The “integralists” have waded into the climate change debate with an impressive looking article entitled An Ontology of Climate Change: Integral Pluralism and the Enactment of Multiple Objects (click for an excerpt). It’s by Sean Esbjorn-Hargens, one half of the duo that authored the mammoth Integral Ecology. (The other half is Heideggerian-turned-Wilberian ecophilosopher Michael Zimmerman, author of what for a time had been the best overview of radical ecophilosophy available.)
I’ve ordered a copy of the paper and will have more to say once I’ve read it. But I like the way Esbjorn-Hargens weaves in a number of strands of post-constructivist thought, including the actor-network/cosmopolitical approaches of Latour, Law, and Mol, and the enactive cognitivism of Varela and Thompson. His notion of climate change as a “multiple object” would appear to suggest a resonance with object-oriented ontology. This bodes well for ecophilosophical dialogue with a school (“integral philosophy”) that has remained a bit aloof from others, mainly because of the baggage accrued to its founder, Ken Wilber. I’m looking forward to that dialogue.
That reminds me: I once suggested a group cross-blog read of Integral Ecology. If anyone else is interested, chime in. I won’t lead it, due to other commitments, but I’d happily participate. There are copies on Amazon for around $20.
I’d love to participate in that group. I’ve been itching to read my hard cover copy for some time. Only problem is it is packed away deep within a labyrinth right now, as I’m currently in transition. So I’d be able to participate (and perhaps facilitate) that reading group in May, but not until then… I know of several people (including a few serious integralists) who would be down with such a project. It would be a gooder.
May sounds good to me, too, Michael. If you can share the idea with those others, we can set the blogosphere alight with some good May (Day) fires.
sounds good, I’ll set aside some time in May and begin spreading the word…
Hello Adrian,
I was delighted to see this post. I am a student from the California Institute of Integral Studies (different from the Integral Institute in CO), studying integral ecology in the same program where Sean Esbjorn-Hargens got his degree (he was several years ahead of me, so I did not get a chance to meet him while he was there).
I’ve also been drawn in by the OOO/Speculative Realism/Integral Theory relationship. It seems to me quite fruitful. I am more familiar with the Integral Ecology book in particular than I am with Wilber’s integral theory in general (there are multiple approaches to integral philosophy) but I do know one or two people who would definitely be interested in such a group, and could probably add an interesting dimension to the conversation. If it sounds interesting, keep me in the loop.
-Adam
Adam you were one of the people I actually had in mind to contact to ask if you wanted in on reading group. I know you’d have a lot to contribute.
m-
Count me in–I too have it on my to-do shelf.
Fantastic Tim, I’ll be very interested in your take. It’s shaping up to quite a discussion.
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