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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 […]
My new political book, Developmental Politics, is now complete and will be published by Paragon House on March 1. Now that the writing is done, I’m turning back to the work of the Institute for Cultural Evolution. In the next few weeks we will be launching an exciting new Character Development Exercise (adapted from Appendix […]
The new book I’ve been working on since 2016 is titled: Developmental Politics—How America Can Grow Into a Better Version of Itself. It’s scheduled to be published by Paragon House on March 1, 2020. The Table of Contents and some endorsements are below. Here’s a brief description: Growing hyper-partisan polarization threatens the foundations of American […]
“This airport is f—ing insane.” The message flashed across my phone at 11PM Pacific Time. “Yeah it is!” I texted back immediately. My wife was trying to negotiate New York’s JFK airport at 2AM on a cold, rainy December night, after a delayed flight. The aggressive unlicensed cabbies (mostly male), the sheer mass of travelers, […]
It’s a simple question: In the last twenty years, the proportion of the world’s population living in extreme poverty has: almost doubled? remained more or less the same? almost halved? When you ask that question of people around the world, very few get the answer right. In fact, only 7% give the correct answer, which […]
The 2018 midterm results are in. And despite two years of creative destruction, consistent anti-environmental policy moves, and the moral degradation of the office of the presidency, Trumpism has not been thoroughly repudiated by America’s voters. Democrats gained a House majority, but it looks like Republicans have locked up the Senate through 2022 at least. […]
In this episode of The Daily Evolver video podcast, Steve McIntosh and Jeff Salzman take us on a tour through the origins of integral philosophy, starting with G.W.F. Hegel, who first explained the mechanisms of evolution in human history, and on through a stream of philosophers who unified the evolution of matter, consciousness and spirit. […]
The academic publisher Palgrave Macmillan is calling for articles for their upcoming special issue on Cultural Evolution. I’m not sure if ICE will contribute, but I’m glad to see interest in this so I’m passing it along to our readers. — Steve McIntosh Call for papers: Cultural Evolution Palgrave Communications, the open access journal from […]
Does America set a good moral example for the world? NPR’s Phoenix affiliate station KJZZ recently interviewed me about PRRI’s 2017 survey of American values. (PRRI, or Public Religion Research Institute, is a nonpartisan national polling organization). Interviewer Steve Goldtein of NPR was specifically interested in one of PRRI’s survey questions regarding the changing status […]
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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.