theory, now in the form of Spiral Dynamics. [30] Beck and Wilber began discussing their ideas with each other around this time. [27]

AQAL "altitudes"

By 2006, Wilber was using SDi only for the values line, one of many lines in his All Quadrants, All Levels/Lines (AQAL) framework. [49] In the book Integral Spirituality published that year, he introduced the concept of "altitudes" as an overall "content-free" system to correlate developmental stages across all of the theories on all of the lines integrated by AQAL. [50]

The altitudes used a set of colors that were ordered according to the rainbow, which Wilber explained was necessary to align with color energies in the tantric tradition. This left only Red, Orange, Green, and Turquoise in place, changing all of the other colors to greater or lesser degrees. Furthermore, where Spiral Dynamics theorizes that the 2nd tier would have six stages repeating the themes of the six stages of the 1st tier, in the altitude system the 2nd tier contains only two levels (corresponding to the first two SD 2nd tier levels) followed by a 3rd tier of four spiritually-oriented levels inspired by the work of Sri Aurobindo. Beck and Cowan each consider this 3rd tier to be non-Gravesian. [51]

Spiral Dynamics vs AQAL altitudes [52]
SD / SDiAQAL altitudes
sourcetierlevelleveltiersource
directly from Graves2nd???Clear Light3rdinspired by Aurobindo
???Ultraviolet
???Violet
CoralIndigo
TurquoiseTurquoise2ndanalogous to Graves
YellowTeal
1stGreenGreen1st
OrangeOrange
BlueAmber
RedRed
PurpleMagenta
BeigeInfrared

Wilber critic Frank Visser notes that while Wilber gives a correspondence of his altitude colors to chakras, his correspondence does not actually match any traditional system for coloring chakras, despite Wilber's assertion that using the wrong colors would "backfire badly when any actual energies were used." [53] He goes on to note that Wilber's criticism of the SD colors as "inadequate" ignores that they were not intended to correlate with any system such as chakras. In this context, Visser expresses sympathy for Beck and Cowan's dismay over what Visser describes as "vandalism" regarding the color scheme, concluding that the altitude colors are an "awkward hybrid" of the SD and rainbow/chakra color systems, both lacking the expressiveness of the former and failing to accurately correlate with the latter. [54]

Criticism and limitations

As an extension of Graves's theory, most criticisms of that theory apply to Spiral Dynamics as well. Likewise, to the extent that Spiral Dynamics Integral incorporates Ken Wilber's integral theory, criticism of that theory, and the lack of mainstream academic support for it are also relevant.

In addition, there have been criticisms of various aspects of SD and/or SDi that are specific to those extensions. Nicholas Reitter, writing in the Journal of Conscious Evolution, observes: [55]

On the other hand, the SD authors seem also to have magnified some of the weaknesses in Graves' approach. The occasional messianism, unevenness of presentation and constant business-orientation of Graves' (2005) manuscript is transmuted in the SD authors' book (Beck and Cowan 1996) into a sometimes- bewildering array of references to world history, pop culture and other topics, often made in helter-skelter fashion.

Spiral Dynamics has been criticized by some as appearing to be like a cult, with undue prominence given to the business and intellectual property concerns of its leading advocates. [56]

Metamodernist philosophers Daniel Görtz and Emil Friis, writing as Hanzi Freinacht, note that Spiral Dynamics provides unique insights, while also criticizing it for combining too many dimensions of development into one measurement. Their multi-part system combines aspects of SD with other developmental measurements, describing SD as the "awkward uncle" of their "Effective Value Meme" concept. [3] They also entirely dismiss the Turquoise level, saying that while there will eventually be another level, it does not currently exist. In support of this assertion, they note the lack of critique of metamodernism (which they roughly equate with the Yellow level), and explain those who self-identify as Turquoise as confusing level with their non-SD dimensions of development, state and depth. They also warn that attempts to build Turquoise communities are, in their view, likely to lead to the development of "abusive cults" as a result of trying to make the Turquoise level real when (in their view) it is not. [57]

Psychologist Keith Rice, discussing his application of SDi in individual psychotherapy, notes that it encounters limitations in accounting for temperament and the unconscious. However, regarding SDi's "low profile among academics," he notes that it can easily be matched to more well-known models "such as Maslow, Loevinger, Kohlberg, Adorno, etc.," in order to establish trust with clients. [58]

