A Complex Integral Realist Perspective

This insightful exploration presents a vision that transcends traditional paradigms, integrating key philosophies for a contemporary understanding, as seen in A Complex Integral Realist Perspective.

This book sketches the contours of a vision that moves beyond the dominant paradigm or worldview that underlies and governs modernity (and postmodernity). It explores a remarkable leap in human consciousness that occurred during the Axial Age, drawing on a cross-pollination of three comprehensive integrative metatheories: Complex thought, integral theory, and critical realism—collectively termed a complex integral realism. By employing these metatheories, A Complex Integral Realist Perspective recounts how biases within the Western tradition were established, emphasizing the analytical over the dialectical, epistemology over ontology, presence over absence, and exterior over interior. These biases took root in axial Greece, were solidified during European modernity, and faced challenges throughout the 20th century.

The book further discusses the remedies provided by these three integrative philosophies, which have laid the groundwork for a new vision. It outlines what it terms a 'new axial vision' for the twenty-first century, one that seeks to integrate the strengths of premodernity, modernity, and postmodernity within a complex integral realist framework. This approach not only addresses historical biases but also offers a fresh perspective that is relevant to contemporary discourse.

A Complex Integral Realist Perspective will be of particular interest to students and scholars engaged with the Axial Age, critical realism, integral theory, and complex thought. Additionally, it appeals to those seeking to synthesize insights from science, spirituality, and philosophy, fostering a holistic understanding of our evolving worldview.