The Listening Society: Ch. 14 Depth and Ch. 15 Wisdom Troubles

Chapter 14 and 15 deal with the fourth and last "pillar" of the theory of the authors: existential depth. Depth means integration of especially high or low subjective states (e.g. post-traumatic growth) into one's being. Different from states, depth is much more lasting and compounding. However, it is also different from the hierarchical stages of the MHC model, as you can integrate it "on both ends", so the depth "pyramid" grows in both directions. The authors talk about these concepts in detail and what happens if one has significantly more depth towards either the positive or the negative states end ("light" and "dark depth"), and relate depth to the more common (but in their opinion less useful) concept of wisdom.

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"The Listening Society: A Metamodern Guide to Politics, Book One" by Hanzi Freinacht is one of the central books of political metamodernism. It lays out the foundation for a political philsophy of metamodernism that is described further in subsequent books (most notably "Nordic Ideology") by the author(s).

The main idea is to go beyond "traditional" "Modern" political affiliations (such as socialism, libertarianism, ecologism, ...) and ideologies and find a way to combine the best of their ideas and tools to create a new direction: political Metamodernism, as well as a new "Listening Society" where the psychological and developmental needs of every member of society are respected and heard, in order to advance society as a whole.

Here is a summary (by the authors):
"As we move from the industrial age and its nation state to an internet age with a globalized postindustrial market a question presents itself: What is the next major developmental stage of society after the liberal democracy with a balance between capitalism and welfare state?

In this book Hanzi Freinacht offers a compelling answer to this question. We are reaching the limits of modern society and we must work to achieve a metamodern society, that is, a society which goes beyond modern life and its institutions. The metamodern society of the future is a listening society; a society more sensitive to the inner dimensions of human beings.

Drawing upon an elaborate weaving of psychology, sociology, political science and philosophy this book lands in a positive vision for the future. It shows how a clear description of human psychological growth – how we grow as human beings – can also offer us key insights into how global society can and should evolve in the internet age. A politics that can help humans grow to the later stages of psychological development is also one that can be capable of meeting the staggering challenges of our time.

In the first part of the book Hanzi examines the politics and culture of the Nordic countries and shows how these progressive societies offer a fertile ground for metamodern politics. The basis of such metamodern politics is also described. In the second part of the book he turns to developmental psychology, describing how humans evolve through a series of stages – and how this matters immensely for the happiness and survival of us all.

As this story unfolds – in a uniquely provocative genre breaking manner – you will also glean insight into your own developmental stage and those of people around you."