Last Updated 4.2.25.

Level 1: Beginner Science on Evolution 2.0

1. EarthDance: Living Systems in Evolution by Elisabet Sahtouris. This book is great for a basic scientific understanding the "big picture" basics of how the whole universe has evolved over the last 13.7 billion years. It is an interesting and amazing read about how evolution shows us over and over again that it is not "survival of the fittest" but survival of the most wisely cooperative. This book also contains the core of the new Genesis story used within the Universe's Evolutionary Worldview and movement to help us inform (or realign) our sense of individual and collective origin, identity, and purpose as Evolutioneers.

Intermediate level Essential Science Reading of Progressive Evolution 

Level 2: Intermediate Science on Evolution

1.) Evolution's Arrow: The Direction of Evolution and the Future of Humanity, by John Stewart. (This also is an essential part of the Universe Evolutionary Worldview summarizing the key elements of evolution's progressiveness.)

2.) Evolution For Everyone by David Sloan Wilson. A remarkable book that will help you to start to think like a science-grounded evolutionary and show you how important understanding evolution and evolutionary science is to your daily life success!

3.) View from the Center of the Universe by Joel Primack and Nancy Abrams. (The books View from the Center of the Universe and View from the Center of the Universe constitute one of the most accurate and complete statements of the common and shared cosmology and the "new" genesis story currently held within the Universe Evolutionary Worldview. Joel Primack is a renowned physicist famous for his dark matter work.

4.) Thank God for Evolution! How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will Transform Your Life and Our World by Michael Dowd and Connie Barlow. (This is an optional read in this section if you have a strong Judeo-Christian background. It is based on science, but frames things to integrate a religious perspective where possible. It is an easy, fast read that will also provide many of the basic new Universe Evolutionary Worldview perspectives, but it should not be substituted for the three other readings just above.)

The Essential Advance Science Reading Relating to Progressive Evolution

This is the Advanced Science on Evolution. (We strongly recommend that you first read levels one and two above before going on to any of the reading below this level three science.)

Highly Motivational Books About Becoming a Progressive Evolution Evolutioneer

1.) Life Rules by Ellen Laconte. A "best of class" book about bottom-up organic self-organizing democracy that harmonizes with the natural laws of closed system planetary evolution. This new model discussed in her book is much different than the top down, power influenced democratic governments driven on "growth economics" theories of infinite growth and infinite substitutability that we have today. (While our organization agrees with most of the ideas in this book, we do differ with the author on several issues and recommendations such as the importance of what we believe is the vital local community/global governance balancing in the critical and simultaneous role of international law and international governance to limit individual, local and regional excess and expansion while simultaneity educating about, aligning and enforcing essential minimal policies for the planetary common good and defense.)

Evolutionary Activism:

1.) The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and tactics for changing your organization and the world, by Ronald A. Heifetz, Marty Linsky and Alexander Grashow. This is a great handbook for change agents and activists who need to achieve their goals in dynamic, complex adaptive environments.  It is specifically written for leaders in business organizations.  But its approaches and insights can be used effectively by evolutionary change agents who work in any kind of complex environment, at any scale.  It is therefore extremely useful for evolutionary activists who are setting out to build a global evolutionary movement and a unified planetary society.  To be truly effective however, the approaches outlined by the book need to be combined with practices that build self-mastery and a capacity for meta-systemic/dialectical cognition.

2.) Reflections on Evolutionary Activism: Essays, poems and prayers from an emerging field of sacred social change by Tom Atlee

Philosophical and Historical Aspects of Being an Evolutionary:

1.) A Brief History of Everything, Ken Wilber. This book is a great introduction to Wilber’s brilliant understanding of the evolution and development of physical, biological, human, and cultural systems, and of consciousness itself.  But as brilliant, insightful and all-encompassing as Wilber’s synthesis is, it leaves much important work to be done by evolutionary thinkers.  Wilber attributes the upward thrust of evolution to Eros, a new cosmic force that is unknown to science.  Because he believes that this mysterious Eros sufficiently explains the evolutionary trajectory, Wilber’s perspective is largely that of a spectator.  He primarily restricts himself to describing the patterns of evolution, rather than trying to discover the specific mechanisms and processes that drive it onward and upwards. Understanding these mechanisms is of critical importance for evolutionary activists.  This is because it shows them how to actualize the next great steps in evolution on this planet i.e. how to actually go about developing higher consciousness and cognition, and how to actually organize a sustainable and cooperative global society.  Wilber’s extraordinary work is a strong stimulus for the development of an understanding of these mechanisms and processes. 