Influence and applications

Spiral Dynamics has influenced management theory, which was the primary focus of the 1996 Spiral Dynamics book. [55] [59] [60] John Mackey and Rajendra Sisodia write that the vision and values of conscious capitalism as they articulate it are consistent with the "2nd tier" VMEMES of Spiral Dynamics. [7] Rica Viljoen's case study of economic development in Ghana demonstrates how understanding the Purple VMEME allows for organizational storytelling that connects with diverse (non-Western) worldviews. [61]

Spiral Dynamics has also been noted as an example of applied memetics. In his chapter, "'Meme Wars': A Brief Overview of Memetics and Some Essential Context" in the peer-reviewed [62] book Memetics and Evolutionary Economics, Michael P. Schlaile includes Spiral Dynamics in the "organizational memetics" section of his list of "enlightening examples of applied memetics." [8] Schlaile also notes Said Dawlabani's SDi-based "MEMEnomics" as an alternative to his own "economemetics" in his chapter examining memetics and economics in the same book. [63] Elza Maalouf argues that SDi provides a "memetic" interpretation of non-Western cultures that Western NGOs often lack, focusing attention on the "indigenous content" of the culture's value system. [64]

One of the main applications of Spiral Dynamics is to inform more nuanced and holistic systems change strategies. Just like categories in any other framework, the various levels can be seen as memetic lenses to look at the world through in order to help those leading change take a bird's eye view in understanding the diverse perspectives on a singular topic. At best, Spiral Dynamics can help us to synthesize these perspectives and recognize the strength in having a diversity of worldviews and aim to create interventions that take into consideration the needs and values of individuals at every level of the spiral.

Spiral Dynamics continues to influence integral philosophy and spirituality, and the developmental branch of metamodern philosophy. Both integralists and metamodernists connect their philosophies to SD's Yellow VMEME. [32] [3] Integralism also identifies with Turquoise and eventually added further stages not found in SD or SDi, [39] while metamodernism dismisses Turquoise as nonexistent. [57]

