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ICE Press Release, November 18, 2019:
NEW ONLINE EXERCISE FOSTERS THE PERSONAL PRACTICE OF VIRTUES
Think tank Promotes Character Development and Civic Virtue by Inviting People to Create a Personalized “Portrait of the Good” —a Practice Tool Delivered By Email
BOULDER, COLORADO, The Institute for Cultural Evolution think tank is working to overcome hyperpolarization by encouraging Americans to be more virtuous. This nonprofit’s website now features a 10 minute exercise that helps people discern and practice their highest ideals. By answering 10 questions, users create a personalized chart of the people and things that matter most to them. Upon completing the exercise, the user’s “portrait of the good” chart is then sent to their email address.
The point of the exercise is to get people to reflect on their ideals and what they really care about. This process helps clarify the basic moral obligations that people owe to themselves, to others, and to that which they recognize as transcendent. Helping people distill their ideals by creating a personalized printable chart fosters character development and promotes the practice of virtues. Consciously practicing virtues is a proven way to become happier and more effective. An example of a completed Portrait of the Good chart is shown on the right.
The Institute for Cultural Evolution’s mission is help America grow into a better version of itself. Headed by authors Steve McIntosh and Carter Phipps, the Institute’s Board of Directors includes Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, Daily Evolver podcast host Jeff Salzman, and serial tech entrepreneur John Street. The Institute works to synthesize and harmonize the values and positive goals of both the Left and Right. Its strategies are based on fresh insights into how worldviews form and how human culture evolves.
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Institute for Cultural Evolution
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The Institute for Cultural Evolution is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization.
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I’m excited to announce my new 9-week online course on post-progressive politics. It’s being produced in partnership with The Aligned Center: https://thealignedcenter.com/institute/becoming-part-of-the-solution/
At last we turn the page on an ugly chapter in our history. While Biden faces difficult challenges, and while his presidency will inevitably have shortcomings, I’m rooting for his success. Biden is poised to take the first steps toward the higher cultural ground our nation needs.
https://www.dailyevolver.com/2021/01/leading-leaders-to-higher-ground/ If you are interested in executive leader development or leadership in general, here's a great episode just for that! Enjoy!
My article just published in Integral Leadership Review: "Why Centrism Fails and How to Overcome Hyperpolarization"
http://integralleadershipreview.com/17747-12-21-why-centrism-fails-and-how-to-overcome-hyperpolarization/?fbclid=IwAR03NT_o57_1aK71EhK7OPy0q0rMv_-C4GtpbCmZeC9eMxHqPZujO58PzaY
This is the first episode of our new series: Post-Progressive Inquires
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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.
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