Ep. 21 (Part 2 of 2) | Steve McIntosh, philosopher, author of the groundbreaking book Developmental Politics, and co-founder of the Institute for Cultural Evolution, outlines an extraordinary framework to make sense of our political conflicts—extraordinary in that it points to ways through and out of our persistent polarity consciousness. Steve convincingly argues our opportunity is right now: to create a synthesis, a cooperative agreement space, that transcends and includes thesis and antithesis, left and right, individual and community. Steve’s is a passionate and prophetic voice; there is hope for politics. With vertical development we can recover a common sense of truth, a common sense of goodness—transcendent ideals could become social norms. Steve ends with an invitation to listeners to investigate this new concept of cultural intelligence and the implications of the new truth: consciousness and culture co-evolve. Recorded on September 8, 2021.

“An Invitation to Creating a World That Works for Everybody”

Topics & Time Stamps - Part 2

• The practice of virtues: character development is an important psychological technology (01:34)
• Deep happiness, Aristotle’s eudaimonia (05:07)
• Reestablishing cultural agreements around transcendent character development: an “upward current of the good” (06:48)
• How do you practice courage? (11:26)
• The magnetism towards being better: towards the good, the true, the beautiful (12:12)
• The evolutionary power of value polarities (13:05) 
• Understanding the new inter-subjective We Space: a social medicine that can help heal the wounds of history (20:11)
• How do we begin to walk this path of cultural emergence and post-progressivism as a practice? This new truth that consciousness and culture co-evolve? (21:43)
• The need to build a political movement, break through into mainstream culture with the new truth of the vertical dimension of development (25:27)
• Truth is one of the casualties of the current culture wars (28:25)
• How does technology come into it? (35:05)
• The Black Death plague and the impact of COVID-19 (38:14)
• With post-progressivism, we’re trying to negate the negations of progressivism (40:18)
• The role of contemplative practices and spiritual development in fostering psychological development and helping transcendent ideals become social norms (43:10)
• An invitation to listeners to participate and investigate this new cultural intelligence (48:41)

Resources & References - Part 2

• Aristotle’s eudaimonia, the highest human good
• Create your personal Portrait of the Good, online character development exercise at Institute for Cultural Evolution
• Lao Tzu, Heraclitus, Nicholas of Cusa
• The Post-Progressive Post (now The Developmentalist)
• The Worldview Questionnaire at The Developmentalist
• Aldous Huxley, Island*
• Al Gore’s movie, An Inconvenient Truth
• Winston Churchill, “...truth should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies”
• Jesus, “...the truth will set you free”
• Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, The Phenomenology of Spirit*
• Steve McIntosh, Developmental Politics: How America Can Grow Into a Better Version of Itself*
• Institute for Cultural Evolution, co-founded by Steve McIntosh
• Post-progressive.org is now The Developmentalist.org
• Steve McIntosh's author website is stevemcintosh.com.

* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.

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Steve McIntosh, J.D. is author of Developmental Politics—How America Can Grow Into a Better Version of Itself (Paragon House 2020), and co-author of Conscious Leadership—Elevating Humanity Through Business (Penguin 2020), with John Mackey and Carter Phipps. McIntosh is president of the Institute for Cultural Evolution think tank, which focuses on the cultural roots of America’s political problems. His work has appeared in USA Today, Real Clear Politics, The Daily Beast, The Hill, Areo Magazine, and The Developmentalist. He has been interviewed on NPR, Oxford Review, Rebel Wisdom, and many other podcasts. His author website is: stevemcintosh.com.

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Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell