“There’s a shadow of hubris that dogs the integral narrative.”
Today Jeff responds to Harry, a listener who offers a critique often heard within and about the integral world.
Harry writes, “There’s an unspoken, and unconscious, assumption that integral was just invented a few years ago by Wilber, Gebser, et al., and that anyone exhibiting similar insights and behaviors earlier, or anyone currently exploring similar turf who languages it differently, is ‘proto-integral.’ I believe there have been integral (and beyond) sages since time immemorial. Jesus, Gautama Buddha, Lao-Tzu, the list goes on. I think there’s a shadow of hubris that dogs the integral narrative that’s worth dragging into the light.”
So is integral arrogant? Jeff explains how integral theory itself helps to answer the question.
Illustration: After Hubris Comes Nemesis by Theodore Gericault
About Jeff Salzman
Jeff Salzman worked with Ken Wilber for several years in building the Integral Institute. He is a co-founder of Boulder Integral, the first bricks-and-mortar venue dedicated to the development of integral consciousness. These days Jeff provides integrally-inspired commentary on politics and culture on Integral Life and The Daily Evolver.