2.) Evolutionaries, Carter Phillips. A great and well written overview and history of the evolutioneer and evolutionary movement that is heavy on the evolutionary philosophy and evolutionary religion and spirituality. (Please click here for our detailed review of this book.) 

3.) The Phenomena Of Man by Teilhard de Chardin. This book presents a convincing and coherent vision of evolution as a directional and progressive process.  De Chardin demonstrates the power of an evolutionary worldview by using his understanding of the trajectory of evolution to predict how humanity and life on this planet will evolve in the future.  Although Teilhard’s vision of the future is distorted by his religious beliefs, the book none-the-less demonstrates the potential of an evolutionary worldview to help guide our future evolution.  The book’s impact on mainstream evolution science was limited because it did not identify the mechanisms and processes that drive evolution along its trajectory.  Now, well over fifty years after the book was written, evolution science is beginning at last to fill in these gaps.

4.) Conscious Evolution:  Examining humanity's next step, Barbara Marx Hubbard. Barbara is possibly the leading student of Buckminster Fuller and his evolutionary visions of the future. (Also more geared toward the philosophical and spiritual aspects of the Universe Evolutionary Worldview. Motivating in a broad sense.)

5.) The Evolutionary Epic Science's Story and Humanity's Response, by Russell Genet, Brian Swimme, Linda Palmer and Linda Gibler. (An optional reading great series of essays exploring various aspects of progressive evolution and the perspectives held within the new Universe Worldview.)

6.) The Universe Story: From the Primordial Flaring Forth to the Ecozoic Era--A Celebration of the Unfolding of the Cosmos by Brian Swimme. (This book also contains the core of the new Genesis story used within the Universe Evolutionary Worldview and movement to help us inform (or realign,) our sense of individual and collective origin, identity and purpose as Evolutioneers. This is an optional read. It is more spiritual than EarthDance listed above and covers much the same material as EarthDance. In our opinion, Earthdance is the better, more comprehensive read for an understanding of the big picture basic science patterns of how the universe has evolved over the last 14.2 billion years.)

Here is the current top book explaining the New Dialectical Metasystemic Thinking and Analysis Breakthrough that was essential to the breakthrough diacoveries of Progressive Evolution.

Short Book review

Suppose you work in a think tank, in a government intelligence agency, in long-term corporate planning, or you are a senior-level corporate executive who wants to master the most advanced problem-solving breakthrough using dialectical meta-systemic analysis. In that case, you want to start with Advanced Systems-Level Problem Solving, Volumes 1-3.

Once in every great while, there is a true breakthrough in human thinking and analysis. The Greeks had their logic. In the 1960s, modern society developed its system theory and other indispensable data analysis tools.

Today, in the 21st century, we have a breakthrough new way to do dialectical, meta-systemic thinking and analysis found in a new book designed for beginners using Dialectical Thought Forms (DTF) to amplify your cognitive skills. (The book will explain what DTFs are.)

I can think of nothing that humanity's future needs more at this critical juncture than more people able to use this meta-systemic dialectical thought and analysis tool.

I strongly recommend you read the foreword I wrote for the book further down the page and also watch the video linked further down the page. Those two items will give you a strong sense of how you can improve your life, analysis skills, and the world using this new tool.

This book will be a challenge, but the rewards for the effort invested will be astonishing. 

About Advanced Systems-Level Problem Solving, Volumes 1-3

This three-volume set introduces the practice of advanced, ‘dialectical’ systems-level problem-solving in both the social and natural sciences. In social science, it opens new vistas regarding organization, strategy, and work design. In the natural sciences, it provides heretofore missing conceptions of physical systems in peril due to the climate and other crises.

In addition, the author draws conclusions that are important for advancing generative AI.

This book h presents novel conceptual tools that directly impact the internal structure of a systems analyst’s mental processing in real time. While the first volume lays the theoretical groundwork for dialectical systems analysis, the second, focusing on the nature of work, lays bare the structure of complex thinking regarding the ‘thought forms’ it requires. In order to facilitate a better understanding of the principles taught in the first two volumes, the third volume provides a Manual of Dialectical Thought Forms, which is the only one in existence today.

About the Author

Otto Laske is a multidisciplinary consultant, scholar, teacher, and coach known for his cutting-edge work in the methodology of the social sciences as well as his rekindling of an ancient form of complex systems analysis called ‘dialectics’.

