[p2p-research] critical integral theory

[Michel Bauwens]

Hi Jorge,

Thank you so much for your reply, which I will share on our blog.
Unfortunately, Anderson has not responded to my email, but I will forward
anyway.

There are a few references in your reply that were unknown to me, I'll check
them out.

By the way, my wife told me that she found the hardcover version of the
book, she had forgotten to communicate it (I'm in bkk now, only occasionally
returning to my home in chiang mai). I should start reading it in 2-3 weeks,

Michel

On Fri, Jun 12, 2009 at 7:00 AM, <jorgenf at aol.com> wrote:

> Dear Michel,
>
> I read Anderson's paper, very interesting. Lots of great staff there. A few
> remarks:
>
> 1. The paper reminds me of past conversations in Religious Studies about
> comparison being intrinsically ideological, etc. My sense is that we may be
> able to identify a continuum of integrative works along a continuum from
> more to less ideologically-laden, with top-down integrative approaches that
> use a pre-given framework (e.g., AQAL) in one end of the spectrum
> and bottom-up integrative approaches that build bridges between disciplines,
> models, theories, from the bottom at the other end. Arguably the latter
> studies, which counter the fragmented disciplinary or cultural organization
> of knowledge, are more benign, arguably important, and less prey of
> Anderson’s criticisms. (Compare here, for example, Wilber’s latter works
> with Brian Lancaster’s integrative approach in his *Approaches to
> Consciousness, *which builds bridges among depth psychology, cognitive
> psychology, transpersonal psychology, and some contemplative traditions from
> the bottom up).
>
> 2. I wonder whether Anderson is aware of my critique of perennialism as
> ideologically-laden put forward in *Revisioning Transpersonal Theory*, as
> well as John’s more political take.
>
> 3. Anderson’s focus on Sri Aurobindo as the primary source of the attempted
> East-West synthesis seems somewhat arbi trary. On the one hand, Aurobindo
> was part of a larger movement, the Hindu Renaissance or Neo-Hinduism, that
> predates his work and most of whose members shared, to some extent, such
> East-West synthetic approach (see, for example, Halbfass’ *India and
> Europe*). Swami Vivekananda was an earlier and arguably much more
> influential exponent of such a vision, and perhaps it was S. Radhakrishnan
> who pressed stronger that anyone the East-West project (for a critical,
> actually acerbic, account, see Troy Organ’s *Radhakrishnan and the Ways of
> Oneness of East and West*).
> 4. As someone who has first studied and then taught at CIIS for 16 years, I
> should clarify that neither CIIS in general nor the East-West Psychology
> (EWP) department in particular engaged in the kind of ideological, forced
> integration Anderson rightfully denounces. Despite its Aurobindonean roots,
> CIIS is an extremely diverse and complex academic environment, with
> departments and teachers representing a huge plurality of disparate
> intellectual, professional, and spiritual approaches—for example, the Social
> and Cultural Anthropology department is highly Foucaultian and postmodern.
>  Since Anderson s paper addresses the ideological underpinnings of the
> East-West synthesis, let me include here a paragraph from the EWP
> Department’s mission that, I believe, clearly differentiates what we do from
> the synthetic approach critiqued by Anderson:
> As an academic field, EWP constitutes a larger context for many disciplines
> that explore the interface of psychology and spirituality, including
> transpersonal and integral psychology, Asian psychologies, modern
> consciousness studies, participatory spirituality, depth psychology
> (Jungian, archetypal, and psychoanalytic), contemplative psychology,
> religious comparative studies, shamanic studies, and ecopsychology.
> Approaching the encounter among Eastern, Western, and indigenous worldviews
> in the spirit of pluralism, dialogue, and open inquiry, we actively explore
> the implications of this convergence for our diverse and multicultural
> world. This commitment also entails bridging psychospiritual growth with
> social transformation.
> Please feel free to share these reflections with Anderson, whose paper I
> think it is extremely important and I plan to use in my courses to indicate
> some of the pitfalls of integrative scholarship.
> Warmly,
>
> Jorge
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004 at gmail.com>
> To: Peer-To-Peer Research List <p2presearch at listcultures.org>
> Sent: Wed, 3 Jun 2009 3:33 am
> Subject: critical integral theory
>
> Dear friends,
>
> As some of you know, my take on p2p theory is informed by 'integral
> theory',
>
> in that context, here is a crucial essay to read, a foundational essay for
> a critical integral theory,
>
> see
> http://integral-review.org/documents/Anderson,%20Of%20Syntheses%20and%20Surprises%203,%202006.pdf
>
> There is a lengthy interview of the author here,
> http://www.integralworld.net/anderson1.html, which shares and expands
> greatly ofn my own critique of Wilber.
>
> Phoebe, Athina, Andreas, and all other progressive political scientists out
> there, if you are all puzzled
> by integral theory and the fascination of people by Wilber, then this is
> finally something that allows y ou to
> 'critically' enter the loop and at least understand some of the basics of
> that approach,
>
> Michel
>
> --
> Workin g at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhurakij_Pundit_University -
> http://www.dpu.ac.th/dpuic/info/Research.html -
> http://www.asianforesightinstitute.org/index.php/eng/The-AFI
>
> Volunteering at the P2P Foundation:
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>
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>
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>
> ------------------------------
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-- 
Working at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhurakij_Pundit_University -
http://www.dpu.ac.th/dpuic/info/Research.html -
http://www.asianforesightinstitute.org/index.php/eng/The-AFI

Volunteering at the P2P Foundation:
http://p2pfoundation.net  - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net -
http://p2pfoundation.ning.com

Monitor updates at http://del.icio.us/mbauwens

The work of the P2P Foundation is supported by SHIFTN,
http://www.shiftn.com/
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