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Rating: 
Summary: A good Introduction
Review: A great introduction to Ken Wilber. An overview of his main ideas as well as some material from his new book "One Taste". Easily Recommended
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, short, and easy to access
Review: A great introduction to Ken Wilber. An overview of his main ideas as well as some material from his new book "One Taste". Easily Recommended
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Summary: All about Ken's Religion
Review: It is important to realize that Ken Wilber is not preaching any known religion here other than his own. In particular, he either doesn't understand or doesn't accept the Buddhist doctrine of "anatta" (no-self). His refusal to accept a pretty clear teaching of the Buddha is perhaps the best demonstration that Ken is a total egomaniac.FAR from accepting the doctrine which he calls "egolessness" as meaning just what it says, Ken multiplies selves! We have the self, the soul, and the Spirit! Wow, three-in-one makes another grab for the religious hearts. Pretentious, self-serving nonsense.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, short, and easy to access
Review: Ken Wilber has made many inspiring observations about spirituality, philosophy, psychology, politics, history, you name it. His work is very unique in that he attempts to integrate the various theories and research findings in such a wide variety of fields of inquiry as has never been done before. This book is a very good introduction to the basics of this all-encompassing theory. Even though Wilber has lots to say about everything, this book boils it down to the few crucial points necessary to understand the basic framework of his theory. Another writer who integrates some of these ideas excellently at a smaller scale (focusing mostly on psychology and spirituality) is Toru Sato. His book "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" is an amazing one in this regard! I would recommend that book in addition to this one if you are a novice interested in theories that integrate many fields of inquiry.
Rating:
Summary: Brain Food and Heart Energy
Review: Ken Wilber's writings are a new discovery for me and his passionate intellect has my neurons sparking and fizzing like electric Alka-Seltzer.
As a grad student in the Humanities at FSU I'm a doing a Directed Independent Study this summer on the works of Wilber, and I am so impressed with this passionate thinker that I'm shouting my endorsement from this electronic mountaintop. It is now apparent to me that no modern scholar can be up-to-date in the world of anthropology, history, sociology, psychology, religion, economics, politics, humanities, science and mysticism without becoming at least familiar with the comprehensive synthesis of ALL these fields managed with profound insight by this American genius. Although there are many in academia who have not yet heard of Ken Wilber, I predict with great confidence that the man's work is going to be studied for centuries to come. We have the opportunity to explore his ideas as his contemporaries. Already, the universities of Pennsylvania, Indiana and several others offer courses in his work, called "integral psychology." Many more universities will follow.
I am not idolizing Wilber, so don't misunderstand my enthusiasm. Nonetheless, I would say that his partial take on the truth is a vaster, richer parcel than I have seen in many years of being interested in comparative philosophy, mythology and religion.
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Summary: Wilber's vision is unique and important
Review: There are some people that suggest that Wilber has been too repetitive in his last few books. That he's simply been repeating the same basic refrain over and over again. I can understand that criticism, but I disagree with it. Wilber's theory of integration is both complex and important, and I find it incredibly useful to have new books in which he expands the examples of his theory. My own feeling is that the integral theory is a very important theory to understand, so the more in depth Wilber goes, and the various diffirent paths of exploration he goes at his thory from, the happier I am, as I feel like I have a greater grasp of what he's speaking about. As an aside, there is a wondeful novel called We All Fall Down by Brian Caldwell which seems to take quite a bit of Wilber's theory, and even mentions him several times in the book. The novel is a great example of a man caught trying to transform his life into something better, but who is able only to translate. It's about the frustration and difficulties in trying to move up to the next level of consciousness. Techinically, it's set in a Christian framework, but it elevates past that small structure and uses it to really bring home quite a few of Wilber's theories. It's a wonderful novel and I'd highly recomend it to any fan of Wilber.
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Summary: A Taste of Wilber's Work
Review: This book is misleadingly titled, in that it does not, in my opinion, contain the essential core of Ken Wilber's thought. It's not even a greatest hits collection. What this book is most useful for is to dip one's toe into Wilber's vast and brilliant work in order to see if it's worth one's time to more thoroughly investigate his work. If you want to take the word of many of the most profound thinkers of this time that Ken Wilber is doing some of the most comprehensive and important thinking and writing of anyone alive today, then skip this book and proceed directly to "A Brief History of Everything." That book is more like the essential Ken Wilber in that it is a succinct and accessible, but fairly comprehensive summary of his system of integral theory. "A Theory of Everything," a more recent book, is KW's own choice for the "best" introduction to his work. Both those books, although not as technical and dense as much of his lengthier work (and aimed at a more popular readership), are still reasonably demanding and linear in exposition. "The Essential Ken Wilber" is a collection of excerpts from his other books. It is organized in bite-sized parcels that can be read and thought about, picking the book up and putting it back down, without your feeling like you have to plow through the whole thing or you'll lose the thread. It will give you a tantalizing taste of his thinking and his writing style without having to work too hard to get it. If you have read any of KW's other work, you don't need this one. Instead, buy and read any of his other books you haven't gotten to yet. If you have not yet read Ken Wilber, what's all the fuss about? This book will give you some clues. Suffice it to say here (see my reviews of ABHE and ATOE for a more detailed overview) is that if you are interested in philosophy, mysticism, or a scientific, social or political approach to understanding human nature and the deep truths of existence, and wonder how any or all of these (and many other) approaches to those subjects might fit together, KW is the person who is contributing the most of anyone today to anwering that question. Although the title of this book may not accurately describe its contents, it does accurately describe its author.
Rating:
Summary: thought provoking
Review: this was the first book i read by ken wilber. i have seen some comments by readers of other titles saying that they found him egotistical, but i thoroughly enjoyed & savored this book...no one owns the truth and when you see/hear it, you know it, regardless of who presents it, and i don't think that really matters. anyways, it was just right for starters...not too technical but definitely not trivial...enlightening & thought provoking.
Rating:
Summary: thought provoking
Review: this was the first book i read by ken wilber. i have seen some comments by readers of other titles saying that they found him egotistical, but i thoroughly enjoyed & savored this book...no one owns the truth and when you see/hear it, you know it, regardless of who presents it, and i don't think that really matters. anyways, it was just right for starters...not too technical but definitely not trivial...enlightening & thought provoking.
Rating: 
Summary: The height of pretentiousness
Review: Wilber makes me tired. His conceit drips from every word. Jesus! Reading his journel feels more like an ad for his ego (which clearly has no boundry). I've written a journal for years and I haven't the foresight to keep a book of famous quotes at my side for the spontaneous urge to plagarize or name drop. I think he ghostwrites for Donald Trump.
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