The Path to “Constructive Virtues”

My first published essays were as installments in my newspaper column “@ChumForThought,” published in the Dayton Review. “Chum” is the word for chopped fish waste that is thrown overboard to attract other fish – especially sharks. I believe that comparing ideas can be a force for good that attracts us to each other. Strangers often become friends as they talk and work together, uniting to solve mutual problems.

The column was intended for my neighbors in a small, rural, Iowa town. I hoped to encourage conservatives to think about their ideas and liberals to come out of the closet. This book, Constructive Virtues, extends my collected essays – largely on similar, and sometimes contentious, themes.

Many people prefer to avoid controversy as they would avoid swimming with sharks. You sometimes hear

Essay: Stages of psychosocial consciousness and culture

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Stages of psychosocial consciousness and culture

From the book: Chum for Thought: Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters by David Satterlee

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Integral

Chum For Thought:
Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters





Stages of psychosocial consciousness and culture




The 19^th century German philosopher, Georg Hegel, noted that conflict enables transformation to higher states of organization. This idea was reinforced by research in the 20^th; particularly in Developmental Psychology. These states have developed sequentially through human history as increasingly organized world views—for both individuals and cultures.

As we develop through childhood we experience this transformation and change as our thoughts and feelings become more complex. Developmental psychology demonstrates that this kind of staged development continues through adulthood. Leading researchers have supported this concept of developmental stages: Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg, Jane Loevinger, Abraham Maslow, and Robert Kegan.

Hierarchical structures seem judgmental to many and too-easily reflect a prejudicial bias toward people like themselves. Kegan concluded, and carefully defended the objectivity of a staged developmental model, which is generally now considered indisputable.




The work of American psychologist Clare W. Graves extended the concept of cross-cultural staged psychological development. He described these stages as part of a

Essay: What does America need from her citizens?

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What does America need from her citizens?

From the book: Chum for Thought: Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters by David Satterlee

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Chum For Thought:
Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters

What does America need from her citizens?

I am struck by two dramatically different ideals of citizenship that are currently being promoted. These are fundamentally opposed cultural and political belief systems. I’ll compare these in the areas of human nature, education, work, and citizenship.

1] One idea is that we are fallen, weak, unable to manage ourselves, and in constant need of strong guidance, rules, and punishment. All children are born rebellious and need strict control so as to learn values, accept limits, and thereby lead a good life.

Children go to school to learn what experts have decided that they need to know. This includes how to obey authority, stay on task, and work together in groups.

This kind of education, common from the start of the industrial revolution, trains workers for manufacturing and service employment. These students are able to comply with supervision and management by their superiors — without exercising independent judgment or becoming a disruptive influence. This prepares them to be obedient followers and worker drones.

2] An alternate idea is that a Democracy requires participation by a widely-informed citizenry accustomed to reasoning on ideas, discussing alternatives, and making choices.

People are assumed to be fundamentally decent, inquisitive, and capable of learning how to make good choices. Children can and should be shown that they are worthy and able to

Essay: Elephant metaphor for developmental levels of worldview

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Elephant metaphor for developmental levels of worldview

From the book: Chum for Thought: Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters by David Satterlee

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Developmental levels of #worldview. #Integral stages #metaphor

Chum For Thought:
Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters

Elephant metaphor for developmental levels of worldview

I was discussing the concept of “developmental levels of worldview” with a friend. She keep wanting to imagine that my description of a hierarchical, predictable sequence of developmental stages suggested increasing personal “smartness” or “betterness.” I was having trouble getting across the ideas that any worldview stage is perfectly fine so long as it serves the needs of a person’s or culture’s current circumstances (and does not oppress others.)

Eventually, I suggested that developmental levels were like a progressive experience of elephants:

[This does not accurately represent my belief system; it’s just an imaginary hierarchy of experience.]

• What’s an elberphunt? (simply has no clue)
• I have heard of elephants.
• I have read a story about elephants. (unable to independently anticipate the experience of an elephant’s subsonic rumbles)
• I have seen an elephant at the circus.
• I have watched elephants at the zoo. (the most common limit to likely developmental stages)
• I have lived with elephants in the wild. (few people would even imagine that anything more was possible)
• I have memories of being an elephant.
• I have always been an elephant. (few elephants would even imagine that anything more was possible)
• I am the race memory of all elephants.
• I Am that I Am. (God’s description of himself in Exodus)

Each stage is adequate for the needs of certain individuals in certain circumstances.

• At each stage, some greater [effort or] involvement has been achieved to have had a larger understanding.
• At each stage, it is difficult to explain the experience adequately to some who has not been there.
• At each stage, it is difficult to imagine the richness of knowing involved in additional stages.

I’m not suggesting that all of these stages are actually plausible for an individual but, then again, how could you actually be certain of that unless you were I Am?