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On Wednesday, April 19, NPR Phoenix reporter Steve Goldstein interviewed ICE president Steve McIntosh about his recent essay: Appreciating the Upside of Nationalism. The interview can still be heard online at the radio station’s website: theshow.kjzz.org (to listen press the ‘play’ button on The Show’s April 19th broadcast blue heading bar, then scroll forward to […]
The perceived need for a restoration of competitive nationalism was a significant factor that led to the election of Donald Trump. Beyond economic protectionism, Trump’s voters signaled their aspirations for a revitalized form of American patriotism. While history may prove that Trump was the wrong choice for president, the electorate’s larger choice to reemphasize nationalism […]
The Institute for Cultural Evolution made good progress in 2016. We remain a small think tank with modest financial resources, but we’re definitely making a positive difference in American politics. Soon we’ll be announcing a major new initiative for 2017 and beyond. In the meantime, here’s a brief look back on 2016, together with our […]
Note: This Op-Ed responds to New York Times columnist David Brooks’ recent writing about the future of political centrism. The piece was originally published by The Hill, a Washington-based political newspaper. It’s reposted here with permission. In the wake of the 2016 election, analysts and pundits are now focusing on how Donald Trump’s ascent to […]
The election of Donald Trump is dreadful, literally. I dread what his administration will bring, especially his vow to retreat from our national responsibility to mitigate global warming. Yet as the coming consequences of his political victory begin to sink in, the best possible opening move in our opposition will be a noble response to […]
The Institute for Cultural Evolution does not officially endorse candidates for public office. But as the president of this organization I feel obligated to express my personal opinion regarding the crucial need for every American to vote for Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump is not only a threat to the government and people of the United […]
ICE’s own Senior Fellow Michael Zimmerman recently published an article in The Breakthrough Journal, entitled: Love and Vinyl Chloride—A Deep Ecologist Reconciles With His Father and the Modern World. The Breakthrough Journal is the signature publication of the California-based environmental think tank, The Breakthrough Institute. We admire the work of Breakthrough and are pleased to […]
Rich Tafel, founder of the Log Cabin Republicans and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Cultural Evolution, took the stage today in a Politico forum panel at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. The Politico panel, titled Ruin or Renewal? The Future of the Republican Party, focused on some of the key issues ICE […]
Those familiar with the work of the Institute for Cultural Evolution know that we are working to help evolve both the left and the right side of politics. In furtherance of these efforts, today the mainstream media outlet The Daily Beast published my op-ed on ‘a more evolved right.’ Even though I remain on the […]
This series of graphics illustrates ICE’s latest approach to mapping the ‘landscape of values’ that underlie American politics. The first graphic below shows how the significant influence of culture can be conceived with reference to the ‘Bedrock Values’ of the electorate.The circles graphic below shows America’s three major values-based worldviews, which we’re calling: ‘Traditionals, Moderns, […]
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More of this, please: Very smart people, representing the best of the Modern and Progressive worldviews, respectfully debating the nuances of a primary front in the culture war.
http://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/who-gets-to-say-with-john-mcwhorter/id1382983397?i=1000514986883
Most issues, like gun control, push directly against the values of one worldview or another, but it is interesting to find a stuck issue, like campaign finance reform, that is supported by all three major worldviews:
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/inside-the-koch-backed-effort-to-block-the-largest-election-reform-bill-in-half-a-century
We’re now on week 7 of my 9-week course on Post-Progressive Politics. I’m pleased to say our 50 person group has gelled nicely—they’re asking tough questions and making great progress. It’s an honor to be with these fine folks every Wednesday night!
Wicked problems are so complex, they can’t be solved by the same level of thinking that created them. Regulating social media is a wicked problem that is begging for a post-progressive solution that can see & balance all the conflicting values involved.
https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/3/24/22349186/facebook-zuckerberg-testimony-section-230-reform-proposal
Steve McIntosh & Jeff Salzman visit with two young leaders, Gary Sheng & Zoë Jenkins, who are activating higher consciousness in Generation Z through their organization Civics Unplugged.#CivicsUnplugged #GarySheng #ZoëJenkins #JeffSalzman #SteveMcIntosh https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q0gFqJ6vFY
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What Does “Transcendence” Mean?
“Transcendence” or “the transcendent” generally refers to the people and things that are ultimately more important than yourself or your perceived self-interest. For example, that which is transcendent for you could include: Your family, humanity, your deepest convictions, the environment, God, Oneness, your country, animals, freedom, adventure, art, science, a better world, or anything you consider authentically “higher.” Your personal ideals of transcendence are grounded in the people and things that you’re dedicated to, and might even lay down your life for, if it became necessary. Your ideals of transcendence therefore help define your life’s higher purposes.
The word transcendence is used in this exercise as an umbrella term that is friendly to both spiritual and secular notions of transcendent higher purposes. In other words, you don’t have to be religious to recognize the significance of transcendent ideals. Our attraction to a greater good that lies beyond ourselves—our ceaseless striving to serve something higher and create something better—is a fundamental part of what makes us human.
The connection between your ideals of transcendence, your virtues, and your basic moral obligations—to self, to others, and to the transcendent—is illustrated by the graphic below. The specific virtues shown in this graphic are the 7 fundamental virtues, but the specific 7 virtues you choose in this exercise may differ from these classical 7.
For more on virtues and their relationship with transcendence, see the book Developmental Politics, by this exercise’s author, Steve McIntosh.