SDi has also been referenced in the fields of education, [65] urban planning, [66] and cultural analysis. [67]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Butters 2015 , pp. 68–69
  2. 1 2 3 4 Butters 2015 , pp. 69, 71–73
  3. 1 2 3 Freinacht, Hanzi (10 March 2017). "Effective Value Meme". The Listening Society: A Metamodern Guide to Politics, Book One. Metamoderna. pp. 305–325. ISBN   978-8799973903.
  4. ↑ Neal, Judith (12 July 2018). "An Overview of the Field of Transformation". In Neal, Judith (ed.). Handbook of Personal and Organizational Transformation. Springer. pp. 3–46. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-66893-2_26. ISBN   978-3-319-66892-5.
  5. ↑ Hansen, Erik G.; Schaltegger, Stefan (January 2016). "The Sustainability Balanced Scorecard: A Systematic Review of Architectures". Journal of Business Ethics. Springer. 133 (2): 216. doi:10.1007/s10551-014-2340-3. S2CID   54638344.
  6. ↑ Cacciope & Edwards 2005 , pp. 86–88
  7. 1 2 Mackey, John; Sisodia, Rajendra (15 January 2013). Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business. Harvard Business Review Press. p. 204. ISBN   978-1-62527-175-4.
  8. 1 2 Schlaile, Michael P. (22 December 2020). ""Meme Wars": A Brief Overview of Memetics and Some Essential Context". In Schlaile, Michael P. (ed.). Memetics and Evolutionary Economics. Economic Complexity and Evolution. Springer. p. 17. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-59955-3_2. ISBN   978-3-030-59954-6. S2CID   234331290.
  9. ↑ Cacciope & Edwards 2005 , p. 93
  10. ↑ Nasser 2021 , p. 11
  11. ↑ "Spiral Dynamics For Newbies".
  12. ↑ Cook 2008 , pp. 46–47
  13. ↑ van Marrewijk, Marcel; Werre, Marco (May 2003). "Multiple Levels of Corporate Sustainability". Journal of Business Ethics. Springer. 44 (2/3): 108–109. doi:10.1023/A:1023383229086. S2CID   152644493.
  14. ↑ Beck & Cowan 1996 , pp. 47, 197, 203, 215, 229, 244, 260, 275, 287
  15. 1 2 Viljoen, Rica (29 May 2018). "Back to the Future – The South African Crucible Revisited". In Beck, Don (ed.). Spiral Dynamics in Action: Humanity's Master Code. Chester, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN   978-1-119-38718-3.
  16. ↑ Beck & Cowan 1996 , p. 3
  17. ↑ Christensen, Tom (2015a). "Orienting Details". In Christensen, Tom (ed.). Innovate Development: Emerging Worldviews & Systems Change. ISBN   978-1-4951-5908-4.
  18. ↑ Butters 2015
  19. 1 2 Lee, William R. (2002). "Preface". In Lee, William R.; Cowan, Christopher; Todorovic, Natasha (eds.). Levels of Human Existence: Edited Transcription of a Seminar at the Washington School of Psychiatry, October 16, 1971. Santa Barbara, CA: ECLET Publishing. pp. vii–viii. ISBN   0-9724742-0-X.
  20. ↑ Beck, Don; Larsen, Teddy Hebo; Solonin, Sergey; Viljoen, Rica; Johns, Thomas Q. (29 May 2018). Spiral Dynamics in Action: Humanity's Master Code. Chester, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 15–16. ISBN   978-1-119-38718-3.
  21. 1 2 3 Todorovic, Natasha. "About Us". NVC Consulting. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  22. ↑ Cook 2008 , p. 348
  23. 1 2 "National Values Center, Inc". Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Retrieved 4 February 2021. (search for "National Values Center", click "details" then "Public Information Report"; results cannot be bookmarked)
  24. ↑ "[Archive Document 74R SR00901F]". Senate Resolution 901, Act of 3 May 1995. Texas State Senate. (Notes Beck's resignation from UNT)
  25. ↑ "In Memoriam..." The Concordiensis. Union College, Schenectady, NY. 16 January 1986. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  26. 1 2 Reitter 2018 , pp. 42–43
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Butters 2015, p. 71
  28. 1 2 U.S. Service Mark 75,477,781
  29. ↑ Cowan, Christopher; Todorovic, Natasha. "FAQs: Integral". Spiral Dynamics Online. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  30. 1 2 Visser, Frank (1 September 2003). Ken Wilber: Thought as Passion. SUNY series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology. SUNY Press. p. 229. ISBN   978-0-7914-5815-0.
  31. 1 2 Cook 2008 , pp. 300, 344
  32. 1 2 MacDonald, Copthorne. "Review Of: A Theory of Everything". Integralis: Journal of Integral Consciousness, Culture, and Science. 1. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  33. ↑ "About Us". Integral Institute. Archived from the original on 10 December 2004. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  34. 1 2 Hampson, Gary P. (June 2007). "Integral Re-views Postmodernism: The Way Out Is Through" (PDF). Integral Review (4): 131. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  35. ↑ Graves, Clare W. (2002). Lee, William R.; Cowan, Christopher; Todorovic, Natasha (eds.). Levels of Human Existence: Edited Transcription of a Seminar at the Washington School of Psychiatry, October 16, 1971. Santa Barbara, CA: ECLET Publishing. ISBN   0-9724742-0-X.
  36. ↑ Shuitemaker, Merry & Voorhoeve 2012 , p. 258
  37. ↑ Lessem, Ronnie; Abouleish, Ibrahim; Pogačnik, Marko; Herman, Louis (2016). "Cultural and Spiritual Emergence: Spiral Dynamics". Integral Polity: Integrating Nature, Culture, Society and Economy. Routledge. pp. 111–128. ISBN   978-1-4724-4247-5.
