Integration

Integration: The Journal of Big Picture Theory and Practice

The Integration podcast features thinkers forging connections across domains, traditions, and levels of analysis in pursuit of deeper coherence and actionable wisdom. In particular, it unpacks and promotes the work of scholars contributing to Integration: The Journal of Big Picture Theory and Practice, a peer-reviewed, inter-, trans-, and archdisciplinary journal committed to advancing the integrative study and applied use of metatheory and systems thinking for engaging with the unprecedented complexity of the 21st century. It also features scholars whose work is making vital contributions to this broader field.

Episodes

  1. 2D AGO

    What Is Meta-Studies? w/ Mark Edwards, Nick Hedlund, & Brendan Graham Dempsey

    In this episode of the Integration podcast, Mark Edwards joins Brendan Graham Dempsey and Nick Hedlund for an in-depth conversation on metatheory, meta-studies, and why methodological rigor is essential for navigating the global metacrisis. Edwards, one of the most influential contemporary scholars in integrative meta-studies, clarifies what metatheory is (and is not), why “big pictures” require disciplined methods, and how meta-studies can function as a kind of earth-system social science. Key themes include the distinction between method and methodology, the role of absence and critique in generating new metatheoretical lenses, and the limits of progress-oriented and altitude-based frameworks. Edwards also reflects on epistemic humility, domain specificity, and pluralism — particularly the importance of taking indigenous and non-Western knowledge systems seriously in big-picture theorizing. The discussion culminates in a wide-ranging reflection on the metacrisis, understood not only as a systems failure but as a planetary-scale trauma response, and on the future of meta-studies as a field grounded in what Edwards calls disciplined imagination. 0:00 Introduction 3:55 What Is Metatheory (and Why It Matters Now) 04:17 “Meta-Studies” as a Clearing in the Global Noosphere 10:51 Why Methodology Is the Missing Piece in Metatheory 13:52 Method vs Methodology 15:58 Scientific Methods for Metatheory 17:56 George Ritzer’s Four Functions of Metatheorising 19:50 From Meta-Methodology to Meta-Validity 21:18 Metatheory as a Human Universal 24:16 Moving Beyond Canonical “Great Thinkers” to Discover New Lenses 24:16 Absence as a Driver of Innovation in Metatheory 35:59 Integrating Across Domains Without Losing Rigor 42:08 The Problem with Altitude: Critiquing Progress-Oriented Metatheories 47:11 Indigenous Worldviews and the Problem with Cultural Stages 51:47 The Metacrisis and the Need for Metatheory 59:49 The Future of Meta-Studies: Disciplined Imagination

    1h 3m

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

The Integration podcast features thinkers forging connections across domains, traditions, and levels of analysis in pursuit of deeper coherence and actionable wisdom. In particular, it unpacks and promotes the work of scholars contributing to Integration: The Journal of Big Picture Theory and Practice, a peer-reviewed, inter-, trans-, and archdisciplinary journal committed to advancing the integrative study and applied use of metatheory and systems thinking for engaging with the unprecedented complexity of the 21st century. It also features scholars whose work is making vital contributions to this broader field.