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Excerpted from a dialogue between philosophers Steve McIntosh and Iain McGilchrist, this illustrated video discusses the next steps of humanity’s cultural evolution. According to McIntosh, the values of goodness, truth, and beauty represent the presence of the infinite in the finite. And by recognizing how these intrinsic values pull evolution forward, we can integrate science, […]

  We’re pleased to share our latest 5-minute illustrated video, which is the first in a series. Excerpted from a dialogue between philosophers Steve McIntosh and Iain McGilchrist, the video explores the vital role that philosophy can play in fostering cultural progress. Drawing on the concept of the “noosphere”—the sphere of human thought—McIntosh argues that […]

Dear Friends of Developmental Philosophy, Please join us for a presentation and discussion by Carter Phipps. In a toxic, reactionary, and highly polarized political and cultural climate, how are we to think about cultural evolution and development? Has it stalled? Gone underground? Is higher synthesis no longer possible in a world of enormous cultural divergence? […]

Dear Friends of Developmental Philosophy, We are delighted to announce that the full video dialogue between world-renowned philosopher Iain McGilchrist and developmental philosopher Steve McIntosh is now available on YouTube. The dialogue was hosted by process philosopher Andrew M. Davis, and produced by the Center for Process Studies. In this extended conversation, McGilchrist and McIntosh discuss topics such as: the strong […]

Diane Musho Hamilton gave a great presentation to Steve McIntosh’s monthly Zoom group, which is now available to view on our Developmental Philosophy YouTube channel. We invite you to join the discussion in the video’s comment section. Watch the full presentation and discussion here: https://youtu.be/UTf8GOVzRa8?si=3sj7WEaupaiAPRPd In this conversation, Diane explored the concepts of Enlightenment in […]

Dear Friends of Developmental Philosophy, We invite you to watch our most recent presentation by Annick de Witt, Ph.D.—social scientist, author, and co-creator of the Worldview Test. In her recent insightful article, Annick de Witt reframes our cultural conflict as a “war of worldviews”—shaped as much by underlying lenses on meaning and truth as by policy debates. Annick […]

Friends of Developmental Philosophy, Andrew Davis presented at Steve McIntosh’s monthly Zoom group, and the presentation is now available for replay. We invite you to join the discussion in the YouTube comments. This presentation aims to foster a discussion about the significance of philosophy and the role philosophers play in addressing interconnected thresholds of discourse, […]

Dear Friends of Developmental Philosophy, The works of Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947) and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955) continue to inspire distinctive trajectories in theology, philosophy, and cosmology. Although contemporaries for a time, the two never had the opportunity to engage with each other’s visionary worldviews. Today, they are still largely studied in isolation. But […]

We invite you to an extraordinary live webinar hosted by the Center for Process Studies, featuring Iain McGilchrist and Steve McIntosh, with process philosopher Andrew M. Davis moderating the discussion. Date: March 27, 2025Time: 10:30 am Pacific TimeLocation: Online (link provided upon registration) The event will begin with a lecture by Iain McGilchrist, followed by […]

In February, we began our two-month consideration of the social norm of spiritual pluralism with a talk from Steve. This month, on March 12, we’ll further discuss this vital subject through two breakout sessions, followed by group dialogue. For the first of these two breakout sessions (7 participants in each breakout), we’ll explore Steve’s proposed […]

Dear Friends of Developmental Philosophy, Last week’s Zoom group featured an intriguing talk by philosopher Steve McIntosh. The talk focused on post-postmodern culture’s emerging social norm of spiritual pluralism. Steve discussed the contemporary meta-categories of spirituality, as well as some of the current barriers to spiritual pluralism. He then considered the elements needed to create […]

Dear Friends of Developmental Philosophy, We’ve recently upgraded DepolarizingGPT—our political chatbot developed by data scientist David Rozado and philosopher Steve McIntosh—with the latest AI technology. Our depolarizing or “integrating” perspective now benefits from the power of the newest ChatGPT-4o model, bringing you an even more insightful, and nuanced perspective on today’s political issues. DepolarizingGPT provides […]

