Steve McIntosh - Bringing an Integral Perspective to the White House

Imagine that it's November 5, 2008, the day after the Presidential election. The President-elect calls you into the Oval Office, invites you to sit down, and asks: "In your opinion, what is the single most important issue for me to focus on in the next four years, and why?"

In this interview we asked one of our favorite political minds, integral philosopher Steve McIntosh, what he would say. In true integral fashion, McIntosh explains that the most useful tool any politician or government official could bring to the table would be an understanding of the dynamics of consciousness and culture that are at play below the surface of every issue they will face. But he doesn't stop there. He goes on to describe in detail how the President could apply an integral perspective to what McIntosh thinks are the two most pressing challenges that we're faced with today-renewable energy and international relations.

McIntosh is not alone in viewing these two hot-button issues as critical for our next President to address, but his integral approach to solving them is something you won't likely find on CNN or in the New York Times.

BIO

Steve McIntosh is an activist working to apply cutting-edge philosophy to bring about positive social progress. His primary focus centers around researching, writing, and speaking on the topic of the integral philosophy of evolution. Steve is author of the book Integral Consciousness and the Future of Evolution. Additionally, as part of his philosophical activism, in 2004 Steve founded the Project for Integral World Federation, a non-profit organization dedicated to cultural evolution.

In addition to his philosophical work, Steve is also a lawyer and the founder and president of Now & Zen, Inc. Now & Zen is a profitable consumer products marketing and manufacturing company creating popular "natural lifestyle products" (each designed by Steve), such as its best selling product, The Zen Alarm Clock®. Founded in Boulder, Colorado in 1995, Now & Zen's mission is to create a national brand of products that make a real difference in people's lives and bring beauty to their environment.

Prior to founding Now & Zen, Steve was Director of Corporate Development and General Counsel of Celestial Seasonings tea company. He has also worked as an investment banker with Morgan Grenfell Capital Financing, and as a corporate lawyer with Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro in San Francisco. Steve is an honors graduate of the University of Virginia Law School and the University of Southern California Business School.