World development is divided by two distinct realms of knowledge that may be identified as (i) Modern abstract, rational belief system and (ii) empirically-grounded science. This division is evident large-scale in climate change debates and small-scale in everyday strategies and decisions. A transition from type (i) to type (ii) knowledge is discernible in many fields from development studies, corporate strategy, institutional performance appraisal and population studies to a fundamental questioning of personal identities, roles and fulfilment. An acceleration of this transition is arguably essential to achieving sustainability and its many intermediary steps such as the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Yet type (ii) knowledge lacks a unifying concept. The Primal Episteme seeks to provide that unifying concept with supporting practical applications.