The Four Quadrants are another pillar of Integral Theory and the AQAL model, the brainchildren of Ken Wilber.
They are another tool that help us take into account as many perspectives of reality as possible, just like the stages, lines, states and types. Check out my Ken Wilber series for those.
In short, each quadrant represents a fundamental, irreducible dimension of life. What’s more, the quadrants aren’t disjointed and unilateral – all four always act together in concert. So any truly comprehensive approach needs to take into account factors from all four quadrants, as a minimum.
Their inclusive power is revealed when we apply them to areas of human life and disciplines, as we’ll do later in the article and in other areas in the series.
Table of Contents
We have A LOT to cover, so let’s get down to matters, starting with a broad exploration of the Four Quadrants.
If you’ve never studied this concept, it may seem theoretical, dry or downright useless. If that’s the case, stick with me. I hope to convince you that the quadrants are absolutely fundamental – we swim in the quadrants.
Whenever I speak about you, for example, I’m always speaking about one or more of your own four quadrants.
Now, the most basic component of the theory is the Four Quadrants themselves. Each represents a fundamental, irreducible dimension of life.
They’re called Individual Interior, Individual Exterior, Collective Interior, and Collective Exterior. A little warning – these labels do reflect what the quadrants contain, but they are just labels, and I’ve often found them confusing instead of helpful.
It also implies that Individual and Collective aspects are fundamental, as are Interior and Exterior. Each is fundamental and cannot be replaced or colonised by the others.
Don’t worry about what they each mean for now – we’ll get to that. Just know that each quadrant contains unique information, methodologies and perspectives that are inaccessible via the other quadrants. Together they include everything that exists, and that is their power.
And as we’ll see, they all impact one another and correlate.
If you’re a philosophy buff, it’ll inspire you to know that the Four Quadrants are based on Plato’s Goodness, Truth and Beauty: his three measures of validity.