What do we mean when we talk about “metacrisis”?
Terry Patten described it like that: The metacrisis is the multiple overlapping and interconnected global crisis that our planetary culture faces.
The metacrisis is one single phenomenon.
We may be thinking of it as an ecological crisis.
We may be thinking of it as a psychological or spiritual crisis.
We may be thinking of it as a cultural crisis, a breakdown of community, family, etc.
We may be thinking of it as a crisis of government, economics and finance.
And, it is all of these things.
But there is also an invisible crisis unfolding within our minds and cultures that is getting much less attention. This is the metacrisis.
Zak Stein (transformation researcher and co-founder of the Consilience Project) describes the metacrisis as follows:
“There are a multitude of crises that are increasingly attracting public attention, including the ecological, economic, migration, geopolitical and energy crises. But there is also an invisible crisis that is taking place in our own minds and cultures and that receives much less attention: the metacrisis, which has to do with how people experience themselves and the world. It is a general educational crisis that involves a number of interrelated psychological dynamics; systems and societies are in trouble, but it is the psyche – the human being itself – that is in the greatest distress.”
And Jonathan Rowson (co-founder of Perspectiva) writes:
“The metacrisis is the underlying crisis that drives a multitude of crises. (…)
We need to better understand who and what we are individually and collectively in order to fundamentally change our actions.”
Zack Stein describes the four levels of the meta-crisis:
Crisis of understanding – What is happening right now?
“Confusion at the level of understanding the nature of the world. People have difficulty finding truth and are unable to understand the increasing complexity.”
Crisis of action – Are we able to act? How?
“Inability at the level of influencing the world intelligently. In all social positions and fields of work, individuals are increasingly unable to participate in problem solving to the extent required for further social integration.”
Crisis of legitimacy – Who should do something? With what legitimacy?
“Incoherence at the level of cultural agreements. Political and bureaucratic authorities no longer justify trust in their authority.”
Crisis of meaning – What is it really about? What is the point of all this? “Inauthenticity at the level of personal experience. People from all walks of life question the meaning of their existence, the goodness of the world, and the value of ethics, beauty, and truth.”