Vice President-elect J.D. Vance is not only the heir apparent to the MAGA movement. He is also the most prominent proponent of “post-liberalism,” a movement typically coded as “right on culture, left on economics”, a combination that scrambles typical categories and, as developmentalists, ought to rivet our attention. In this presentation, David outlines the diverse […]

We’re pleased to share an opportunity for those in our community who are passionate about developmental philosophy and cultural evolution. Andrew Davis, Ph.D., a renowned process philosopher and educator, is offering a thought-provoking course that delves into the intersections of consciousness, evolution, and meaning. Click here for details on how to sign up. Starting January […]

Dear Friends of Developmental Philosophy and the Institute for Cultural Evolution, It’s been an exciting and productive year for our nonprofit organization. We are continuing to make good progress in building our platform and audience, and advancing our higher purpose, which is to foster the evolution of consciousness and culture in America. This is our […]

    We had a great Zoom meeting and discussion with the integral pundit Jeff Salzman. Watch the full presentation and discussion here: https://youtu.be/evAD292FuGA After a year away from his acclaimed podcast, The Daily Evolver, Jeff Salzman considers the evolving landscape of politics and culture through the lens of integral philosophy. From the dynamics of […]

Where is our global culture today? How did we get here? What steps might we need to take now to shape a future that could become a saving grace for humanity? In this conversation, Aviv Shahar, host of Portals of Perception, and Steve McIntosh, co-founder of the Institute for Cultural Evolution, examine these questions and explore […]

We had a fantastic Zoom meeting and discussion with the distinguished scholar and academic Ilia Delio. Watch the full presentation and join the discussion here: https://youtu.be/koYGt9BWe1Y Jesuit scientist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin proposed a cosmic vision of evolution governed by the principle of Omega. Confusion around his use of this symbol has led to speculative […]

In this recent talk to our Zoom group, Steve McIntosh discusses the value of philosophy for personal and social well-being. He also talks about his forthcoming philosophy book, as well as the emerging category of philosophy called “developmental philosophy.” Steve then goes over some of the recently published philosophy books he’s been reading, including: David […]

This Wednesday’s Zoom group will be a bit different. Instead of a guest presenter, this time we’ll focus on interactive discussions and breakout groups centered around two thought-provoking questions 1. If you could change one thing about American society, what would it be? 2. Regarding the evolution of culture and consciousness, where do you see that happening? […]

Last week, process philosopher Matthew Segall, PhD spoke with Steve McIntosh’s Zoom group about Rudolf Steiner’s concept of “Social Threefolding.” Steiner’s idea for the threefolding of society suggests that a conscious differentiation (not division) of economic, political, and cultural domains can bring clarity to the healthy impulses seeking expression in each domain. The hope is […]

In his thought-provoking article, Carter Phipps explores the growing movement of legalized psychedelics, examining both the significant opportunities and potential pitfalls. Drawing parallels to Carl Sagan’s warning about the perils of cultural regression in “The Demon-Haunted World,” Phipps highlights how modern society’s rediscovery of psychedelics could unlock new stages of consciousness and foster spiritual growth. […]

What is happening on the political right in America? The old right, the new right, and even the “post-Trump” right? Where is it going? And how can developmental philosophy help us make sense of it? In his talk, Professor David Storey, categorizes the camps and characters that have emerged on the right, from Christian nationalism, […]

Steve reflects on the campus protests, observing the interplay between the protestors’ mixed motivations, which include both world-centric morality and ethnocentric morality. He discusses how the protests provide a window into the current state of the progressive postmodern worldview overall. He then concludes by observing that the liberation of the Palestinian people ultimately requires an […]

In last week’s Zoom group, Rand Stagen presented The Pursuit of Higher Ground. Rand’s presentation revealed why the root cause of America’s current divisions is not race, class, or politics but worldviews. Drawing upon the wisdom of the Stoics (who invite us to recognize that “what’s IN the way IS the way), Rand revealed the […]

