Steve McIntosh - Voices from the Integral Frontier

Thanks to the work of Ken Wilber and others, integral theory has begun to provide hundreds of thousands of people around the world with a new map for understanding the complex dynamics of just about every aspect of human consciousness and culture—from religion and spirituality to science, business, and politics. And the integral movement is growing. From its humble beginnings on the cultural and philosophical fringes, it has exploded in recent years with an international flowering of integral groups, conferences, academic programs, and individual practitioners who are trying to build the foundation for a whole new worldview.

In this interview for his feature article, “The Integral Emergence,” in the December 2008-February 2009 issue of EnlightenNext magazine, associate editor Joel Pitney speaks to philosopher Steve McIntosh about how he is applying the integral perspective to his work and what he thinks it will take to develop integralism into a full-fledged cultural and philosophical movement.

With the publication of his new book, Integral Consciousness and the Future of Evolution, Steve McIntosh has emerged as a leading voice on the integral frontier. In this clip, McIntosh gives an overview of the state of the integral movement worldwide and explores what he sees are the biggest challenges lying ahead.

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.