In our view, the key to understanding how societies evolve is to understand factors that determine the costs and rewards of employing violence. Every human society, from the hunting band to the empire, has been informed by the interactions of megapolitical factors that set the prevailing version of the “laws of nature.”

Dans la dialectique du progrès, suggère Wilber, chaque stade de l'évolution transcende les limitations du stade précédent, mais en introduit également de nouvelles. C'est un point de vue qui à la fois honore et glorifie la lutte constante de toute quête authentique d'une vie plus consciente et plus complète. « Au bout du compte, aucune époque n'est

Reality is optimizing for the whole—not for you. Contribute to the whole and you will likely be rewarded. Natural selection leads to better qualities being retained and passed along (e.g., in better genes, better abilities to nurture others, better products, etc.). The result is a constant cycle of improvement for the whole.