''The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World'' is a nonfiction

social sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of so ...

and

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

book by sociologist Paul H. Ray and psychologist Sherry Ruth Anderson (born 1942), The authors introduced the term "Cultural Creatives" to describe a large segment in Western society who since about 1985 have developed beyond the standard paradigm of modernists or progressives versus

tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

alists or

conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

. Ray and Anderson claim to have found 50 million adult Americans (slightly over one quarter of the adult population) can now be identified as belonging to this group. They estimated an additional 80–90 million "Cultural Creatives" exist in Europe as of 2000.

Two types

Ray and Anderson divide "Cultural Creatives" into two subdivisions:

Core "Cultural Creatives"

Just under half of the CC population comprises the more educated, leading-edge thinkers. This includes many writers, artists, musicians, psychotherapists, alternative health care providers and other professionals. They combine a serious focus on their spirituality with a strong passion for

social activism Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

Green "Cultural Creatives"

The more secular and extroverted wing of the "Cultural Creatives". They tend to follow the opinions of the core group and have more conventional religious outlooks. Their

world view A worldview or world-view or ''Weltanschauung'' is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the whole of the individual's or society's knowledge, culture, and point of view. A worldview can include natural ...

s less thought-out than the core group and less intensely held.

Characteristics

Ray and Sherry Anderson created a questionnaire to identify "Cultural Creatives" in Western society. The characteristics below were identified as qualities of a "Cultural Creative". Agreement with 10 or more indicates status as a "Cultural Creative". * love of

nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...

and deep caring about its preservation, and its natural balance. * strong awareness of the planet-wide issues like

climate change and poverty Climate change and poverty are deeply intertwined because climate change disproportionally affects poor people in low-income communities and developing countries around the world. Those in poverty have a higher chance of experiencing the ill-effec ...

and a desire to see more action on them * being active themselves * willingness to pay higher

tax A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...

es or spend more money for goods if that money went to improving the environment * emphasize the importance of developing and maintaining relationships * emphasize the importance of helping others and developing their unique gifts *

volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

with one or more good causes * intense interest in spiritual and psychological development (personal growth) * see spirituality as an important aspect of life, but worry about religious

fundamentalism Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguish ...

* desire

equality Equality may refer to: Society * Political equality, in which all members of a society are of equal standing ** Consociationalism, in which an ethnically, religiously, or linguistically divided state functions by cooperation of each group's elit ...

for women and men in business, life and politics * concern and support of the well-being of all women and children * support spending more money on

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

, community development programs, and the support of a more ecologically sustainable future * unhappy with the left and

right Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical ...

in politics *

optimism Optimism is an attitude reflecting a belief or hope that the outcome of some specific endeavor, or outcomes in general, will be positive, favorable, and desirable. A common idiom used to illustrate optimism versus pessimism is a glass filled w ...

towards the future * involved in creating a new and better way of

life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

* concerned with

big business Big business involves large-scale corporate-controlled financial or business activities. As a term, it describes activities that run from "huge transactions" to the more general "doing big things". In corporate jargon, the concept is commonly ...

and the means they use to generate profits, including destroying the environment and exploiting poorer countries * unlikely to overspend or be heavily in

debt Debt is an obligation that requires one party, the debtor, to pay money or other agreed-upon value to another party, the creditor. Debt is a deferred payment, or series of payments, which differentiates it from an immediate purchase. The ...

* dislike the emphasis of modern cultures on "making it" and "success", on consuming and making

money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...

* like people, places and things that are different or exotic

Values

Ray and Anderson assert "values are the best single predictor of real behavior". The list below outlines the values dictating a "Cultural Creative"'s behavior: * Authenticity, actions consistent with words and beliefs * Engaged action and whole systems learning; seeing the world as interwoven and connected * Idealism and activism * Globalism and ecology * The growing cultural significance of women Core "Cultural Creatives" also value altruism, self-actualization, and spirituality.

In business

The concept of "innerpreneurs" to denote persons who create a business that focuses mainly on their own inner goals and development was first introduced by Rebecca Maddox in her 1996 book ''Inc. Your Dreams'' The "innerpreneurs" concept is also central to Ron Rentel's 2008 book ''Karma Queens, Geek Gods and Innerpreneurs'', in which he identified the "Cultural Creative" subculture in entrepreneurship. Rentel named entrepreneurial "Cultural Creatives", "innerpreneurs". "Innerpreneurs" have the defining characteristics of an entrepreneur: * high need for achievement * high need for independence * low need for conformity * internal focus of control * love of ambiguity * propensity for risk-taking * obsession with opportunity But while entrepreneurs use their business for monetary gain, "innerpreneurs" use their business to find personal fulfillment (creatively, spiritually, emotionally) and create social change. In 2008, there was much discussion in the Western media on the 'creative economy' and the importance of the '

creative class The creative class is the posit of American urban studies theorist Richard Florida for an ostensible socioeconomic class. Florida, a professor and head of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management at the University of To ...

Richard Florida Richard L. Florida is an American urban studies theorist focusing on social and economic theory. He is a professor at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and a Distinguished Fellow at NYU's School of Professional Studies. ...

published a series of books on this identified 'creative class' and their upcoming economic importance.

Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Microsoft, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions ...

spoke at the World Economic Forum 2008 on the need for 'creative capitalism' as a solution to the world's problems. They theorize that being creative and inventive will be the key to business success in the 21st century and that a country's economic success will be determined by its capitalists' ability to mobilize, attract and retain human creative talent. See Douglas Rushkoff for an update on how this evolved.

Use of the term ''integral''

Ray gives the term "Integral Culture" to the growing subculture. He also refers to this as

transmodernism Transmodernism is a philosophical and cultural movement founded by Argentinian-Mexican philosopher Enrique Dussel.Cole, MikePsychology Press, 2008, p. 68 He refers to himself as a transmodernist and wrote a series of essays criticising the postmo ...

, which he refers to as the "Cultural Creatives". They are concerned with

ecological sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livin ...

and in the case of a core group have a commitment to personal and spiritual development. These are individuals who can meld the best of

alism and

modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

to create a new synthesis, having a cognitive style based on synthesizing varied information from many sources into a big picture. This term can also apply to

integral theory Integral theory is a synthetic metatheory developed by Ken Wilber. It attempts to place a wide diversity of theories and models into one single framework. The basis is a "spectrum of consciousness," from archaic consciousness to Absolute (philo ...

, a conceptual framework expounded by

Ken Wilber Kenneth Earl Wilber II (born January 31, 1949) is an American philosopher and writer on transpersonal psychology and his own integral theory, a philosophy which suggests the synthesis of all human knowledge and experience. Life and career Wilbe ...

Notes

References

*Hamilton, Clive (November 2003). ''Downshifting in Britain: A sea-change in the pursuit of happiness''. "The Australia Institute Discussion Paper No. 58". pp. 14–16
ISSN 1322-5421