Meta Studies, Meta Crisis, and the Future of Big-Picture Thinking — A Conversation with Mark Edwards

What is meta — and why might it matter more than ever?

In this wide-ranging conversation, I speak with Dr. Mark Edwards, meta-theorist and former Associate Professor at Jönköping International Business School, about the science of meta studies, the misunderstandings surrounding metatheory, and the role of big-picture thinking in a world facing systemic crisis.

We explore:

• What meta studies actually are — beyond the buzzword

• The difference between metatheory, meta-methodology, metadata, and meta-meaning

• Why large-scale ideas are performative — and how they shape the world we inhabit

• The historical roots of meta thinking, from the Abbasid translation movement to modern systems science

• Whether we need more metatheories — or better use of the ones we already have

• The concept of the “meta crisis” and why fragmented thinking cannot solve interconnected global problems

Mark argues that science becomes more important — not less — in an age where it is difficult to know what to believe. We discuss planetary boundaries, economic metatheories of growth, trauma and consumption in the 20th century, and why linking social, economic, environmental, and governance systems is no longer optional.

This episode is for listeners interested in metatheory, systems thinking, integral and critical realism debates, and the future of scholarly inquiry in a destabilizing world.