FRAGMENTS OF AN INTEGRAL FUTURE:
Written in the fashion of classic countercultural texts, FRAGMENTS is a sweeping tour of the evolution of consciousness from Paleolithic past to Anthropocene present. Now, in the fiery alembic of the climate crisis, civilization once again finds itself on the verge of another worldview shift. The signs are everywhere, but if humanity is to glean them, what is needed is a new consciousness of time beyond the clock. In the spirit of Terence McKenna’s ‘archaic revival’ or Jean Gebser’s ‘integral’ consciousness structure, Jeremy argues that our present cultural transformation can be characterized as a paradoxical leap—a ‘forward reversal’—which scrambles modern notions of linear progress. What becomes decisive now are precisely the kind of stories that help us gather past and present into ‘temporal medicine bundles’ that open the future. You, dear reader, hold one in your hands.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jeremy D. Johnson is a philosopher, author and publisher residing in rural Vermont with his partner and son. His previous book, Seeing Through the World: Jean Gebser and Integral Consciousness helped to introduce the writings of Gebser to a new generation. Jeremy is the host of the Mutations network, a podcast and learning community dedicated to the exploration of planetary futures.
ENDORSEMENTS:
If you love to think, are exhilarated by the interplay of large, dynamic ideas, and are not afraid of digging deep, Fragments is the book is for you! In his publishing debut, Seeing Through the World, Jeremy Johnson clearly announced his formidable gifts of clarity, insight and synergizing intelligence, creating what has by now become the standard beginner’s guide to the complex thought of philosopher Jean Gebser. These skills do not disappoint us as in this second book as we watch him step out from behind the shadow of the master and speak in his own voice with brilliance and surprising and deeply moving passion. Don’t let the intellectual fireworks scare you off you; at the center of this book beats the heart of a young father, tenderly holding his young son’s hand as he stares unflinchingly into a future that may or may not include the human race. Fragments is at heart a lovesong, as we watch a brilliant young father dig deep into his resource bank—and into the legacy of our common legacy of our 4.5 billion-year planetary journey —to see if there is a rabbit that may yet be pulled out of the hat to redirect our human course toward a possible new future in which his son and those following after him will still find themselves a viable species, will still get to play in this “gay great happening illimitably earth” (as poet e.e. cummings called it), to savor its sweetness and dance in its aliveness. Jeremy’s heart always shines through, and it always leads the way home, though the intellectual thicket to the dazzling new possibility that it reveals.
Cynthia Bourgeault, author and retreat leader
Fragments of an Integral Future offers one of the most original philosophical explorations of our civilizational moment that I have read in years. Jeremy Johnson invites us beyond familiar narratives of progress into a richer understanding of time, consciousness, and our place within the living process of evolution. A profound and deeply needed contribution.
Daniela Bomatter, Evolutionary Nun and Co-Founder of Manifest Nirvana
At a time when the future is marked by a shrinking of the horizon of possibilities, Jeremy Johnson opens up worlds of possibilities. This is a rich and engrossing volume that inspires hope when it is most needed.
Alfonso Montuori
Founder, Center for Creative Futures
Professor, California Institute of Integral Studies