“Measurable political progress through cultural evolution”
The Institute for Cultural Evolution ("ICE") is a start-up nonprofit think tank organized around the goal of applying groundbreaking insights taken from Integral philosophy, developmental psychology, evolutionary theory, and the social sciences to help create significant forward movement in the evolution of the American political landscape. Our plans to produce cultural evolution will be tested through a series of focused Campaign Plans. Our first two campaigns target the issues of climate change and political gridlock. These campaigns for cultural evolution include detailed persuasion strategies and media tactics for achieving realistic, measurable goals that will represent real progress on these pressing challenges.
ICE's Political Campaign Plans, together with our Business Plan proposal and related documents are available for downloading below: 1) Introductory Cover Letter; 2) Business Plan; 3) Campaign Plan for Climate Change Amelioration; 4) Draft Campaign Plan for Reducing Political Polarization; 5) White Paper: Premises and Principles of the Evolutionary Worldview; and 6) Media Release.
Please note: both the Climate Plan and the Polarization Plan are works in progress. Over the next two months these documents will be circulated within various community networks, and ICE's principals will be giving public presentations to gather input before creating final drafts and formally seeking institutional philanthropic funding. Please join our email list to learn about upcoming presentations and other news.
 Download Intro Cover Letter |
 Download Business Plan |
 Download Climate Campaign Plan |
 Download Polarization Campaign Plan |
 Download Philosophy White Paper |
 Download Media Release |
We are publically sharing these evolving documents here on our initial webpage and within our networks to spread our ideas, make connections, and most importantly, to open doors within the philanthropic community and form strategic alliances with other organizations who share our goals. We invite your feedback and questions. Thank you for your interest in our work.
ICE partners Steve McIntosh and Carter Phipps present the think tank's climate plan and polarization plan, as well as some background on the evolutionary thinking behind their approach. The video consists of a 50 minute powerpoint presentation followed by audience questions and discussion. Recorded on April 1, 2013 at The Integral Center, Boulder, Colorado.
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Institute for Cultural Evolution Bios of Founding Partners
STEVE MCINTOSH J.D. is a leader in the integral philosophy movement and author of the books: Evolution's Purpose (Select Books 2012) and Integral Consciousness (Paragon House 2007). In addition to his work in philosophy, McIntosh has had a variety of other successful careers, including founding the consumer products company Now & Zen, Inc., practicing law with one of America’s biggest firms, working as an executive with Celestial Seasonings Tea Company, and Olympic-class bicycle racing. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia Law School and the University of Southern California Business School, and now lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife and two sons. For more visit: www.stevemcintosh.com
CARTER PHIPPS is author of Evolutionaries: Unlocking the Spiritual and Cultural Potential of Science’s Greatest Idea (Harper Perennial 2012). For the past decade, as executive editor of EnlightenNext magazine, he has been at the forefront of contemporary spiritual, philosophical, and cultural discourse, and his writings have played a key role in making important new thinking accessible to a wider audience. In 2009, his feature article “A Theologian of Renewal” was awarded a Gold Award for Editorial Excellence from Folio, the leading magazine industry awards. He is also a member of The Transformative Leadership Council. He lives with his wife in Berkeley, California. For more visit: www.carterphipps.com
ELIZABETH DEBOLD, Ed.D., (Harvard, 1996) bestselling author, is one of the world’s foremost authorities on gender development. She was a founding member of the Project on Women’s Psychology and Girls’ Development, directed by Dr. Carol Gilligan. Currently, Debold is a Senior Fellow at the nonprofit EnlightenNext, where she served as Senior Editor of EnlightenNext magazine. Debold has taught at Harvard University, the New School for Social Research, and served as Academic Director of the Master of Arts program in Conscious Evolution at the Graduate Institute. She has appeared on Oprah, Good Morning America, and NPR. And recently, she founded Artemis Forum, an online space for conversation between different generations of women. For more visit: elizabethdebold.com
MICHAEL E. ZIMMERMAN Ph.D., (Tulane, 1974) is Professor of Philosophy and former Director of the Center for Humanities and the Arts at CU Boulder. He is the author of Integral Ecology: Uniting Multiple Perspectives on the Natural World (Shambhala 2007), co-authored with Sean Hargens, and Contesting Earth's Future: Radical Ecology and Postmodernity (Berkeley Press 1994). Although criticizing modernity, Zimmerman has also warned of the dangers posed by the anti-modernist attitudes that characterize some versions of environmentalism. Zimmerman asks: How to retain what is noble about modernity, including the freedoms connected with politics, and religion, while correcting its shortcomings, including serious environmental problems? For more visit: www.colorado.edu/philosophy/fac_zimmerman.shtml