Lex Neale: An open letter to Zac Stein, re his: "The Integral Movement Is An Anti-Capitalist Movement" manifesto.
I quote a couple of sentences from that as a sounding board for this letter. "...integral practitioners should be explicitly and actively anti-capitalist or trans-capitalist." "...integral activism aimed at replacing capitalism with a new economic system should be one of the goals of the integral movement, perhaps its most important goal."
In the current IPM thread pertaining to this, I posted a couple of comments:
"If I am not mistaken, "anti-" anything is not a Second Tier strategy. Also, I said Yellow (Wilber Newtonian) because I use Wilber's original color scheme before he went SD. And again if I'm not mistaken, conscious capitalism is simply capitalism attempting to go Green. Eric, are you following this thread? I'd like your take on that."...
"In Second Tier you are not trying to negate another's right of passage by being anti- their due process. As I said above, Second Tier can take steps to facilitate another's right of passage, such as opening the way for an easy transition from capitalism to positive Green alternatives, thereby helping prevent the negative Green formations that are the "anti" reactions to change. There is no place here for a Second Tier facilitator to be using "anti" language in this very delicate and nuanced process of transcending/including and transcending/replacing." ...
So Zac, in the spirit of the theme of the ITC 2015 regarding Integral Theory making an impact, I would like to offer to you a more integral alternative to realizing your anti-capitalistic goals. Let's take a very current real-world scenario unfolding right now. Bernie Saunders, if he understood Integral Theory, would probably approve of your manifesto. As a classic Green he is sticking his neck out (as in turkey shoot) at the Plutocrats and calling for the redistribution of wealth. I hope he survives to his election! However, as much as he is a humanitarian and conscious capitalist, he is not yet coming from Second Tier - in being able to carry out the measures I mentioned above.
So I put it to you, Zac: The transition you talk of, say to a new economic system, would be far more integral if you initiated the process with Integral Conscious Capitalism, thereby not alienating the very people (culprits) you would ultimately need to integrate. What do we mean by ICC? By giving those who hold the wealth and power the opportunity to participate, and become altruistic. For example, Bernie has already made mention of the fact that the wealthy need to be taxed appropriately. But a truly Integral manifesto to transition Wilber-Newtonian Yellow to Green would be to give them Green All Quadrant incentives. Wealth invested in those very areas of disenfranchisement that the wealth would otherwise be taken punitively and with great resistance to the detriment of the spiral. In fact the opposite needs to happen: inspiration and creativity are the best incentives.
My suggestion for you to make a real Integral impact is this: Present Bernie Saunders with an Integral Conscious Capitalism manifesto that he can use to create the new policies needed, and that he can run for office on. This goes way beyond his laudable intentions of "putting America to work" to rebuild infra-structure through the punitive tax measures. For example, Sweden is well-known for applying 100% taxation beyond a certain threshold. But rather than deterring the wealthy from making more wealth (their creativity is to make money) they find a new altruistic elitism in providing the 100% taxed profits to go for the common good. This is positive Green Conscious Capitalism, yes, but it is not yet Integral. Sweden suffers through huge deficiencies in other Quadrants, particularly the Left ones. So make an Integral impact with this beautiful opportunity to turn things around without creating alienation.
The Integral movement is famous for alienating itself. Mainly by its academic ivory tower and associated jargon. Take, for example, the various color codes of Levels. Who in First Tier (the whole planet) can understand them? This is the reason I have reverted back to Wilber's original, the Newtonian spectrum - because it is so naturally relatable to a First Tier mind.
The only other thing I might add here is the deplorable state of the AQAL Square as an Integral model. Integral Publishers is coming out with my book, possibly in time for the ITC, (and allow me to indulge in an integrally consciously capitalistic plug here!) called "KNOWING THE KNOWER - An Integral Science of Self" where I expand the standard model to the AQAL Cube, differentiating AQAL "Inside" perspectives and AQAL "Outside" perspectives as one AQAL Cube PER PERSON. All the "I-You-Them" required to develop the new socio-political-economic policies you'll be needing for Bernie! All the best to you with that!
Some more from the FB IPS thread anti-capitalism not quoted above:
Neale: Surely the stance "Integral Anti-Capitalism" is a Green stance, along with all the manipulative strategies to "do something about it". The bell curve embracing capitalism in (Wilber-Newtonian) Yellow will move on as and when the Yellows are good and ready. I would have thought a more evolved Integral stance (if that's where the participants of this thread are coming from) would be more to prepare the Green pastures that evolving capitalists will be looking for, rather than taking an anti-capitalist stance. I'm sure everyone on this thread went through their capitalist phase, and to be asked is how did we come to move on? What inspired us to go Green, and then start applying those measures in an Integral way for others to follow.
Me: I question that anti-anything is not second tier. In the Stein piece he discusses Hegel's "negate and preserve." Wilber also discusses the difference between"transcend and include" and "transcend and replace." The latter is akin to Hegel in that basic structures are included, whereas transitional structures like worldviews and morals are replaced. We discussed this in detail in this Ning IPS thread.
I'd agree with you that conscious capitalism is on the transition from orange to green. As we discussed in the integral anti-capitalism thread (linked above) democratic socialism is more green proper. And the emerging neo-Commons is the transition into yellow or 2nd-tier socio-economics.
Hence this is why I'm focused on the democratic socialist Sanders for President. And Senator Warren. And the Congressional Progressive Caucus. This is the cutting edge of the next wave in US politics and socio-economics, a step that the majority of the people are ready for and willing to support. And a step beyond conscious crapitalism, which still maintains a lot of the injustices of capitalism, often unconsciously.
Neale: Surely the stance "Integral Anti-Capitalism" is a Green stance, along with all the manipulative strategies to "do something about it". The bell curve embracing capitalism in (Wilber-Newtonian) Yellow will move on as and when the Yellows are good and ready. I would have thought a more evolved Integral stance (if that's where the participants of this thread are coming from) would be more to prepare the Green pastures that evolving capitalists will be looking for, rather than taking an anti-capitalist stance. I'm sure everyone on this thread went through their capitalist phase, and to be asked is how did we come to move on? What inspired us to go Green, and then start applying those measures in an Integral way for others to follow.
Me: I question that anti-anything is not second tier. In the Stein piece he discusses Hegel's "negate and preserve." Wilber also discusses the difference between"transcend and include" and "transcend and replace." The latter is akin to Hegel in that basic structures are included, whereas transitional structures like worldviews and morals are replaced. We discussed this in detail in this Ning IPS thread.
I'd agree with you that conscious capitalism is on the transition from orange to green. As we discussed in the integral anti-capitalism thread (linked above) democratic socialism is more green proper. And the emerging neo-Commons is the transition into yellow or 2nd-tier socio-economics.
Hence this is why I'm focused on the democratic socialist Sanders for President. And Senator Warren. And the Congressional Progressive Caucus. This is the cutting edge of the next wave in US politics and socio-economics, a step that the majority of the people are ready for and willing to support. And a step beyond conscious crapitalism, which still maintains a lot of the injustices of capitalism, often unconsciously.
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