Zak Stein | Meta-Psychology: Complexity Thinking, Ensoulment & Transcendence

Zak Stein is a writer, educator, and integral thinker whose work spans sensemaking, ethics, education, and integral meta-theory. He studied religion and philosophy at Hampshire College before completing his doctorate in educational neuroscience, human development, and educational philosophy at Harvard. He is the author of "Social Justice and Educational Measurement" and "Education in a Time Between Worlds" and is a co-founder of the Center for Integral Wisdom.In our last conversation, we spoke about the crisis of education and why the school system is broken. This time we go deeper — into Zak's model of human development, what wisdom actually is, and why ensoulment and transcendence are essential dimensions of human flourishing.We explore the relationship between intelligence, skill, complexity, and the limits of IQ, the philosophy of mathematics, and the most important domain of study for navigating our current moment.We also get into generalists vs specialists, how to bridge power with ethics, why we need to prioritize ensoulment and healing, and one of the deepest questions of our time — how do we integrate science and religion into a coherent and livable worldview.A wide-ranging and rigorous conversation for anyone serious about integral thinking and cultivating wisdom in a time of civilizational complexity.🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗Zak's personal site Education in a Time Between Worlds — in-depth book summary Metapsychology with Zak Stein on the Stoa — Part 1 Metapsychology with Zak Stein on the Stoa — Part 2 Metapsychology with Zak Stein on the Stoa — Part 3 Metapsychology with Zak Stein on the Stoa — Part 4 Charles Sanders Peirce Ken Wilber Monastic Academy Center for Integral Wisdom Model of Hierarchical Complexity Lectica Inc Theory of Multiple Intelligences Kurt Fischer Howard Gardner Immanent Metaphysics — Forrest Landry James Fowler Jurgen Habermas🕰️ TIMESTAMPS 🕰️0:00 - Introduction1:23 - Zak's experience living at a modern day monastery for six months5:54 - What is wisdom?17:15 - Unpacking development, ensoulment, and transcendence29:00 - Intelligence, skill development, complexity, and the limits of IQ39:55 - Skill transfer and the most important domain to study51:20 - The philosophy of mathematics1:01:39 - Generalists vs specialists1:11:54 - How do we bridge power and ethics?1:23:26 - Why we need to prioritize ensoulment and healing1:35:37 - How do we integrate science and religion?1:49:52 - Holistic human development*Subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch the video versions of the Elevating Consciousness Podcast *Subscribe to the Insighter Substack to get in-depth articles on the theory and practice of human transformation through a post-conventional