So-Called Cultural and Spiritual Metamodernism

You may have noticed that, as with "Integral" back in the day, the label "Metamodern," is a bit of contested real estate. It appears to mean something pretty specific to the cultural metamodernists, Vermeulen and van den Akker, who first applied it back in 2010 to certain emergent post-postmodern sensibilities in art and media. But does it mean the same thing to the Hanzi Freinachtian political metamodernists, or to the integrally influenced Metamodern Spirituality crowd? In this special Integral Stage dialogue, Layman Pascal meets to speak -- and, perchance, debate -- with Metamodern cultural theorist Greg Dember about the historical emergence and cultural situatedness of the term, the validity of its accumulating associations and uses, and possible ways forward to avoid misuses of the term while still allowing for proper evolution, expansion, and development. They take time to carefully distinguish it from postmodernism, to explore a number of artworks and films that most clearly embody it, and to consider the multiple forms of spirituality to which it might give rise.

What Is Metamodernism? (by Greg Dember & Linda Ceriello)

What is Metamodern? (YouTube channel)

After Postmodernism: Eleven Metamodern Methods in the Arts

What is Metamodernism and Why Does It Matter?

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[RichInk]

Remember that the multiverse is neoliberalism, the postmodern. Jameson tells us that what postmodernism in the arts gives us is the logic (the key) to the postmodern and that is all. The postmodern artists are waiting for change, not remembering that they may instigate the change. That is where metamodern artists pick up the relay baton and show a possible way to change or a way to a vision of the change beginning with the heart, interiority, and emotion. In addition, the postmodern recognized as Marcuse suggested that we are not in a time of revolution and Deleuze offered the surfboard. We have now a divided nation along educational lines. As long as that persists misunderstanding between the two warrants a human element to the postmodern but somehow they too must want to be alive in a world leaving them behind. Even the movie mentioned in this clip isn't helpful except for virtue signaling by the educated (perhaps former postmodernists).

[O.G.Rose.Michelle.and.Daniel]

Excellent discussion, and I appreciated the angles both of you brought to the discussion. I really need to see “Everything, Everywhere, and All At Once”…Also, I really liked the point that since so much is put in front of us these days due to TV, internet, etc., then it is easy to examine without participating in, a mode which tends to breed a critical spirit. That was marvelous.

[aeonian]

Great conversation. 53:30 The worry of capturing to term Methamodern by creating numerous workshops on Methamodern-Spirituality, or writing books about religion and spirituality using that label, is probably legit. - The Methamodern sensibility is very broad and has the potential to include much more aspects of life than the term Integral might allow. Although their were applications of Integral Theory in various fields like ecology, business, mangagemet (Reinventing Organisations). On the other hand given that a lot of work of that sort has already been done by Integral people, merging that with many other similar groups like the John Vervaeke „awakening from the meaning crisis“-project, and others, and cluster those approaches under the label Methamodern-Spirituality seems like low hanging fruit for people who see the need for a spirituality that fits our times.

[throughhumaneyes]

Sweet chat! touched on a lot of things I've thought but never felt to actually put a comment out on. Really comes down to what is the truth, what is the reality outside of what any one group or person wants? A lot of spaces like the metamodern space seem to be married to the search for the foundation as the foundation rather than the objective foundation itself which is where it gets push back in the outside spaces and debates which leads into the bubble it ends up in .

[missh]

Does Eidos give personal meaning to metamodernism? Or is it a exploratory tool? Maybe it's a safety mechanism for diverse eco systems 🤔 grrr who knows?!!! As usual, another unique and interesting perspective. Hand on heart with thanks to Layman and guest.

[_ARCATEC_]

In a propositional Context we each have a unique ability to give meaning to words.

[pralmanack]

Good discussion about modern, postmodern, and metamodern thought, , but the thing that most concerns me is an ability to reliably distinguish between good faith, benign actors/ideas and bad faith, malicious actors/ideas regardless of their rhetorical sophistication. I think the world is seeing a rise in malevolence in sheep's clothing, preaching openness as a route to infect open systems with bad shit. My point of departure is still Popper's "paradox of tolerance" which has barely been refined further since he introduced it.

[marklloyd]

Metamodernism is the only hopeful way forward for creatives and thinkers etc

[jonn_esternon]

"Inversing the conclusion of postmodernism."

I thought of Nishitani's Nothingness when I heard that. Instead of a negative nothingness that leads to nihilism, Sunyata is a positive nothingness that somehow grounds all meaning-making. It is a foundation rather than an abyss.

[missh]

I got it! .... School of Meta Modern Media and Architecture. I really wana say alchemic school but hey! architectural kinda fits. Or what I am really suggesting is maybe Greg could have a defining word in the school name?