A Friendly Primer on Integral Theory
Note: The material in this article is adapted from my book Primal Drives.
Ken Wilber has offered humanity an incredible gift. He has synthesized seemingly separate scientific, philosophic, and spiritual streams of knowledge into a coherent system: integral consciousness. His work forms the underlying foundation that my books and my writing are built upon. Using his metaphor, Wilber has given us the integral operating system (IOS). It is a process for engaging with reality. Whether you agree with integral’s core tenets, beliefs, and conclusions is not the point. The point is to internalize the process of IOS. In The Organic Masculine, I pointed out some of my disagreements with Wilber’s system, most notably the role of archetypes. But the process of IOS works regardless. Once you learn how to engage with self and worldview through the integral framework, all of these ideas and references begin to feed into your own operating system, which is very eager to evolve and synthesize. Internalizing the integral process creates a new self and a new world—one that transcends and includes many self-worldviews within it.
Let’s begin with the concept of holons. Each entity has the properties of being whole unto itself and a part of a larger whole. Integral Theory postulates that the fundamental elements of the kosmos are holons. Every entity is holonic: It is a whole which is composed of sub-holons, and it is also a sub-holon of larger wholes.
“Each whole is simultaneously a part, a whole/part, a holon. And reality is composed, not of things nor processes nor wholes nor parts, but of whole/parts, of holons.”
–Ken Wilber1
Atoms are parts of molecules, which are parts of cells, which are parts of organisms, in an upward hierarchy of holons. Atoms are composed of subatomic particles, which are composed of quarks, which are composed of strings, cascading downward into smaller and smaller sub-holons. Integral Theory postulates that this progression continues transfinitely (without limit) all the way down and all the way up. Every entity is a discrete whole, which is composed of other smaller whole entities, and which itself is part of another larger entity. The kosmos is holonic.
Now, each holon can be given a kosmic address, defined by four dimensions: interior, exterior, collective interior, and collective exterior. These correspond with the personal pronouns, “I,” “it,” “we,” and “its,” respectively. These form the Four Quadrants of Integral Theory.
Figure 1 The four quadrant model2
The first quadrant, the subjective “I” space, holds the interiority of experience. Every holon has a felt sense, prehension, awareness, or consciousness, which varies according to the level of depth of the holon. The more depth, the more consciousness.3 Human holons contain a tremendous amount of depth, which affords us self-reflexive consciousness. Single-celled organisms have relatively less depth, but still consume food, emit waste, reproduce, and otherwise interact with their environments. They demonstrate an interior responsiveness to life circumstances. Integral Theory postulates that the interior of experience, however faint, is a primary feature of all holons, extending all the way down and all the way up.4 Another name for this concept is panexperientialism. Interiority of experience is universal. This subjective interior is one quarter of the kosmic address for any holon.
Every holon also occupies an objective exterior—an “it”—which can be observed and interacted with. Every holon has a “body realm” composed of individual, exterior, manifest forms. The second quadrant of our matrix is measured by the hard sciences, including physics, chemistry, and biology. Each individual holon phenomenally enacts itself. So, as an individual human I have both an objectively exterior body, and a subjectively interior psyche. These two realms also have their own disciplines of philosophy. Epistemology (what can be known) examines the interior dimension, and ontology (how reality manifests) examines the exterior dimension.
In addition to individual interiors and exteriors, the kosmic address of every holon includes collective interiors and exteriors. This was one of the profound insights of the postmodern age: Groups exhibit emergent properties that cannot be reduced by analysis to any individual member. We call these systems, networks, collectives, populations, aggregates, and the like.
The collective interior “we” space holds the cultural worldview of the holon’s group. This intersubjective dimension is the shared felt-experience of a holon’s community. For humans, this quadrant includes language, media, arts, and cultural values. For a pack of wolves, this is the cooperative and competitive mentality of the group. For electrons, these presumably would be shared prehensions. Integral Theory postulates that the collective interior component is a real dimension of being-in-the-world and is a fundamental aspect of every holon.
The collective exterior holds the groups, populations, and social systems of the holon, which can be called the interobjective “its” space. This quadrant includes the observable behaviors of groups and systems as they enact materially in the manifest world. It is studied by ecology, sociology, and systems theory. It includes the institutions of a society, the ecosystems of the natural world, and the galaxies of the physical realm.
These are the four quadrants: interior individual, exterior individual, interior collective, and exterior collective. They are designated Upper-Left (UL), Upper-Right (UR), Lower Left (LL), and Lower Right (LR), respectively, based on their positions on the graph (Figure 1). We can also refer to them by the personal pronouns I, it, we, and its.
The main point is that every holon has four dimensions of being-in-the-world.5 No quadrant is primary, first, or more fundamental than the other three. Therefore, we say holons tetra-enact across the four quadrants. A holon’s existence is mutually self-arising and self-constituting across the four quadrants.6 For instance, a tomato plant perceives sunlight (upper-left), manifests physically (upper-right), relates vegetatively (lower-left), and participates in an ecosystem (lower-right). This four-quadrant map provides a holistic address for every holon.