  38. ↑ Combs, Allan (April 2007). "Book Review: The Never Ending Quest". Review. Journal of Transformative Education. SAGE. 5 (2): 192–197. doi:10.1177/1541344607303850. S2CID   143451037.
  39. 1 2 3 4 5 Visser 2017 , pp. 35–36
  40. ↑ U.S. Trademark 85,125,521 , U.S. Service Mark 85,125,521
  41. ↑ Rice, Keith E. (20 August 2015). "Fare Thee Well, Christopher Cowan!". Integrated SocioPsychology. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  42. ↑ Mummery, Graham (January–February 2014). "Secular, Sacred, Scientific". Book Reviews. Integral Leadership Review. 18 (2). Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  43. ↑ "Dr. Don Edward Beck". Obituaries. The Purcell Register. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  44. ↑ Visser, Frank (February 2006). "A Spectrum of Wilber Critics". Integral World. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  45. ↑ Maalouf, Elza. "Large Scale Psychology presentation at The Engaging The Other Conference in San Francisco". Center for Human Emergence Middle East. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  46. ↑ Rice, Keith E. (4 October 2015). "Assimilation-Contrast Effect" . Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  47. ↑ McTaggart, Lynne (May 2011). The Bond: Connecting Through the Space Between Us. New York, NY: Free Press. p. 187. ISBN   978-1-4391-5794-7.
  48. ↑ Wilber, Ken; Engler, Jack; Brown, Daniel P. (12 Sep 1986). Transformations of Consciousness. Shambhala. p. 78. ISBN   978-0-394-74202-1.
  49. ↑ Bozesan, Mariana (10 Oct 2020). Integral Investing: From Profit to Prosperity. Springer, Cham. p. 136. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-54016-6. ISBN   978-3-030-54015-9. S2CID   226553363.
  50. ↑ Esbjörn-Hargens, Sean (August 2010). "An Overview of Integral Theory: An All-Inclusive Framework for the Twenty-First Century". In Esbjörn-Hargens, Sean (ed.). Integral Theory in Action: Applied, Theoretical, and Constructive Perspectives on the AQAL Model. SUNY Series in Integral Theory. Albany: SUNY Press. p. 42. ISBN   978-1-4384-3385-1.
  51. ↑ Visser 2017 , pp. 35–39
  52. ↑ Visser 2017 , pp. 36–38 Note that while Visser shows two Spiral Dynamics colors above Coral, these are not present in Beck or Cowan's publications, and Cowan explicitly states that "no colors have been assigned for nodal systems beyond Turquoise and Coral. Teal and Aubergine are candidates, but Azure and Plum also have a certain appeal." (Cowan, Christopher (2006). "FAQs > Questions About the Colors in Spiral Dynamics" . Retrieved 3 August 2021.)
  53. ↑ Visser 2017 , pp. 43–46
  54. ↑ Visser 2017 , pp. 47–49
  55. 1 2 Reitter 2018 , p. 47
  56. ↑ Butters 2015 , pp. 74–76
  57. 1 2 Freinacht, Hanzi (10 March 2017). "Major Implications §Death to Turquoise". The Listening Society: A Metamodern Guide to Politics, Book One. Metamoderna. pp. 327–330. ISBN   978-8799973903.
  58. ↑ Rice, Keith (2015b). "The Use of SDi in Psychotherapy". In Christensen, Tom (ed.). Developmental Innovation: Emerging Worldviews & Individual Learning. ISBN   978-1-4951-5909-1.
  59. ↑ Cook‐Greuter, Susanne R. (1 December 2004). "Making the Case for a Developmental Perspective". Industrial and Commercial Training. Emerald. 36 (7): 275–281. doi:10.1108/00197850410563902.
  60. ↑ Laloux, Frederic (20 February 2014). Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage of Human Consciousness. Nelson Parker. ISBN   978-2960133516.
  61. ↑ Viljoen, Rica (2015). "Navigating Transformation in a Purple Country". Inclusive Organizational Transformation: An African Perspective on Human Niches and Diversity of Thought. Gower. ISBN   978-1-4724-2299-6.
  62. ↑ "Economic Complexity and Evolution". Springer. "All titles in this series are peer-reviewed."
  63. ↑ Schlaile, Michael P. (22 December 2020). "A Case for Economemetics? Why Evolutionary Economists Should Re-evaluate the (F)utility of Memetics". In Schlaile, Michael P. (ed.). Memetics and Evolutionary Economics. Economic Complexity and Evolution. Springer. p. 37. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-59955-3_3. ISBN   978-3-030-59954-6. S2CID   234331290.
  64. ↑ Maalouf, Elza (2014). "Introduction". Emerge! The Rise of Functional Democracy and the Future of the Middle East. Select Books. ISBN   978-1-59079-286-5.
  65. ↑ Nasser 2021
  66. ↑ Weichelt-Kosnick, Kristina (2020). "Alternative Ways to Promote Sustainable Consumer Behaviour—Identifying Potentials Based on Spiral Dynamics". In Planing, Patrick; Müller, Patrick; Dehdari, Payam; Bäumer, Thomas (eds.). Innovations for Metropolitan Areas. Berlin: Springer. pp. 145–156. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-60806-7_12. ISBN   978-3-662-60805-0. S2CID   226684034.
  67. ↑ Viljoen, Rica; Laubscher, Loraine I. (1 June 2015). "African Spirituality: Insights from the Cradle of Mankind". In Spiller, Chellie; Wolfgramm, Rachel (eds.). Indigenous Spiritualities at Work: Transforming the Spirit of Enterprise. Information Age Publishing. ISBN   978-1-68123-155-6.

