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A really good new discussion on Integral Naked is The Politics of Lust. Part 1. Power, Hierarchy, and (Non)Monogamy. with Stuart Davis & John Ince They have a free first month and you could probably download most of the material you like in that first months trial, not just this great new talk. John Ince is an erotic arts enthusiast and the co-owner of The Art of Loving sexuality center in Vancouver. As a lawyer and writer he has been professionally involved with sexual issues for over 20 years, and is the author of The Politics of Lust. John and Stu begin the conversation by exploring “erotophobia,” or the irrational fear of sexuality. As John explains, when a natural and healthy part of oneself becomes stigmatized, this affects how you relate to sexuality both in yourself and in others. And, he continues, it is often a relationship of profound fear—one that stretches from the personal to the political, and back again. In fact, John believes that the way that power is distributed in a society will in many ways dictate how that society relates to sexuality. His ideas reflect the general philosophical stance of the pluralistic wave as it has taken shape in this culture over the last three decades or so (and explored, in positive ways, in numerous postmodern discourses, and criticized in such presentations as Boomeritis). Specifically, it is said that the more rigidly hierarchical a society is, where power flows “top down” in a dominance and submission model, then the more that society will fear and even repress sexuality (e.g., Saudi Arabia). But the more that power is distributed through a society based on equality and consensus, the more comfortable that society is likely to be with sexuality (e.g. Holland, parts of West Coast North America). Of course, John isn’t suggesting that all hierarchies are bad. If the police need to respond to an emergency, taking a vote on who should jump in the squad car is just ridiculous—someone needs to be in charge who can make quick decisions. Likewise, Stu points out, there are two different kinds of hierarchies in the world, and they have precisely opposite functions! Pathological or dominator hierarchies are of the sort that John was describing, where power is imperialistically exerted with no real concern for the wellbeing of those submitting to that force. Natural or growth hierarchies are ubiquitous in the universe, and are in fact the structure of increasing care, concern, and inclusiveness. One such growth hierarchy is atoms, molecules, cells, organisms. Another is letters, words, sentences, paragraphs. In both examples, each previous holon (or whole/part) is transcended-and-included in the subsequent holon. Organisms do not hate their molecules, and paragraphs do not repress their words—they embrace them in a greater whole! Nor could you have organisms and paragraphs without first having molecules and words, because the growth towards greater wholeness is directional, which is to say, hierarchical (holarchical). In human development, one important growth hierarchy follows moral development from egocentric (me), to ethnocentric (us), to worldcentric (all of us), to Kosmocentric (all sentient beings). And just like organisms and paragraphs, you cannot be Kosmocentric without first growing through and integrating the earlier perspectives that are fundamental and intrinsic to this deeper, wider embrace. In humans, dominator hierarchies only stem from the lower levels of the growth hierarchy (egocentric and ethnocentric) and primarily someone from worldcentric or higher could even imagine an alternative to authoritarian power structures. Therefore, the only way to get rid of dominator hierarchies is to encourage development through growth hierarchies! Unfortunately, because both are called hierarchies, many well-meaning folks in their efforts to get rid of the former, also toss the later, and out the window goes the only real key to this incredibly complex jigsaw puzzle. John and Stu go on to explore the meaning and relevance of monogamy in a post-conventional context, and the many ways one can have deeply loving, ethical, and stable relationships free of a strict “ownership” mentality with your partner. John also speaks about the need for a new kind of sex worker, one that is on par with any other kind of professional in our society. You don’t go to an alley for dental cleaning, a massage, or therapy, why on earth is that where you have to go if you want hands-on professional assistance with your sexual wellbeing? Think politics and integral theory exists only from the neck up? Not so! We invite you to join John and Stu as they dance along all the chakras, bringing a frisky and playful Eros to each.... __._,_.___To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!'
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