Andrew Davis presented The Cosmic Call of Value: Five Propositions in Steve McIntosh’s monthly Zoom group. In his presentation, he framed his propositions not as declarative statements but as “invitations for attention” or what Alfred North Whitehead refers to as “lures for feeling.” Who are we? Why does anything at all exist? What is it […]

We want to let you know about an upcoming conference on integral philosophy and practice, being organized by Paul Bloch and Tom Habib of the new ICON organization. The conference is being held in Denver, Colorado May 16-19th 2024. Steve McIntosh will be giving a Keynote presentation, and I will also be attending. Here is […]

In Wednesday’s Zoom group, Steve will share a key chapter from the philosophy book he is currently writing. This forthcoming book (as yet untitled) won’t be published until late next year, but Steve will provide a preview by discussing its central themes of noosphere evolution and humanity’s higher purpose. This talk will not be made available […]

This month, during our monthly Zoom group, we had Steve McIntosh, Jeff Salzman, and Carter Phipps as panelists. We asked community members to submit questions, and we were able to address eight of them during the session. Watch the full discussion here: https://youtu.be/55G7u4M5mKY?si=Db2T1hU815OCZnXX Questions from the community 1. Robert Anderson asked: How can America evolve from […]

Listen to Ilia Delio’s recent podcast with Steve McIntosh.  Sister Ilia is a renowned Teilhard scholar and Founder of the Center for Christogenesis. Some of the topics they touch on: How the good, the true, and the beautiful evolve The nature of indestructible polarities as perceived by human consciousness Ilia advances her thesis that we […]

In this article, Steve McIntosh reflects on his journey toward developmental philosophy, driven by a desire to understand how to make a meaningful impact in the world. Inspired by historical figures like Gandhi and intrigued by periods of cultural evolution, Steve delves into the role of art in societal progress before discovering developmental philosophy. Developmental […]

During this month’s presentation in Steve McIntosh’s Zoom group, Carter Phipps, who is an author and co-founder of the Institute for Cultural Evolution, delivered a talk on the topic of the trajectory of evolution. He also discussed the challenge of finding the integral signal amidst the postmodern cultural noise. Watch the full presentation here: https://youtu.be/-2kQeo9B60I?si=XC2xP5dY0pm6qGzc Learn […]

At our last Zoom meeting, lead philosopher and founder Steve McIntosh disambiguated the term, distinguishing Ken Wilber’s integral theory from the larger body of integral philosophy. Please check out this 6-minute video excerpt when you have a chance. Watch video here: https://youtu.be/fcaQCcxzMEk

We are now offering a free 9-part course, “Becoming Part of the Solution: A Course In Developmental Politics,” taught by Institute President Steve McIntosh. This course is for anyone interested in healing our nation’s culture and addressing the challenges of hyper-partisan polarization, we thought you might want to take advantage of this great resource. This […]

The Left wants to honor Indigenous wisdom traditions in the wake of colonialism and scientism. The Right wants to defend America’s moral heritage and traditional social norms. What do both have in common? Respect for tradition. What G.K. Chesterton called “the democracy of the dead.” Both see the spiritual impoverishment of mainstream modernist culture, and both […]

I’m excited to share my latest podcast with Glenn Loury on The Glenn Show. Professor Loury is a courageous thought leader who transcends left and right. In our conversation, we discuss developmental politics and the work of the Institute for Cultural Evolution think tank. This may be the best podcast I’ve ever done, and it represents a […]

I’m pleased to share the podcast conversation I recently had with philosopher and spiritual seeker Tim Freke. We discussed evolutionary spirituality and theology. Then beginning at 52:40, we had a lively exchange about developmental politics and how it is growing beyond the limitations of previous integral/SD conceptions. Thanks for checking it out: www.youtube.com/watch?v=goGFnrVD1rs

