James Turner on Integral Naked - The Integral-Political Imperative - a podcast by www.integralnaked.org

click here for free sample! (right-click to download)

Who:Jim Turneris a principal in the Swankin& Turner law firm, a founding member of Integral Institute, and its Integral Politics and Integral Business branches. He is also the host of “Of Consuming Interest” on the Progressive Radio Network.

Summary: Jim Turner began his career as a young law student who realized thatRalph Nader’spointed critique of the automobile industry circa the 1960’s (e.g.,Unsafe at Any Speed) wasn’t merely about cars, but aboutcorporate power and responsibilityin nearlyeverysector of society—and the press simply wasn’t getting it, nor the general population. Jim felt it was his responsibility to suggest to Mr. Nader how his message might be more broadly and effectively communicated—and so he tracked Mr. Nader down, eventually ending up being invited to dinner at Ralph’s home.

Nader appreciated what Jim had to say about finding parallel problems in other corporate arenas, and then said, “Well, what would you do?” Jim said, “Let’s do food.” It turns out Ralph had been a cook in the Army for six months, so he gave the go-ahead. Then, in 1970, with the assistance of two-dozen medical, law, and political science students, Jim publishedThe Chemical Feast: The Ralph Nader Study Group Report on Food Protection and the Food and Drug Administration—hailed byTimeMagazineas “The most devastating critique of a government agency ever written.”

But, ultimately, it’s not merely about cars or food, or any specific product. It’s about a moreIntegral Approachtocorporate entities, thegovernment agenciesthat regulate them, and thecitizen-consumerswho are affected by the actions of both (and who, as Jim makes clear, usually get the short end of the stick). Here, Jim and Ken go right back to the dawn of the United States as a country—and as an economic force—and the Hamiltonian (large federal government) and Jeffersonian (small federal government) influences that continue to this day. Ken comments that only a trulyIntegral Politicscan reconcile the important truths of both perspectives, and thentranscend-and-includethem in a post-postmodern politics that today’s world demands. Jim responds by commenting that he and Lawry Chickering (both founding members of I-I) are writing a book calledThe Transpartisan Imperative, which is clearly an expression of the Integral Imperative in the world at large.

(To learn more about an explicitlyIntegral-AQAL Politics,click here.)

“Consumers play a role in the economy like voters in the political process… but the alliance between the corporate sector and the government can be so tight, that there can be huge barriers for the individuals’ wellbeing and interests being taking care of….”

(Click here for full dialogue.)