He is the author of many books and articles on how to boost and measure thought maturity and ‘vertical’ adult development, detailing their impact on work delivery and teamwork in organizations. Dr Laske is a specialist in the assessment of thought and work complexity. He is the Founder and Director of the Interdevelopmental Institute (IDM), Gloucester, MA, USA (www.interdevelopmentals.org.)

Below is the Foreword to the above new book written by a member of the Universe Institute and the Job One for Humanity climate change think tanks. 

Foreword by Lawrence Wollersheim

If you want to get to know someone and what has profoundly influenced them, I have found that asking them about the five best books they have ever read achieves that goal. Otto Laske's three new books (particularly Advanced Systems-Level Problem Solving, Volume 3: The Manual of Dialectical Thought Forms) are among the five best books I have ever read. These books have profoundly influenced my life and research work.

I am a researcher at an independent climate change think tank. I first heard about Laske's books from an evolutionary theorist from Australia. I trusted his judgment because he was doing original and breakthrough work far ahead of his more established peers. 

Even though I have had training in logic and systems theory, it was not until I read Laske's unique work on advanced dialectical thinking that the quality of my research analysis took a huge step forward. When applied to studying human capacity and cognitive development, Laske's Dialectical Thought Form Framework (DTF) has been widely discussed, so I will not add more in those areas.

DTFs comprise four modes ('moments') of advanced dialectical thinking, each associated with seven thought forms, which creates 28 unique ways of seeing a situation, idea, or problem). While I cannot possibly illuminate the complexity of DTF in a foreword, I can give you a good idea of what it does. 

I use DTF in my climate analysis work. I use it to produce reasonably accurate predictions for the consequence timeframes to allow better management of our climate change future.

Before I outline my multi-step process for using Laske's advanced DTF breakthroughs, it will be useful to share a metaphor to prepare you for what you are about to read. Imagine an individual with a good grasp of logic. This cognitive skill level would be comparable to seeing the world at a computer screen resolution of 420 dots per inch (DPI). If that same individual became proficient in systems theory, they would then begin to see their world at a computer screen resolution of about 1040 DPI. This higher resolution would increase their vision of relevant details by more than double. 

Now imagine an individual proficient in logic and systems theory also becoming proficient in DTF. They would see relevant details at the computer screen resolution of 4,120 DPI. This individual would have an exponential advantage and most people would agree that the more relevant detail one can see positions them to understand that situation significantly better than someone who cannot see that higher level of relevant detail.

There is far more to the Laske DTF thinking and analysis breakthrough. My climate research and analysis process should help you see its potential and the many benefits for your life and work. 

To use Laske's DTF breakthrough, the first thing I do is to get fully present. Next, I bury myself in the current climate research, about 20,000 pages, and make hundreds of notes. Even with DTF tools, there is no shortcut to the hard work of immersing yourself and learning the raw data. 

As I do that reading, my logical thinking left brain starts linking different areas of the climate information and generating some core analysis concepts. Because of my systems thinking background, I do not see the climate systems and subsystems as independent silos of data as most single specialty climate researchers do for areas such as oceans, atmosphere, soils, water vapor, sea ice, permafrost, etc. I see the climate systems and subsystems synergistically and cumulatively as interdependent, interconnected, and continually interacting. 

The previous analysis draws a new set of preliminary conclusions, predictions, and further questions. I am now at the DTF jumping-off point where the "magic" begins. 

I take my most developed level of conclusions, predictions, and questions and subject them to the 28 mind-opening questions of DTF. These questions cover 28 powerful and highly nuanced dialectical ways of seeing the information. 

Each mind-opening question and each new dialectical way of seeing opens up more new questions and illuminates connections, omissions, and patterns I would never have noticed had I not subjected my conclusions, predictions, and questions to the rigors and reality testing of DTF's 28 mind-opening questions. 

I experience a tremendous surge of new climate cognitions in this step of the process. I spot and eliminate false perceptions and conclusions quickly. I discover previously undisclosed or "invisible" absences and even misleading or incorrect facts emerge from the climate data and analysis. 

As great as the 28 mind-opener questioning process is, what happens next is an unparalleled new level of cognition that was previously unattainable using logic and systems thinking alone. The deeper potentials of the DTF process are about to reveal themselves.

At this point, I withdraw entirely from my intense immersion in the climate materials and the 28 mind-opening questions. I work on other projects. Then, suddenly and unpredictably, I begin experiencing new climate data epiphanies, even chains of epiphanies. These right-brain climate epiphanies come randomly and often in quick succession as almost fully completed solutions or original ideas or questions. These wonderful DTF-inspired epiphanies can occur anywhere or anytime while riding my mountain bike, showering, and even sleeping. And yes, they do wake me up. 