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<i>Cosmic Consciousness</i> 1901 book by Richard Bucke

Cosmic Consciousness: A Study in the Evolution of the Human Mind is a 1901 book by the psychiatrist Richard Maurice Bucke, in which the author explores the concept of cosmic consciousness, which he defines as "a higher form of consciousness than that possessed by the ordinary man".

Rolf Sattler FLS FRSC is a Canadian plant morphologist, biologist, philosopher, and educator. He is considered one of the most significant contributors to the field of plant morphology and "one of the foremost plant morphologists in the world." His contributions are not only empirical but involved also a revision of the most fundamental concepts, theories, and philosophical assumptions. He published the award-winning Organogenesis of Flowers (1973) and nearly a hundred scientific papers, mainly on plant morphology. As well he has contributed to many national and international symposia and also organized and chaired symposia at international congresses, edited the proceedings of two of them and published them as books.

Integral theory is a synthetic metatheory developed by Ken Wilber. It attempts to place a wide diversity of theories and models into one single framework. The basis is a "spectrum of consciousness," from archaic consciousness to ultimate spirit, presented as a developmental model. This model is based on development stages as described in structural developmental stage theories; various psychic and supernatural experiences; and models of spiritual development. In Wilber's later framework, the AQAL model, it is extended with a grid with four quadrants, synthesizing various theories and models of individual psychological and spiritual development, of collective mutations of consciousness, and of levels or holons of neurological functioning and societal organisation, in a metatheory in which all academic disciplines and every form of knowledge and experience are supposed to fit together.

Metamodernism refers to a number of related discourses about cultural developments that move beyond postmodernism by means of postmodernism. Many metamodern theorists characterize it in terms of both/and mediations between aspects of modernism and postmodernism; for others, the term suggests an integration of those sensibilities with premodern cultural codes as well. Metamodernism is one of a number of attempts to describe post-postmodernism.

The concept of conscious evolution refers to the theoretical ability of human beings to become conscious participants in the evolution of their cultures, or even of the entirety of human society, based on a relatively recent combination of factors, including increasing awareness of cultural and social patterns, reaction against perceived problems with existing patterns, injustices, inequities, and other factors. The realization that cultural and social evolution can be guided through conscious decisions has been in increasing evidence since approximately the mid-19th century, when the rate of cultural change globally began to increase dramatically. The Industrial Revolution, reactions against the effects of the Industrial Revolution, the emergence of new sciences such as psychology, anthropology, and sociology, the revolution in global communication, the interaction of diverse cultures through transportation and colonization, anti-slavery and suffrage movements, and increasing human lifespan all would contribute to the growing awareness of social and cultural patterns as being potentially subject to conscious evolution.

<i>The Marriage of Sense and Soul</i>

The Marriage of Sense and Soul: Integrating Science and Religion is a 1998 book by American author Ken Wilber. It reasons that by adopting contemplative disciplines related to Spirit and commissioning them within a context of broad science, that "the spiritual, subjective world of ancient wisdom" could be joined "with the objective, empirical world of modern knowledge". The text further contends that integrating science and religion in this way would in turn, "have political dimensions sewn into its very fabric".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Edward Beck</span> American psychologist (1937–2022)

Don Edward Beck was a teacher, geopolitical advisor, and theorist focusing on applications of large scale psychology, including social psychology, evolutionary psychology, organizational psychology and their effect on human sociocultural systems. He is the co-author of the Spiral Dynamics theory, an evolutionary human development model adapted from the work of his mentor and colleague, developmental psychologist Clare W. Graves, Professor Emeritus in Psychology at Union College in New York, with whom he worked for over a decade.

Graves's emergent cyclical levels of existence is a theory of adult human development constructed from experimental data by Union College professor of psychology Clare W. Graves. It produces an open-ended series of levels, and has been used as a basis for Spiral Dynamics and other managerial and philosophical systems.

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