The Institute for Cultural Evolution has hired Kevin Kretschmer as our new Communications Director. Kevin is a long-time developmentalist and brings a wealth of experience in communications, publicity, film production and media to the role. We are also excited to announce the addition of Stephanie Lepp as a new Senior Fellow. Stephanie is a new…

We’re pleased to share Carter Phipps’ latest article in The Developmentalist: Can We Make Governing Great Again? In it, he suggests that our crisis of expertise is really a crisis of governance, and argues that we have lost our faith in experts in part because we have unfairly shifted the burden of decision-making to them. You can read the essay in The Developmentalist

The Institute for Cultural Evolution is pleased to announce the publication of Developmental Politics—How America Can Grow Into a Better Version of Itself  as an audiobook. This acclaimed book of political philosophy was written by Steve McIntosh, the Institute’s President and Co-Founder, and narrated by Josh Innerst. Originally published in print format in 2020, Developmental Politics has had a wide influence, and the book’s success has been instrumental in the growth of the Institute for Cultural Evolution as an organization. 

Institute for Cultural Evolution Senior Fellow, Greg Thomas, was recently interviewed by renowned conservative public intellectual and economist, Glenn Loury, on The Glenn Show! In this wide-ranging discussion, Glenn and Greg discuss Greg’s work leading the Jazz Leadership Project; the important black intellectual lineage that runs from Ralph Ellison and Albert Murray through Stanley Crouch; the Institute for Cultural Evolution; the developmental perspective on the culture war between traditionalism, modernity, and postmodernity; and much more. This stimulating discussion is a great example of how the developmental perspective on politics and culture is finally beginning to break into the mainstream national conversation.

The Institute is now hiring for a newly created executive position in our growing organization: Communications Director. The primary focus of this remote position is to “spread the word” in mainstream media, in social media, and online in general.

In exploring Hegel’s concept of the “negation of the negation,” we came across this fascinating interpretation of Hegel in an out-of-print Marxist encyclopedia, which if nothing else, gets Hegel right. Its description of the dialectical process of development, and particularly how this process is best represented visually by a spiral, should be very familiar to us as Developmentalists:

We’re pleased to announce that our organization’s headquarters website at www.culturalevolution.org has evolved. Please check out our completely rebuilt site. In addition to a fresh look and feel, the new website showcases the innovative programs, activities, and ideas the Institute has developed since its founding in 2013.   Highlights include our many published articles and […]

Deep Transformation Podcast: Roger Walsh & John Dupuy Speak with Steve McIntosh on Politics Steve McIntosh was on the new podcast: Deep Transformation: Self-Society-Spirit. His 2-part conversation with hosts Dr. Roger Walsh (renowned thought leader in the fields of spirituality and integral theory) and John Dupuy (author of Integral Recovery) underscored how there is hope for [...]

In June 2021 the Institute for Cultural Evolution launched its online political magazine called The Post-Progressive Post. We liked the term “post-progressive” because it effectively communicated our cultural and political point of view. That is, we appreciate the best of progressivism and honor its values, but we reject progressivism’s antipathy toward the best of what […]

In this wide-ranging discussion, Steve, Jeff, and Diane talk about integral philosophy, the culture war, the Intellectual Dark Web, conflict over the pandemic, the meaning crisis, and the rise of the progressive worldview:

We are pleased to announce that we have published Carter Phipps’ most recent article entitled “It’s the Comet, Stupid!” in the Post-Progressive Post. This article is a critique of the Netflix movie Don’t Look Up, but more importantly, it is a critique of the oversimplified way the American public thinks about the challenge of addressing climate change, which Don’t Look Up is an allegory for.

We are pleased to announce The Post-Progressive Post’s publication of our most recent “win-win-win” policy recommendation on Homelessness in the U.S.

Please note that while this policy recommendation has already received prepublication comments from our Post-Progressive Alliance members, further input is requested from the public in the paper’s comments section. Your input would be greatly appreciated because all the Institute’s policy recommendations are evolving documents subject to continuous refinement and improvement. Thank you for considering our evolving platform of political issue proposals.

