As I reflect on our times and our future human well-being, I keep coming back to one concept from Creative Systems Theory, what the theory calls Transitional Absurdity. It is pertinent certainly to our psychological health, and also possibly to … Read More
[I have committed to writing a short article each month the applies Creative Systems Theory and the concept of Cultural Maturity to some essential question.] Cynicism today is rampant. Few people hold positive expectations when it comes to the future. … Read More
Three circumstances that people in the U.S. could confront in the years immediately ahead could well challenge the viability of democratic governance as we know it. Recognizing them can help us engage them with the foresight needed if they are … Read More
During the Cold War we divided the world in capitalist and communist. On the surface it was a valid and useful distinction—here between kinds of economic structures. But we didn’t leave it at that. We polarized and mythologized the distinction, … Read More
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine took most everyone by surprise. Pundits in the U.S had counseled that the right foreign policy approach was a pivot toward China. European countries had been confident enough in a peaceful future with Russia that they … Read More
I feel deep concern about how, with issues of every sort, people today are dividing almost immediately into polar camps. The concern ultimately relates to something of much greater significance than just the unpleasantness of discord. Polarization is getting in … Read More
I gave my most recent book Perspective and Guidance for a Time of Deep Discord the subtitle: “Why We See Such Extreme Social and Political Polarization and What We Can Do About it.” Today conflict between ideological factions has become … Read More
With the election poles trending poorly for the current President in the U.S., there is really only one kind of strategy that remains if he is to be reelected. It might seem exactly backwards, but it has always been much … Read More
I was awoken in the middle of the night this week with a disturbing recognition. We are seeing the rise of a regressive left-wing populism that is not that different from the right-wing populism that put Donald Trump in power. It … Read More
[This piece was written not just as a post for readers of this blog, but also for distribution to a wider audience.] As a cultural psychiatrist and futurist, I endeavor to bring big-picture perspective to major social challenges. Last night … Read More
David Brooks is one of the writers in the political sphere that I most respect. In a recent piece, he made a dramatic observation that I think could very well be accurate and prescient. But his observation left us hanging. … Read More
It would be nice if being an advocate for culturally mature understanding and action were easier than it is—-if suggestions put forward were more often immediately celebrated and readily grasped. A few reflections on just what makes such advocacy the … Read More
The genie is out of the bottle. Most nations, if not now, then in the very near future, will have ready access to weapons of mass destruction—nuclear, chemical, biological. And increasingly, such deadly capability is becoming available not just to … Read More