From: David Buchanan (DBuchanan@ClassicalRadio.org)
Date: Sun Jun 01 2003 - 01:35:18 BST
Steve, Maggie, Sam and all:
A PORTRAIT OF THE WORLD IN TERMS OF EVOLUTIONARY DEVELOPMENT
(Complete with percentages, examples, car chases and brief nudity.)
The following comments and questions from Steve were posted in the
"Eudaimonic" thread. I've changed the thread name to reflect the nature of
our little tangent...
Steve:
Also, though Wilber integrates such psychologists into his system which
seems to make it easy to then translate into Pirsig's, Wilber does not have
a social level. Because he looks at social and individual aspects of all
occasions, he doesn't seem to see a social level as a stage of human
development.
More Steve along the same lines:
I think Wilber may think of the social level as a stream of development with
stages of its own rather than as a stage of development in itself. But I'd
be very interested to hear the thoughts of Platt and DMB and any other
Wilber readers to know how they see the MOQ social level in Wilber's work.
Is Wilber missing the social level?
dmb says:
Wilber paints a pretty clear picture in chapter 4 of INTEGRAL PSYCHOLOGY
using the work of Clare Graves and others. There he describes eight stages
of human development. If I'm reading it right, all eight stages would fit
into the third and fourth levels of the MOQ, which helps to focus on your
main question; Does Wilber have a social level? I'd begin to answer by just
saying, "hell yes! And then some." Graves doesn't match Wilber scheme
exactly but he presents it in very favorable terms, the examples add
clarity, and it is to the point.
1. ARCHAIC-INSTINCTUAL
The level of basic survival; food, water, warmth, sex and safety have
priority. Uses habits and instincts just to survive. Distinct self is barely
awakened or sustained, Forms into survival BANDS to perpetuate life. SEEN:
First human societies, newborns, mentally ill street people, the shell
shocked. 0.1% of the population, 0% of the power.
dmb adds:
This seems to be on the cusp, the very beginnings of the MOQ's social level,
just inches beyond sheer animal instinct. And notice the level of social
organization; "bands". We could say nearly all this about wolves.
2. MAGICAL-ANIMISTIC
Thinking is animistic; magical spirits, god and bad, blessings, curses and
spells that determine events. Forms into ETHNIC TRIBES. The spirits exist in
ancestors and bond the tribe. Kinship establishes political links. SEEN:
blood oaths, ancient grudges, good luck charms, family rituals, magical
beliefs and superstitions. Strong in third world settings, gangs, athletic
teams, and corporate "tribes". 10% of the population, 1% of the power.
dmb adds:
I'd like to give Lila, the character, more than this magical phase, but I
doubt if she could muster enough gumption to get to this.....
3. POWER GODS
First emergence of a self distinct from the tribe; powerful impulsive
egocentric, heroic. Mythic spirits, dragons, beasts, and powerful people.
Feudal lords protect underlings in exchange for obedience and labor. The
basis of FEUDAL EMPIRES - power and glory. The world is a jungle full of
threats and predators. Conquers and dominates; enjoys self to the fullest
without regret or remorse. SEEN: rebellious youth, frontier mentalities,
epic heros, James Bond villains, soldiers of fortune, rock stars, Attilla
the Hun. 20% of the population, 5 percent of the power.
4. CONFORMIST RULE
Life has meaning, direction, and purpose, with outcomes determined by an
all-powerful Other or Order. This righteous order enforces a code of conduct
on absolutist and unvarying principles of "right" and "wrong". Violating th
code or rules has severe, perhaps everlasting repercussions. Following the
codes yeilds rewards for the faithful. Basis of ANCIENT NATIONS. Rigid
social hierarchies; paternalistic; one right way and only one right way to
think about everything. Law and order, impulse controled by guilt, concrete,
literal and fundamentalist belief. Often "religious" in the mythic
membership sense, but can be secular or atheistic. SEEN: Puritan America,
Confucianist China, Dickensian England, codes of chivalry, Islamic
fundamentalism, Boy Scouts, "the moral majority", patriotism. 40% of the
population, 30% power.
dmb adds:
Clearly, this describes a certain kind of American Conservative. He even
includes the "moral majority", which is essentially and adjuct of the
Republican Party. The conformist rule seems to be the very height of the
MOQ's social level, while the next one strikes me as the beginning of the
MOQ's intellecutual level. Which brings us to the other kind of American
Conservative.
5. SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENT
The self escapes from the "herd mentality" of #4 and seeks truth and meaning
in individualistic terms. hypothetico-deductive, experimental, objective,
mechanistic, "scientific" in the typical sense. The world is rational place
governed by laws that can be learned, mastered and manipulated for one's own
purposes. Achievement oriented, materialistic, especially in America. The
laws of science rule politics, the economy and human events. The world is a
chess board with winners an losers. Basis of CORPORATE STATES. SEEN: The
Enlightenment, Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, Wall Street, emerging middle
classes around the world, colonialism, the Cold War, the cosmetics and
fashion industry, materialism, liberal self-interest. 30% of the population,
50% of the power.
6. THE SENSITIVE SELF
Communitarian, human bonding, ecological sensitivity, networking. The human
spirit must be freed from greed, dogma and divisiveness; feelings and caring
supersede cold rationality. Permeable self, relational self. Emphasis on
dialogue, relationships. Basis of COLLECTIVE COMMUNITIES. Strongly
egalitarian, antihierarchical pluralistic values, social construction of
reality, diversity, multiculturalism, relativistic value systems, worldview
often called PLURALISTIC RELATIVISM. Subjective, non-linear, shows a greater
degree of affective warmth, sensitivity, and caring. SEEN: Deep ecology,
postmodernism, Netherlands idealism, Canadian health care, humanistic
psychology, liberation theology, World Council of Churches, Greenpeace,
animal rights, ecofeminism, postcolonialism, PC diversity movement, human
rights issues. 10% of the population, 15% of the power.
dmb adds:
We're already past answering your question, but I might as well present all
eight stages. I should point out that Wilber says that the next step takes a
quantum leap. Its is rare, only 1% of the population. Here we are talking
about people and things that are at the very cutting edge of reality, which
is why examples are few and far between. I think we can increasingly see the
DQ in these last two.
7. INTEGRATIVE
Life is a kaleidoscope of natural hierarchies, systems and forms.
Flexibility, spontanaeity, and functionality have the highest priority.
Differences and pluralities can be integrated. Egalitarianism is
complemented with natural degrees of excellence where appropriate. Knowledge
and competency should supersede rank, power, status or group.
8. HOLISTIC
Universal holistic; unites feeling with knowlege; multiple levels interwoven
into one conscious system. Universal order, but not based on external rules
or group bonds. Emergence of a new spirituality. Thinking uses the entire
spiral; Sees multiple levels of interacton; dectects harmonics, the mystical
forces and the pervasive flow states that permeate any organization.
dmb wraps:
I think this is pretty much where intellectual static patterns end and there
is only DQ beyond this point. I thought it might be fun to include the whole
thing in case there is a sage among us who wants find himself described as
an eight. But to be more explicit and specific, I think we can see the MOQ's
social level in the first four stages described here. In each we can see
that there are modes of social organization and a shared worldview, but also
an increasing sense of individuality and personal cognitive abilities. The I
and We dimensions go all the way up and down even as they evolve, and the
relationship between them changes step by step as a part of the total
package. I mean, Pirsig's third level is not devoid of individuals, its not
a exclusively collective level any more than the rest. But I'm sure you've
already dispensed with that misconception, Steve, so I won't belabor it.
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