Editors Note: We received some thoughtful questions and concerns about our recently published Education Issue Position, and would like to share our response publically in the spirit of dialogue and open inquiry. Question 1: How will enabling the pursuit of different sets of beliefs and values in different schools assist in teaching people to listen to one another and find common ground and learn civics? How will separating and isolating differences teach children to consider points of view other than their own? Answer: Considering that many public schools have already been captured by progressive ideology that tends to devalue finding common ground and developing civic pride, these proposed changes would not be likely to make this situation worse.

The Institute for Cultural Evolution is a vibrant and growing nonprofit organization that needs and deserves your support. This year, as #GivingTuesday approaches on November 30th, we ask you to consider “giving upstream.” Giving upstream means donating to organizations that are working on the roots of our society’s problems. No matter which political issue concerns you most, be it climate change, social justice, or inflation and deficit spending—progress on that issue is being stymied by America’s gridlocked political condition.

We are pleased to announce that we have published our most recent Education win-win-win issue position on the Post-Progressive Post. Please note that while this issue position already incorporates pre-publication comments from Post-Progressive Alliance members, further input is requested from the public because we view these issue positions as evolving documents that seek continuous refinement and improvement. Thank you for considering our evolving platform of political issue proposals.

The Institute for Cultural Evolution is a partner in the Shaping An Omni-American Future online event taking place on October 24th and 25th. This event is being put on by the American Sephardi Federation, the Jazz Leadership Project, and the Combat Antisemitism Movement, and is going to feature artists and thinkers who are inspired to create a more unitive approach to anti-racism based on the teachings of Albert Murray and Ralph Ellison.

The Institute For Cultural Evolution is pleased to announce that we have added Rand Stagen as our newest member of the Board of Directors. Those of you who listened to Jeff and Steve’s Post-Progressive Inquiries podcast with Rand know just how inspiring a figure Rand is in the integral community.

The Institute for Cultural Evolution is pleased to share a new course being offered by Senior Fellow, Greg Thomas, along with his wife, Jewel Kinch-Thomas, and colleague, Amiel Handelsman, called Stepping Up: Wrestling with America’s Past, Reimagining Its Future, Healing Together. Stepping Up is a six-month online course for people committed to healing the racial divide, inspired to take action, and ready to expand their perspective while expressing their true voice. If you have been looking for a post-progressive approach to America’s recent “racial reckoning”, please join Greg, Jewel, and Amiel for this unique opportunity.

We are excited to announce that we have brought on David Storey as a new Senior Fellow at the Institute for Cultural Evolution. David’s new article, “Why We Will Grow Together or Grow Apart” is an excellent companion to our recently published Global Climate Change Issue Position. In his inaugural article, David highlights why “cultural intelligence” and the post-progressive approach of values integration is the key to paving a new path forward on the climate crisis.

The original impetus for the founding of the Institute for Cultural Evolution in 2012 was to help reduce public resistance to meaningful action on the climate crisis. But after working on this issue for our first two years of operation, in 2014 we shifted our focus to the issue of political polarization because we found that hyperpolarization was the main barrier to building greater political will in the U.S. to address global warming. Climate change, of course, is more than a political issue. Preserving the health of the biosphere and preventing the disruption of human societies worldwide is a sacred cause which understandably produces a passionate

My final polarity in this series, number twelve, is: FINITE & INFINITE. Becoming and Being. This, in a sense, names the most significant (i.e. biggest and most comprehensive) polarity we can conceive of. Within this polarity, evolution itself can be understood as the ongoing “movement of improvement” that works to integrate the finite part with the infinite whole. This dynamic process of value creation is accordingly mirrored self-similarly in every positive-positive polarity. As agents of evolution, we are each called to participate in this project of incrementally “perfecting the universe” of self, culture, and nature by making things more beautiful, true, and good.

