The Spectrum of Consciousness (Quest Books)

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Summary: Every Story has a Beginning....
Review: ... and for Wilber, this is it. The Spectrum of Consciousness was Wilber's first attempt at outlining an integral model of the human psychological experience, combining Freudian ego-psychology, existentialism, and spiritual transcendence in one neat, elegant package. Although the original conception shown here has not survived the test of time (or Wilber's ever critical mind), it still stands as a masterful beginning to a corpus of work that will make Wilber as famous and influential as Nietzsche and Freud a century from now. For an intellectual treat, read this book in conjunction with Wilber's "No Boundary", and then compare with "Sex, Ecology, Spirituality" and "Integral Psychology" for a fascinating look at the continuing evolution of integral thought. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Every Story has a Beginning....
Review: ... and for Wilber, this is it. The Spectrum of Consciousness was Wilber's first attempt at outlining an integral model of the human psychological experience, combining Freudian ego-psychology, existentialism, and spiritual transcendence in one neat, elegant package. Although the original conception shown here has not survived the test of time (or Wilber's ever critical mind), it still stands as a masterful beginning to a corpus of work that will make Wilber as famous and influential as Nietzsche and Freud a century from now. For an intellectual treat, read this book in conjunction with Wilber's "No Boundary", and then compare with "Sex, Ecology, Spirituality" and "Integral Psychology" for a fascinating look at the continuing evolution of integral thought. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Oh PLEASE...
Review: I was quite fortunate to discover this encyclopedic treatise by Ken Wilber. Wilber, the father of transcendental psychology, with brilliant clarity, depth, and synthesis explores the nature of consciousness through the seeing of the worlds greatest sages. This tour de force of the mapping of transcendental awareness is both brilliantly conceived and delivered by one of the foremost thinkers of our time. Anyone on the path of enlightenment can not afford to miss studying and assimilating the nondual seeing of Ken Wilber.

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Summary: Written by Wilber in his early 20's!
Review: Ken is considered one of the greats when it comes to the philosophical study on consciousness. This book is an objective comparative study of world religions and philosophies. Wilbers cuts through the mysticism to find the underlying mechanisms of the various disciplines.

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Summary: A challenging, fascinating look at reality
Review: Ken Wilber offers a unique way of looking at reality. Whether or not one agrees with his ideas, the book represents a truly different view of existence which differs dramatically from that of most people. The author shows how the electromagnetic spectrum existed all along, but that we humans only recently understood the nature of this energy. He posits a similar spectrum - albeit for consciousness - that we only now are beginning to comprehend.

Well worth reading - it will challenge your view of the world, especially if you have been raised in a dualistic world.

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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.