Institute of Applied Metatheory — searchable YouTube transcripts & AI Q&A

What is Archdisciplinarity Really? with Cory David Barker, Nick Hedlund & Brendan Graham Dempsey

Cory David Barker argues that archdisciplinarity is a distinct disciplinary scope that integrates unification metatheories, offering a common language and method for comparing and synthesizing big-picture frameworks. He introduces the concept of 'arches' as universal laws underpinning natural laws, derived from commonalities across frameworks like Michael Commons's model of hierarchical complexity and Kurt Gödel's incompleteness theorems. Barker emphasizes that these arches are propositions open to falsification, and he distinguishes his own arch theory, 'architectonic simulation,' from the broader archdisciplinary project.

What is Archdisciplinarity? | with Cory David Barker

Archdisciplinarity treats transdisciplinary unification meta-theories as units of analysis, comparing and synthesizing them to identify universal recurring patterns called arches. The speaker argues that these arches, such as universal computation, fractality, and permeative boundaries, underpin all domains and scales, enabling a systematic approach to integrating knowledge. He emphasizes that arch theory is distinct from meta-theory and that it can be applied to practical problems, including AI design, while cautioning about the ethical implications of such powerful frameworks.

The Emergence of an Integrative Worldview

The speakers argue that a new integrative worldview is emerging, which combines scientific rigor with meaning and values, and they propose a collaborative synthesis of major metatheories to articulate it. They emphasize that this worldview must include a stratified ontology to account for novelty and directionality, and that it should provide a coherent narrative that includes the past, present, and future. The project aims to produce a provisional, fallible synthesis that can guide action and address the meta-crisis.

What Are Big Pictures Actually For? with Sean Esbjörn-Hargens, Nick Hedlund, Brendan Graham Dempsey

Sean Esbjörn-Hargens argues that big-picture theories like integral theory and critical realism are most useful when they help practitioners see more of the system they are working within, rather than providing a direct lever to solve macro-scale problems. He suggests that applications are more realistic at micro or meso levels, and that the real value lies in building integrative literacy and using methods like perspective-seeking to transform one's own understanding. He also notes that complex integral realism, his synthesis of Wilber, Bhaskar, and Morin, is still underdeveloped methodologically and could benefit from more transparent theory-building practices.