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Announcing a new book by ICE principals John Mackey, Steve McIntosh, Carter Phipps: Conscious Leadership—Elevating Humanity Through Business. Mackey is CEO of Whole Foods Market, and McIntosh and Phipps are cofounders of the Institute for Cultural Evolution. Together they explore the vision, virtues, and mindset needed for aspiring conscious leaders, providing a roadmap for innovative, […]
Here’s my latest podcast with Layman Pascal wherein we discuss the idea that value itself can be understood as a form of interior energy that influences consciousness and culture. As described in chapters 5, 6 and 7 of Developmental Politics, value serves as the motivating power that attracts human interest and generates political will. Also […]
USA Today (2.6 million daily readers) published my op-ed today: ‘Mrs. America’ Shows How Art Can Bridge Our Nation’s Cultural, Partisan Divisions In the op-ed I argue that Cate Blanchett’s performance demonstrates “cultural intelligence.”
Ever since I cast my first vote for Jimmy Carter in 1980, I’ve identified politically as a progressive. And while I continue to support many progressive political goals, the political position advocated by my new book, Developmental Politics, is best characterized as post-progressive. This emerging post-progressive perspective is not “anti-progressive,” it seeks to better integrate […]
Steve McIntosh’s new video, “How to Overcome Polarization in 5-Minutes,” explains how an understanding of the dynamic behavior of “value polarities” can help ameliorate hyper-partisan political polarization. As we weather this pandemic, social solidarity is crucial. And one way to shore up our solidarity is by taking a new perspective on polarization, which this video […]
Steve McIntosh’s new book, Developmental Politics—How America Can Grow Into a Better Version of Itself, is now shipping from Amazon. If you want to see a better version of American politics, this is the book for you. Developmental Politics provides the fresh thinking we need to transcend America’s contemporary political impasse. In connection with the […]
In this five minute video I simplify my new book: Developmental Politics—How America Can Grow Into a Better Version of Itself. There is much more to Developmental Politics than what is covered in this brief video. But as I explain, the need to increase our collective “cultural intelligence” is a central theme of the book. […]
The Institute for Cultural Evolution’s character development exercise is the subject of Jeff Salzman’s latest Daily Evolver podcast. Here is Jeff’s description of the podcast: Integral philosopher Steve McIntosh helps us usher in the new year (and decade) with a fresh look at an ancient formula for living a happy, productive and meaningful life. In […]
In anticipation of the publication of my forthcoming book, Developmental Politics, I’ve posted 16 pages of excerpts from the book (close to 9,000 words) on this website. These excerpts include 7 pages from “Part I: Toward a Politics of Culture,” and 9 pages from “Part II: Toward a New Philosophy of Purpose and Progress.” Part […]
2020 is going to be a very significant year in American politics. And with the March 1st publication of my book, Developmental Politics: How America Can Grow Into a Better Version of Itself, it’s going to be a very significant year for me as well. While I won’t be running for office, I will be […]
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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.