Polarity number eight is: YANG & YIN. Seeking and receiving. In ancient Chinese philosophy these fundamental principles of the universe are recognized as simultaneously opposite, interdependent, and inter-transformative. The philosophy of yang and yin illuminates how all positive-positive polarities are, in a way, equals seeking balance and harmony. However, another aspect of all positive-positive polarities, which is brought out by modern polarity theory, is how the two poles also exhibit the pattern of *part and whole* seeking growth and integration by turns.

Polarity number seven is: SIMPLE & COMPLEX. These values culminate in each other. Something simple, with few parts, can nevertheless be very complex, such as a violin or a kayak. And something complex, like the relationship between matter and energy, can nevertheless be expressed with a simple equation: E = mc2. Working with this polarity can lead to “the simplicity that lies on the other side of complexity.”

Polarity number six is: GRIEVANCE & GRATITUDE. Fixing what’s wrong often starts with the expression of grievance. Preserving what’s right requires being mindful of what we’re grateful for. Each pole needs the other to maximize its value creating capacity. If you express a grievance in China, you go to prison. If you express a grievance in the U.S., you get on T.V. I’m grateful for that.

Polarity number five is TRANSCENDENCE & INCLUSION. Evolution always grows from within itself, building on what has come before. This is why sustainable transcendence depends on sufficient inclusion of the best of what has come before. In fact, the degree of our transcendence can be measured by the scope of our inclusion.

Mark your calendars! Jeff Salzman is going to be live on the Post-Progressive Facebook Group this Friday, July 30th at 11am Mountain Time for the first “This Week in the New York Times – A Post-Progressive Look at the Progressive Paper of Record”. In this new program, Jeff will give his unique post-progressive take on […]

Polarity number four is MERCY & JUSTICE. Mercy for the individual becomes unjust without concern for the good of the whole. And to be truly virtuous, justice must be balanced with care for each person.

Polarity number three is COMPETITION & COOPERATION. While some progressives disparage competition, and some modernists overemphasize it, competition can be a powerful value creator. However, when it is not moderated by its polar counterpart of cooperation, competition can devolve into a dog-eat-dog condition wherein defensiveness saps productivity. Conversely, cooperation by itself, without the incentive or opportunity for individual excellence or creativity, can similarly devolve into groupthink or stifling bureaucratic mediocrity. But when competition and cooperation are brought together in a mutually correcting relationship that provides for both *challenge and support,* the value-creating potential of each side is maximized.

Polarity number two is REAL & IDEAL. While this pair may at first seem prosaic or obvious, it is highly useful and applicable to many life situations. Without the moderation and challenge of the other, each of these poles can be problematic. Realism without idealism can lead to a cynical acceptance of a dysfunctional status quo. And conversely, idealism that is unrealistic can result in ineffectual wishful thinking. But when these two poles become mutually co-correcting, they can increase our power to improve things.

This post begins a new series of my favorite positive-positive interdependent polarities. Each one of these polarities is a kind of philosophical technology for creating value and evolving consciousness. First up: LIBERTY & EQUALITY. These two values need each other to maximize their respective value-creating capacity. When brought together in a dynamic relationship of challenge and support, each pole “trues-up” the other.

Welcome to our new website, the Post-Progressive Post! It is our sincere hope that this site, and the perspective it promotes, can help ameliorate the political hyperpolarization that prevents us from solving the mounting challenges facing our country and our world.

While there are many interesting approaches to addressing hyperpolarization currently being offered, we believe that all of them, to a greater or lesser degree, neglect the current driver of our political polarization: cultural evolution. By learning to see how culture evolves over time in response to shifting values, we believe that we can address our political differences in a way that is integrative rather than adversarial.

We believe there are many Americans who currently feel politically homeless as a result of the rancor and division they see in our country, and who are ready to try on the new cultural/political perspective which we call post-progressivism. This site aims to advance post-progressivism and achieve the following goals: