Rating: 
Summary: The problem with the premise
Review: I have a problem with the very premise of this book - that there is objective truth. Now it is comforting to think that there is objective truth but let's look a little deeper.Let's take the question, "Is artificial sweetner good for you". First, what is the objective measure of "good". Sure we all understand that artificial sweetner may not be "good" for our health, but maybe it's benefits outweigh an alternative. Maybe I dring 6 sugared sodas a day and get diabetes - surely that isn't good for me. So does the question mean "in comparison to the alternative" or does it mean, "good for me in general" You see the measure of "good" could be made in more than one way precluding an absolute objective truth. Is murder bad? Most people would say yes without equivocation. But, what if you could go back in time and murder Hitler in 1921 - would that be bad? Hmmmmmm - it get's more complicated. Let's move beyond value judgments into scientifically measurable phenomena in very discrete units. Are electrons particles or waves? They can be either depending on how you look at them. Therefore the very building blocks of our universe are 100% dependent upon subjective reality. The universe runs on subjectivity and probability. So if I aska question like, "do bears poop in the woods?" The real answer is, "probably, and it is more likely that they do if you actually go see them poop in the woods."
Rating: 
Summary: Bin Time
Review: All messages in this book are based upon a non-science called Applied Kinesiology. No thinking person with any level of consciousness would/ could buy into this masterpiece of pure fiction. Though kinesiology is a science Applied Kinesiology is about as scientific as asking a house fly for answers yet the author, a purported scientist, has spent years in the apparently doing just that. A great book for Ron L. Hubbard fans as Hawkins has apparently bought into and rehashed Hubbard?s tone scale for part of this masterpiece. An egotistical trip to Hawkins fantasy island.
Rating: 
Summary: I endorse this book.
Review: I'll start by responding to other reviewers who've stated that they have a hard time getting the test to work. First, remember that both the testor and the subject need to calibrate over 200 in order for the test to work. They should be in a quiet place without much background noise and out of the view of others. The testee must not feel like what they are doing is "wierd." Second, remember that the motivation behind the question must calibrate over 200 as well. The test does not work 100% of the time for 100% of people. That said, I am most grateful for Hawkins' books. A scale of conciousness to me just makes so much sense. Why is the world the way it is? I've got a four year degree in theology and half a masters in psych, but still no clue. Hawkins' is the first system I've come accross that seems to offer a plausable explanation as to the nature of reality. What sells me on hawkins is not necessarily the Kinesiological method, but rather comparing the conclusions he derives with the writings of other great historical mystics. The idea that human beings coexist within a unified field of conciousness is not new. Rather, what is new is Hawkins' unique map of this field of conciousness. Reading Buddhist texts it always seemed confusing to me that those folks would become enlightened when they heard a tree branch break, when they looked at a lotus blossom, or when their master dunked them in a river. The map of conciousness laid out in power vs. force allowed me to put these awakenings into context. In doing so I became better able to view myself as a spiritual being in the midst of a long spiritual journey. Previous to reading the book, there was always the question for me "Do i want to want to do this for 50 years and maybe fail? What if I try really hard and don't make the cut? What if I work that hard and never attain enlightenment? What will the point have been?" Hawkins scale helped me understand that humanity benifits an increase in concoiusness in any human being of any amount. Thus, if I work toward enlightenment, but end up settling for salvation, I'll still have done some good in the process. :-). At least I can be pretty sure it's not a waste of time. I would encourage anyone waffling on buying the book to give it chance. The time will not be wasted.
Rating: 
Summary: Could've been great!
Review: This book COULD have been great. For a moment at least, let's take the major premise of kinesiology testing at the author's word. If true, this would be a MAJOR breakthrough in man's ability to discern truth from fiction in the world. The author himself mentioned that he's undertaken millions of kinesiological tests over the past number of years. So, you would expect to find out all kinds of interesting "eye-opening" facts in the book, wouldn't you? Don't hold your breath. The author divulges a sum total of 30-40 test results throughout the entire book (mostly how historical persons such as Jesus and Hitler calibrated). If he's so confident in his system, why not publish a book of the 1000's of interesting facts that could be ascertained using this method (e.g. "Did O.J. do it?"). It would be the most interesting book ever written (again assuming the testing system is what the author claims it is). Instead, the author goes through chapter after chapter of telling you how the method COULD be used by the reader (e.g. to choose politicians, make company decisions, etc.). One other MAJOR note...the mathematical assumptions in this book are absolutely atrocious, and frankly embarrassing for someone of Dr. Hawkins' reported credentials! For instance, the author claims that simply by reading this book, the average reader increased their calibration by 35 points. If you know the math behind the logarithmic scale the author uses, this means that the average reader increased his consciousness calibration by 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 times!!! You mean to tell me that by reading one 300-page book, I've increased my consciousness trillions and trillions of times over? C'mon Dr. Hawkins! Another example is how Dr. Hawkins laments how the average human "only" gains 5 calibration points over a lifetime. Only? 5 points is 10 to the 5th power, or 100,000. Wow I only wish I could increase my consciousness by a magnitude of 100,000X in my lifetime! A mere surface review of the book from a mathematical angle shows these HUGE flaws in the "scale"...which makes me highly skeptical of how accurate the author's entire methodology is! With that said, I have conducted some very preliminary tests of the kinesiology method, with a good deal of success (O.J. did do it by the way, according to my testing, and Bach tested positive versus a negative for Slayer). I'll also give the author commendation on his general writings about what it takes for us all to improve ourselves. But I remain HIGHLY skeptical about the entire premise of the author's mathematics and the "scale" derived from that faulty math, and therefore give the book 3 stars out of 5.
Rating:
Summary: I'm not convinced
Review: "Power vs. Force" comes with book jacket recommendations from high places: no less illuminaries than Wayne Dyer, Lee Iacocca, and even Mother Teresa endorse Hawkins' book. Thus I approached it with a good deal of open-minded interest. However, I was not able to finish the book, and certain of its claims disturbed me. Hawkins' main thesis is that you can use kinesiological testing to test the objective truth of a statement. In the form of testing he uses, the subject stretches out his arm. The querent makes a statement such as "artificial sweeteners are good for you." If the subject can maintain his arm outstretched under a firm push from the querent, the statement is accepted as true. If the subject's arm can be pushed down, the statement is false. Hawkins maintains that he used this testing on the statements and ideas presented in the book, and concluded that "the level of truth of this edition of the work has been calibrated at 810, which is unusually high for this time in our culture." Perhaps using his own method was the only way to test the objective truth of the book, however, it is unscientific to test a method of inquiry using the method itself. It's a circular dynamic, much like having the Los Angeles Police Department make an inquiry into how well the LAPD is doing its job. Another reservation I had about the book concerned the belief that the Truth is out there floating around, just waiting to be nailed down by some perfect method of apprehension. Whether or not this is true is a philosophical question that ultimately has no answer. However, I have noticed that in regards to many questions one may find as many truths out there as there are people viewing whatever for them is the truth. For instance, in the case of the artificial sweetener test, such sweeteners may indeed be bad for some people, and have no harmful effects on others. People can live to ripe old ages on a steady diet of saccharine, caffeine, cigarettes, and hostess twinkies. Even if some cosmic force declares those items "bad," are they really bad for the people who live, and even seem to thrive in some cases, on a steady diet of those items? My third and final reservation had to do with the fact that I tried this method of testing on several people, using the artificial sweetener example. It didn't work. When I stated that sweeteners are good for you, all of my test subjects held their arms up. Then I tested them using other, more personal, statements, trying to get their arm strength to weaken. It never did. I am willing to concede that just maybe I carried out the test inappropriately, but at this point I'm bored with the whole exercise. I don't really want to live in a world where Ultimate Truth can be acquired, catalogued, and used in battles for hearts, minds, and bodies.
Rating:
Summary: The start of a journey
Review: I've done muscle testing for 20+ years, and it's nice to have a well-written, well-documented resource that I can refer people to. Dr. Hawkins has a ton of credibility and background, so even the skeptics can be swayed. I recommend this book to anyone wishing to learn more about themselves, their consciousness, and one technique that can be very useful in practical applications.
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Summary: Answers for those seeking spiritual enlightenme
Review: This book is a key to human consciousness. There is one technique explained in the book, but for anyone who takes just a few moments to look into applied kinesiology, they can find there's other techniques, even some that can be done solo.
The bottom line is this: we are all living in a energy field that unites everything in the seen and unseen universe. Because of this, using the simple techniques of applied kinesiology allows one to test with simple yes/no questions and the body's own ability to innately know the correct answer (since it is part of this energy field). What can be tested is limitless. The author has several suggestions. This has been tested for decades, it is not a fluke, because it can even be tested as a 'blind' test and the answers will be the same.
But this book is just really the key to understanding the author's next two books about the human consciousness and spiritual enlightenment. He spells it out in such simple terms, everyone can understand it. No one has to take the author at his word, they can do the test themselves. For those on the spiritual quest, this book is truly a God-send. Take it home and read it over and over - and of course you'll have to read his other two books, especially the second one.
Rating: 
Summary: a very meaningful book
Review: Dr. Hawkins has written a very important book. Although I would like to see more research done on the muscle testing method he describes, there is the essence of truth here. I took from this book the importance of trying to attain the higher energy patterns of consciousness such as love, compassion, and forgiveness. What is especially telling is that these higher energy patterns resonate with the ultimate truth and essence of the universe, of the divine. I was somewhat confused by the author's descriptions of his own mystical experiences and I thought he could have done a better job of explaining chaos theory to his work. But I admit that this may be due to the fact that I have not had mystical experiences and was not very well read about chaos theory before I read this (my interest was sparked, however, and I am now learning more). Nonetheless, there is much to be learned from this I book. I highly recommend it
Rating:
Summary: Riveting
Review: I read about one book per week and most are in the realm of psychology and consciousness. In the last 10 years, I have not read a book as good as this one is!! A wonderful blend of philosophy and science. It rings true for me, and it was the first book in years that I thought about constantly when I didn't have it in my hand. A MUST READ!!
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: Dr. Hawkins' ideas are the most significant I have found since discovering Ken Wilber in the 80's. Basically, he says that you can discover the truth of any proposition with kinesiological(muscle) testing. While I admit to some skepticism about the value of such tests, i.e., the subject could be influenced by knowing in advance what the tester is looking for, I found in my own case that a number of such tests worked 100% , despite my best efforts to confuse the tester. But my point is that he has a wonderful map of consciousness, and I believe that his model could be life changing, and at the very least will change your perception of "reality". I found his writing to be beautiful, and in his second book, _The Eye of the I_, he does a better job of explaining the ineffable (beyond language), than anything I have read. I urge everyone to read these books, reflect on the wisdom they contain, and apply same to their own lives. Simply superb.
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