In this dialogue, the world of metatheories comes alive with urgent, purposeful meaning, because as Sean and Nick point out, integrative metatheories like Ken Wilber’s integral theory and Roy Bhaskar’s critical realism are the only tools that provide a useful framework for us to talk about and confront the vast web of interrelated and wicked problems we face on every level at this time.
Nicholas Hedlund
Nicholas Hedlund, PhD, is a visionary philosopher working at the nexus of philosophy of science, worldviews, and socioecological transformation. He received his PhD in philosophy and social sciences from University College London, studying under the philosopher Roy Bhaskar. Nicholas also holds a master’s degree in philosophy & religion, as well as one in psychology. He is director of Eudaimonia Institute, an emerging social innovations lab for planetary flourishing. Nicholas was an exchange scholar at Yale University, executive director of the Integral Research Center, and organizer of the CR-IT symposia series. His work has appeared in numerous anthologies and peer-reviewed journals. He is co-editor of Metatheory for the Twenty-First Century: Critical Realism and Integral Theory in Dialogue and Big-Picture Perspectives on Planetary Flourishing: Metatheory for the Anthropocene. Nicholas has received several academic honors including the Jacob Van Ek Scholar Award, the Honors Graduating Senior Scholarship Award, Best Paper Award at the Integral Theory Conference, and the Yale-UCL Bursary Award. He currently teaches at the California Institute of Human Science.