PREVIEW. I’m sitting on the floor, a foot from the TV, turning channels. There is no remote, no recording device. An animated figure appears on the screen. The narrator explains it will experience eight significant crises in its lifetime. Each will occur around a major developmental issue such as trust, identity, intimacy, etc., according to psychologist, Erik Erikson. I SPRINT for pen and paper. AHA! The key to my future. If I study these stages of development, I’ll be prepared for Life. I am 14. And I want to know more.

What other life maps are out there to show what lies ahead?

At a local bookstore (there was no Internet or Amazon), I found Explorations in Psychohistory by Erikson’s student, Robert J. Lifton. The book’s idea of putting the world on the psychoanalyst’s couch fascinated me. But when I got to college, there was no program in psychohistory to learn more. However, there was Hegel.

Hegel traced the evolution of consciousness through its various stages.

Just as I was eager to absorb Erikson’s stages of development and the contradictions through which individuals pass from childhood to adulthood, I eagerly immersed myself in Hegel’s philosophy. Today, he’s considered one of the grandparents of integral philosophy. 

When many consider the world to be in dire straights, integral philosophers are expanding on the ideas of Hegel and others (Sri Aurobindo, Jean Gebser, Teillhard de Chardin) by mapping the stages of humanity’s cultural growth. And it’s a rather hopeful map. These thinkers’ ideas are influencing how we interpret all aspects of life, including religion. In my next three posts, I describe buzzwords from this field and their relationship to religion. 

Buzzword #1: Integral
Integral reminds me of math. Remember integers? — “the connection between integration and differentiation, or the functions within continuous domains”?  What if WE are continuous domains? After all, we humans are always joining or separating. What if integral describes humanity’s process of integration and differentiation? If so, where are we headed? Are we becoming better, perhaps Super or divine, humans?

A common feature of integral philosophy is that it provides an all-inclusive theory of everything – holism. Part of that theory explains human development. According to integral philosopher Ken Wilber, and others, we experience different levels of consciousness, each one able to handle more complexity than the one before. Thus, we are still growing! In fact, another characteristic of integral theory is that evolution drives this growth. 

When one level of consciousness reaches its limitations, a new one emerges. Einstein is said to have noted, “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” In integral philosophy, the evolution of human consciousness continually promises the possibility of new solutions to age-old problems. And the newest level of consciousness arising (with critical mass) on the cultural scene is integral consciousness.

Can integral consciousness help us solve today’s problems?

According to integral philosopher Steve McIntosh, the answer is yes. The values of an integral worldview are helping us address issues like climate change, income inequality, diminishing resources, political polarization, and more. The formerly dominant level of consciousness, rational-materialistic, has proved incapable of realistic solutions to these threats. But an integral worldview expands our values. It includes:

• new insight into the “internal universe” meaning the developing field of consciousness
• personal responsibility for the problems of the world 
• renewed appreciation for the values held in previous stages of consciousness
• an aspiration for the harmonization of science and religion
• an appreciation for evaluating our problems through a dialectical process
• a world-centric morality that transcends the “us-them” thinking of previous stages of       consciousness (Wilber would go so far as to describe it as a Kosmos-centric morality)
• compassion for all worldviews, even those that seem narrow-minded or ego-centric
• a revival of philosophy
• overcoming the culture war that results when two different worldviews clash
• a renewed insistence on achieving results (that are lasting and beneficial to all)

How can we  develop integral consciousness? 

In my opinion, the domain of religion is being handed a huge opportunity. Since religions strive to answer metaphysical questions, religion teachers and religious leaders are in a position to raise consciousness. Just as established medical schools now teach integrative/holistic medicine and help patients improve their health as a result, so too might established religious schools teach integrative/holistic religion and help students and congregants find new meaning and purpose in our evolving culture.

Religious programs and curricula that reflect the values of integral consciousness are already popping up. We can expect to see more “faith-rooted social justice” activities (not just social service) generated from religion schools. We can expect to see more “multi-faith education” orchestrated between congregations. We can expect to see more “interfaith dialogue” between students locally and globally, more “philosophy in the religious school classroom,” and a more “unifying narrative that incorporates science in religion lessons.” 

Just as Erikson clarifies the individual‘s journey through psychosocial stages of growth, Hegel and others clarify the collective journey through cultural levels of consciousness. I’m glad to have this map of what lies ahead for humanity. It gives me hope that we can all evolve consciously, grow spiritually, solve problems materially, and achieve peace globally. And isn’t that the point of religion? If so, what are we waiting for? As Batman said to Robin, “To the Bat Cave! There’s not a moment to lose!” Stay tuned for buzzword #2.

See Resources for teaching religion with an integral perspective here. Use movie guides like My Big Fat Greek Wedding or Dune. Lessons such as Give Me That New Time Religion and Religionomics: Giving to Gifting allow teachers to integrate philosophy, science, social justice, and multi-faith education with religious identity. 

ARTWORK: Thanks to the artists who drew the Psychosocial Stages of Growth and the Derivative of Batman, Integral of Clark Kent! I would like to recognize you by name. How can I find you?