Category: Cognitive Dimension

In this blog, I  point to the de-totalization of human consciousness that is presently  state of the art in research in adult development. This de-totalization occurs on account of the absence of research on the way in which the social-emotional capability, shed light on by Loevinger and Kegan, intrinsically relates to the cognitive capability researched by Basseches, Commons, and Bhaskar, as well as myself. This de-totalization shows the stark limits of present research in adult development. It reflects a broken humanism as we experience it every day now. Is there a Bridge Between ED and CD Read More...

The Frankfurt School is well known, liked or not liked, due to its pervasive influence in the domain of culture critique. As on account of increasing threats to democracy its legacy is once more coming to the fore, there is a strong tendency to focus on the products and results of the school's activity while totally bypassing quite another legacy of the school, namely, rigorous teaching of complex, 'dialectical' thinking. In this blog, a veteran attendant of Frankfurt School Hauptseminars, directed by Max Horkheimer and Th. W. Adorno, from 1958 to 1966, Otto Laske, speaks up to remind those interested in the school of its huge promise for helping (young and young remaining) minds achieve new depths of reflection and circumspection, not only about society, but also about the cosmos at large and about themselves in their societal and ecological predicament. Otto Laske reviews the teachings of the school's Hauptseminar which focused on Hegel's Logic of 1812-16 as a vehicle for achieving fluid and holistic systemic thinking, more than ever needed in the world we live in, which we created without much further thought about the consequences of our actions supported by fabulous technologies. Taking a measure of Hauptseminar teaching... Read More...

The future of work is not a topic for logical thinking as much as it is one for revamping logical into complex, 'dialectical', thinking. The difference between the two is explained and exercised in a workshop in Brussels whose program can be downloaded here. If interested in this workshop, held on January 18, 2019, near Brussels, write to [email protected], my co-author of a book on collaborative intelligence of teams entitled "Dynamic Collaboration" (2018). In the downloadable attachment, the program is commented upon from a dialectical-thinking point of view by Otto Laske. Program Jan 18 2019 Brussels Read More...

In this interview published in the Integral Leadership Review (May 2018), Otto Laske answers questions posed by Robin Wood regarding his social-science work. Special emphasis lies on Otto's book recently co-authored with Jan De Visch entitled "Dynamic Collaboration" (2018). The wide-ranging interview touches upon many issues of present day culture fostered by logical control schemes that pervade contemporary thinking. Among these issues is the lack of complex thinking in the integral movement whose constituency continues to ride what Laske calls the social-emotional triumphalism train anchored in Kegan's work (a term that has some of the original Roman connotations, such as annihilation of what does not fit in.). Universal lack of attention to cognitive development beyond binary logic, exacerbated by apps that suppress internal dialog, is seen as significantly contributing to the global crisis societies are presently experiencing. The interview advocates replacing a logical and monological mindset, now rampant in both research and practice, with a dialogical mindset in terms of which 'Mind' stops being bottled up in single individuals but is, instead, seen as intrinsically dialogical, thus as a distributed system linking body, self, and social reality. ILR Interview of Otto Laske by R. Wood May 2018 Read More...

In this article forthcoming in the Integral Leadership Review in May, 2018, Jan De Visch and Otto Laske give examples of the benefits of focusing on complex dialogical thinking in leading and coaching teams, regardless of the specific topic a team is addressing. Their developmentally informed strategy of team intervention is based on insights deriving from working with DTF, Laske's Dialectical Thought Form Framework (2008). DTF sheds light on, as well as delivers cutting-edge tools for, turning around team collaboration in the direction of an upward spiral. The article is a review of the authors' book entitled "Dynamic Collaboration: Strengthening Self-Organization and Collaborative Intelligence in Teams". The book is the first to fully incorporate findings about adult development over the life span into the literature on teams, and in this sense pioneering. Review of "Dynamic Collaboration: Strengthening Self-Organization and Collaborative Intelligence in Teams" (De Visch & Laske 2018) For an introduction to the book click on Introduction-to-Dynamic-Collaboration. The book can be ordered at https://connecttransform.be/dynamic-collaboration/   For a summary of the most important topics and insights of the book see below:  Perspex Scenes Template (copy) on Biteable. Read More...

The first workshop on CDF, the Constructive Developmental Framework, was held in Rome in 2011, carried out in collaboration with the Italian Society for Coaching Psychology (Ida Sirolli organizer). In the texts below, Italian readers find teaching materials and commentary for learning CDF. Translations are by Marco Di Monte and Dr. Alessandro Rossi, both students of the Interdevelopmental Institute (IDM). So far, attempts to bring knowledge of CDF into Italian organizations have failed despite a good understanding of humanistic approaches in Italy (manifest, e.g., in Marco Minghetti's work).   Forme di Pensiero Dialettico (Sirolli 2011) Sirolli's translation of CDF slides for the Rome seminar is too large for upload.   Italian Wikipedia Articel on CDF (Di Monte 2012)   L'Interdevelopmental Institute (Di Monte 2012)   Introduzzione a CDF (Di Monte 2014)   Nuove Strutture di Pensiero (Rossi 2016)   Como Sviluppare Nuove Strutture di Pensiero (Rossi 2016)   A Methodology for Creating a Developmentally Aware Society (Laske 2016) This text was written by Otto Laske as part of preparations for the seminar 'sviluppare nuove strutture di pensiero' (2016).   Read More...