As these epiphanies occur, I scramble to note everything in these intense flashes of spontaneous insight. These insights regularly appear as new ideas and questions that would never have been explored had I not also engaged the critical right-brain elements of Laske's advanced dialectical thinking process.

Laske's advanced DTF process opens up and expands access to the right brain's massive, underutilized bandwidth, which is ordinarily or minimally inaccessible within the focused fixed stare of left brain logic and systems theory modes of thinking. Before DTF, I had never experienced such an abundance of profound insights, epiphanies, and original ideas and questions. Laske's DTF work is truly indispensable for capturing the detailed evolution of moments of reality in transition. DTF captures rich contexts, complex relationships, and the process of moments in continual transformation. 

Without Laske’s advanced DTF tool, our climate change think tank could not have successfully influenced the climate change understanding of thousands of individuals, numerous environmental groups, and insurance companies worldwide that require accurate climate data and predictions to manage risk and loss. 

Laske's advanced DTF has allowed our think tank to better see the many climate systems more as dynamically open systems in the making. It has also allowed us to discover what was absent from the past analysis of climate systems or interfered with the emergence of stable climate systems.

DTF generates deep left and right brain integration, balancing, and original thinking, which is, unfortunately, rare today. Laske's DTF work unlocks the unseen, what is and what is not, and even more importantly, what could be and what should be in ways one can hardly conceive until one has personally experienced DTF for themselves. 

Laske’s DTF is indispensable for anyone doing think tank research, general research, long-term corporate planning, corporate management, or critical analysis at intelligence agencies. It is equally indispensable for politicians who must make decisions in an increasingly complex world and for those who advise them. 

If Crick and Watson had understood DTF, they would have discovered DNA far sooner. If corporations like Google, Apple, and Microsoft had DTF-trained high-level staff, their global development would be considerably more advanced. Because of the DTF breakthrough, there is now a future where AI programmers and regulators who understand it can keep AI safe and exponentially increase its effectiveness and where senior medical staff can use DTF to crack scores of previously unsolvable medical cases.

Being proficient in DTF is not just for individuals. It is essential to humanity's collective well-being, leadership, and humanity to have a livable future. It is not unreasonable to imagine that someday, anyone unskilled in DTF would not be allowed to hold positions of power where their bad decisions could cause widespread harm.

Using DTF will empower you to stand out from your peers with exponentially enhanced problem-solving capabilities, and, as a bonus, you get to enjoy chains of epiphanies punctuated by original thinking that will quickly get noticed. It is well worth the Investment of time and effort to deep-read Laske's new books.

But, becoming proficient in DTF will be real work. Look up every unknown word and foreign language idiom Laske uses. Laske's concept-dense paragraphs are pregnant with essential nuances that can be unveiled only through careful and attentive thought and right-brained processing.

Laske's DTF brings much new hope for the future. DTF not only provides the structure for establishing meta-theories (as I do in my climate work, it also solves complex problems (as our climate think tank does in offering workable climate solutions.) Because of DTF's advanced cognitive expanding power, it is not hard to envision more DTF users becoming motivated, highly effective agents working to resolve the global issues that beset humanity at this challenging point in history. 

There could be a future ahead of us where humanity's DTF-enhanced grasp of the complexities of moment-to-moment reality will eventually facilitate the collective creation of a more equitable, safe, and just world for ALL.

Laske's DTF work facilitates and completes the critical last step in human cognitive development. It takes us from common sense, understanding, and reason to exponentially expanding practical wisdom. The long-term legacy of Laske's work may be that it identifies practical and effective ways of overcoming the current limitations in human cognition through understanding and using DTF. Someday, in the not-too-distant future, universities that teach post-grad students the DTF tools will be widespread.

In exploring DTF, I also learned much about human capacity and maturity levels, as well as a far more powerful tool for advanced dialectical analysis. If not for Laske's DTF work, I also would have never been exposed to Roy Bhaskar's dialectical Critical Realism. This exposure has dramatically expanded my understanding of the ultimate limits of certainty surrounding scientific methodology and its results. 

I am profoundly grateful for the work Laske has given the world through his development of the  Dialectical Thought Form Framework. I sincerely hope that you also will soon experience chains of epiphanies on the issues most important to you.

Lawrence Wollersheim

Climate Researcher at Job One for Humanity and 

The Universe Institute Think Tanks

Click here and go about a third of the way down the page for a more complete book list and also training resources for the breakthrough Dialectical Metasystemic Thinking.