From: Integral World [frank.visser@eurorscg.nl] Sent: dinsdag 3 oktober 2006 0:03 To: f.visser3@chello.nl Subject: [personal] Integral Methodology INTEGRAL WORLD MAILING LIST =========================== http://www.integralworld.net Newsletter Nr. 166 Amsterdam, October 3, 2006 WILBER WATCH BLOG: http://wilberwatch.blogspot.com/ For those who prefer debate and discussion to promotion and propaganda: NEW ESSAYS ========== METHODOLOY AND PHILOSOPHY Jeff Meyerhoff continues his sustained reflection on the validity of Wilber's writings, in a new chapter on methodology. He notes: "In the introduction to SES Wilber calls the orienting generalizations “beads of knowledge.” All we have to do is string them together to get a grand synthesizing necklace. Nice image, but where do we get the thread? In what order should the beads go? Why a necklace and not a beaded curtain? Contrary to the popular maxim, the facts do not speak for themselves. Likewise, orienting generalizations do not speak for themselves; we must interpret what they say. I think Wilber sensed these difficulties because he says in his introduction to SES that “In addition to being composed of broad orienting generalizations, I would say this is a book of a thousand hypotheses” Yet instead of informing the reader what parts are the “simple but sturdy” orienting generalizations and what parts make up the “thousand hypotheses,” he then says that “I will be telling the story as if it were simply the case (because telling it that way makes for much better reading).” Much better reading, but much worse scholarship; for how is the reader to know what parts are the “simple but sturdy” knowledge, and what parts are the “hypotheses”?" Read more: http://www.integralworld.net/meyerhoff-ba-8.html FROM THE ARCHIVE ================ CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE HOLONIC INFRASTRUCTURE Back in 2003, Gerry Goddard wrote a fundamental paper on holonic theory. From the introduction: "In this paper I argue that the convergence of macro and micro toward Gaia and social/individual development beyond Gaia — a process mapped by Jantsch and incorporated by Wilber into his 4-Quad model — is to be most adequately understood by applying as central the dialectical polarities of agency/communion and differentiation/integration across the macro/micro and social/individual holonic structural domains. Elsewhere (Goddard 2000), my account of holonic logic provisionally accepted the panexperientialist thesis which drives the holonic categories of subjectivity and objectivity "all the way down" — a view I here set out to refute. Consequently, I offer an account of the epistemic categories beyond Gaia and their relationship to the strictly spatial interior/exterior categories of pre-biological levels. In conclusion, in light of the dualistic implications of my model, I offer a speculative but plausible metaphysic which answers the dualist objection and which supports synthesizing ideas I have offered elsewhere." Read more: http://www.integralworld.net/goddard6.htm RSS FEEDS AVAILABLE At long last, Integral World now has RSS functionality too, so you can get notified automatically of the latest updates. Just paste the URL http://www.integralworld.net/iw-rss.xml in your favorite RSS Feed reader! Read more: http://www.integralworld.net/rss.html If you know other people interested in this IW Newsletter, please forward this mail to them. Thanks. To SUBSCRIBE to this Integral World Newsletter or change your email address, click here: http://www.integralworld.net/index.html?newsletter.html To go to the Newsletter Archive, click here: http://www.integralworld.net/index.html?newsletter.html To UNSUBSCRIBE from this Integral World Newsletter, click here: http://frank.e-marketing.eurorscg.net/afmelden.php?a=aa&e=f.visser3@chello.nl&id=3272&m=25 ======================================== Frank Visser, Waterpoortweg 279, 1051 pv, Amsterdam Author of: Ken Wilber: Thought as Passion SUNY 2003 Read all about Ken Wilber : http://www.integralworld.net ========================================