You may be wondering why I use the spelling kosmos instead of cosmos. The Greeks used the term κόσμος or kosmos to signify the entirety of existence. Meanwhile, the term cosmos refers to the scientifically measurable material universe in the two right-hand quadrants. Integral’s four quadrant map is an invitation into a holistic kosmos that includes exteriors, interiors, individuals, and collectives.
Our kosmos is not static. It is constantly changing across all layers and levels. As the Buddha observed, “Nothing is forever except change.” In addition, we observe a developmental direction to the kosmos. We have evolved from undifferentiated particles to molecules to living organisms to humans with reflexive consciousness. Integral Theory recognizes this drive to become as one of the fundamental features of reality. We live in an evolving universe that is moving toward greater complexity and wholeness. We call this drive Eros.
Holons nest within developmental chains to create greater depth and complexity. Two hydrogen atoms link up with an oxygen atom to create a water molecule. The molecule is a new whole entity that arises out of the bonding of the three atoms. We call this evolutionary process transcend and include. The atomic level is transcended so that we now have a molecule with new properties and a higher order of entity-ness (or holonic depth). Each atom is included as a sub-part of the larger whole.7 Holons nest within holons, creating an evolutionary hierarchy, called a holarchy.8
Therefore, we can add a developmental direction to the four quadrant model (Figure 2). This allows us to plot holons in relation to their evolutionary stage along the holarchic ladder. More basic holons occupy the center of the chart. As we expand radially outward, we see higher orders of development, consciousness, and complexity. The progression outward is coordinated across all quadrants. Thus we can visualize the holarchy in concentric rings of development.
Figure 2. The four quadrants with holarchies9
In Figure 2, I have illustrated a sample of developmental pathways through the four quadrants together with rings describing the physiosphere (physical realm), biosphere (life realm), and noosphere (reflexive consciousness realm). These rings delineate the evolutionary path from physical existence to organic life to self-aware consciousness.10 Each ring transcends and includes the prior ring. When I move to a wider ring, I embody a greater degree of complexity, while including the useful elements of junior holons.
This map is known as the AQAL framework, which stands for “All Quadrants, All Levels” (with a few more specifications that we’ll add in as we progress). It provides a developmental map of the kosmos. Each holon has its four-part kosmic address and can be placed on its rung in the holarchical ladder.11
In Figure 3, I illustrate the same four quadrants, now focusing on levels of human development. These categories become more intricate for human holons, primarily because we are such complex beings. Again, the center of the graph holds the more basic holons, with increasing complexity as we move outward.
Figure 3. Human development through the four quadrants12
Starting with the inner ring of this graph, the reptilian brain stem is the physiology that corresponds with impulses in the interior psyche, an instinctual patterning of community, and basic group organization. Moving out a ring advances the level of complexity in each dimension: The biological evolution of a limbic system corresponds with the interior experience of emotion, the culture of pack mentality, and groups organized into herds and packs.
The individual self (UL) and collective culture (LL) co-evolve through progressively more advanced interiors (archaic, magic/tribal, mythic/traditional, mental/modern, plural/postmodern, integral, and high integral).13 These correspond to sequentially more advanced societies and modes of techno-economic production in the lower right quadrant (clan, tribe, empire, state, value community, and global commons, respectively).
Interestingly, while biological evolution of human organisms (in the UR) has made it as far as a complex neocortex (no small feat), the correlative advancement of the other three quadrants has continued onward without any new biological hardware in the brain. For this reason, and because the two right quadrants are generally measured by the hard sciences, Wilber often uses a shorthand to discuss I, WE, and IT/ITS by joining the right side into a single realm. He calls this the Big Three (Figure 4).14 This shorthand corresponds to subjective truth, intersubjective truth, and objective truth.
Figure 4. The Big Three
The four quadrants form the nuts and bolts of integral metaphysics. It’s a profoundly powerful map that we can then apply to understanding ourselves and the world. In my experience: it’s the best tool for consciousness studies I’ve found. If you’ve followed me so far, we now have the ground-work to explore the developmental levels of consciousness that are mapped out in Figure 3. This will be the topic of my next article, “The Developmental Holarchy of Integral Theory.” I hope to see you there to continue our exploration!
Sex, Ecology, Spirituality.
Adapted from Ken Wilber.
“If the universe, regarded sidereally, is in process of spatial expansion (from the infinitesimal to the immense), in the same way and still more clearly it presents itself to us, physico-chemically, as in process of organic involution upon itself (from the extremely simple to the extremely complex)-and, moreover, this particular involution 'of complexity' is experimentally bound up with a correlative increase in interiorisation, that is to say in the psyche or consciousness.” The Phenomenon of Man. de Chardin.
“Even electrons have to interpret their environment—not to mention bacteria, worms, and wolves. Thus, interpretation is inherent in the subjective and intersubjective dimensions of being-in-the-world.” Excerpt A, Wilber.
“My position is that every holon has (at least) these four aspects or four dimensions (or four “quadrants”) of its existence, and thus it can (and should) be studied in its intentional, behavioral, cultural, and social settings. No holon simply exists in one of the four quadrants; each holon has four quadrants.” Sex, Ecology, Spirituality, Wilber.
