IS IT INTEGRAL?
A CHECKLIST FOR ASSESSING POLITICAL REASONING
by Thomas Jordan
Interpretations of the world around us and in us
* Does the worldview (the narrative describing the situation and causal relationships in the sociopolitical environment) draw on a profound awareness of the existence of complex systems, contexts and causational webs that influence the behaviour of individuals and groups and explain the specific forms of events and conditions in our society?
* Does the worldview draw on an understanding of the limitations and dynamics of prevailing consciousness structures in societies, organizations and important leaders?
* Are proposed policies adapted to existing forms of meaning-making, so that the LR structures that are recommended have good chances to function as intended with regard to the existing LL and UL systems?
* Is the perspective sensitive to the dialectic between (1) the need to create stable and well-adapted holding environments for existing meaning-making systems, so that these can be expressed in benign forms; and (2) the facilitation of transformation to levels of meaning-making that are more competent in solving problems on the other hand?
Second-tier self-awareness
* Is there a well developed awareness of the nature of the perspective used for formulating policy recommendations, and the characteristics of this perspective in relation to other perspectives?
* Is there evidence of non-attachment to own identifications with standpoints, i.e. an absence of defensiveness in relation to other views?
Motivational platform
* Are aspirations and goals articulated within a mindset that is grounded in a commitment to the well-being of the whole and where specific sociocentric interests and allegiances are always pursued within an overarching worldcentric frame?
Identifications (self-embeddedness)
* Is the political meaning-making free from adversarialism, i.e. the tendency to regard other parties as the causes of significant problems and who must therefore be defeated or brought under control?
* Is there a fluid and open-ended relationship to identifications with collectives on the whole scale from one's family, organization, faith community, ethnicity, etc.
to humanity as a whole, sentient beings in general, and the cosmos as an undividable whole?
Visions and strategy
* Is the strategy free from dualistic thinking in the sense of pitting an idealized vision of what ought to be against a depreciating image of what is, in favour of a processual and integrative approach to political change?
Posted 15 Feb 2003