Just to expand the Integral lexicon a bit, the concept that all quadrants are equal participants in each holon is called quadrant equanimity. In contrast, the view that one quadrant alone is real is quadrant absolutism and the view that one quadrant is primary is quadrant hegemony. These latter two terms describe distortions in interpreting reality that have permeated human history. Let’s take an example for each quadrant. Newtonian physics posits that only the material atomistic universe is real—an absolutism of the upper right quadrant. Certain spiritual schools posit that “I create my reality, the world is an illusion, and mind alone is real,” absolutizing the upper left quadrant. Poststructuralism is prone to viewing everything, including self and nature, as a social construction (LL). Planetary ecology prioritizes a view of the earth as one large ecosystem primarily, with organisms only being parts of the system (LR). Each view contains important, but partial truths. In contrast, the Four Quadrant tool of Integral Theory offers a holistic approach to understanding reality.
For nested holons, the lower defines the possibilities of the higher, and the higher sets the probabilities for the lower. So single-celled organisms are still bound by the rules that govern the interactions of atoms and molecules (the lower defining the possibilities for the higher), and within a cell, the pattern coordinating the component atoms and molecules will be governed by the agency of the cell (the higher setting the probabilities of the lower).
“Each level ‘transcends and includes’ its predecessor, which is the only way that one moment of the universe can exist with the next moment of the universe. This gives a genuine vertical depth to the universe, not a flatland equivalency everywhere, and accounts for the undeniable ‘increase in complexity’ (and consciousness) that the universe has been bent on displaying since day one. he Kosmos is thus not merely holographic (with no degree of depth recognized anywhere), but is rather holographic and holarchical—an interwoven interconnectedness, psychophysical in nature, that holographically networks innumerable holarchies (where, in each case, all of the junior is in the senior, but not all the senior is in the junior).” The Religion of Tomorrow, Wilber.
Adapted from Ken Wilber.
Beginning in the physiosphere, we see atoms with prehensive awareness in physical communities such as beaches, atmospheres, solar systems, and galaxies. The physiosphere engages in poiesis, or creation. Dust swirls together to form accretion discs, which form galaxies, stars, and planets. This is the poetry of the kosmos at the physical level. Advancing to the biosphere, each lifeform exists as a physical organism, with internal perception of environment and self, which is positioned within a culture of “like-minded” organisms and organized within populations and ecosystems. Biological holons exhibit autopoiesis, or autonomous processes of self-organization. Biological life includes the poiesis of the physiosphere, but transcends into a higher degree of self-creation. Today’s pinnacle, the noosphere, is the realm of self-reflexive consciousness or the mind sphere.* With the emergence of humanity, life moved from mere awareness to awareness-of-awareness. This brought with it psychology (UL), artifacts and tools (UR), language and culture (LL), and societies (LR). Human holons include both the physiosphere and biosphere, but also transcend those rings to embody a higher order of complexity, the noosphere. Whereas biological life is self-creative or autopoietic, human consciousness engages in creative liberation or eleutheropoiesis.** It is the nature of the noosphere to create greater expressions of freedom.
* “Much more coherent and just as extensive as any preceding layer, it is really a new layer, the 'thinking layer', which, since its germination at the end of the Tertiary period, has spread over and above the world of plants and animals. In other words, outside and above the biosphere there is the noosphere.” The Phenomenon of Man, de Chardin.
** “The core nature of the consciousness that humans hold is that they create freedom. Following Maturana’s precedent, the new word being introduced here to describe human systems is eleutheropoiesis. It is our nature to move to ever more creative expressions of freedom. Eleutheria is the Greek term for ‘liberty’ and, again, poiesis means ‘creation.’” The Organic Masculine, Sturm.
The full version of the Integral AQAL matrix includes “all quadrants, all levels, all lines, all states, all types.” So far, we have covered quadrants and are beginning to explore the developmental levels, including the paradigms of consciousness. All lines refers to multiple lines of intelligence, each of which must undergo its own process of development for each individual. The concept of “multiple intelligences” was introduced by Howard Gardner in 1983. He identified visual-spatial, verbal-linguistic, musical-rhythmic, logical-mathematical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and bodilykinesthetic as distinct types of intelligence. Integral theory expands this list considerably. All states refers to states of consciousness. All types refers to personality types like the Enneagram or Myers-Brigs and includes the archetypes. A complete kosmic address includes the quadrant, the level, the line of intelligence, the state in which it is experienced, and the type interpreting the experience.
Adapted from Ken Wilber.
With the trans-egoic structure-states beyond high integral. See The Organic Masculine for a full discussion.
Wilber points out that the Big Three correspond to the three validity claims of Habermas: truthfulness (UL), rightness/justice (LL), and truth (UR & LR). They also correspond to Kant’s Aesthetic Judgment (UL), Critique of Practical Reason (LL), and Critique of Pure Reason (UR & LR). They correspond to the three Jewels of Buddhism: the Buddha (I), the dharma (it/its) and the sangha (we); to art, morals, and science; and to self, culture, and nature. Cf: Sex, Ecology, & Spirituality, Wilber.