Exploring Theories of Everything. http://www.integralworld.net/iw-rss.xml Sun, 8 Oct 2006 15:32:57 +0200 Tue, 5 Nov 2006 10:32:57 +0200 "Since 2002, and intensifying aroud 2006, I have published several essays on Integral World which are quite critical of Ken Wilber, both by myself and others. My stated aim in doing this has always been to stimulate a debate on the value of Wilber's proposals." http://www.integralworld.net/visser25.html Sun, 5 May 2008 10:32:57 +0200 "The life and career of Ken Wilber is nothing if not interesting. A google search will reveal that episodes and chapters of recent years involve Wilber losing former fans, readers, followers, and promoters. Why? " http://www.integralworld.net/sandberg1.html Sun, 5 May 2008 10:32:57 +0200 "The trouble with Ken Wilber, if you ask me, is that, for all his academic phraseology, he is not embedded in a corrective academic community. Instead, he has created a community of admirers of his own, in which he rules supreme. As King in his Integral Castle, his stance is isolationist, aloof, authoritarian – integral ideology is then just around the corner. And I don't mean by "embedded in academia" loading your books with academic endnotes, or teaching integral ideas to the younger generation, or offering accredited courses in some universities such as JFK, let alone starting a university of your own (Integral University). I mean opening up your own views to specialists in the various fields (postmodernism, evolutionary biology, political science) who can reflect and respond to your proposals. When it comes to the evaluation of Wilber's work, Wilber himself obviously cannot be the one in charge." http://www.integralworld.net/visser24.html Sun, 20 Apr 2008 10:32:57 +0200 "In Geoffrey Falk's recent Integral World essay The Salmon of Belief: Comments on the Status of Psi Research, he offers his usual knowledgeable, witty, skeptical, and highly internet informed perspective of the fallacy of mystical and/or psychic claims. Falk's essay is in response to Don Salmon and Jan Maslow's Integral World article The Challenge of Writing About Sri Aurobindo's Integral Psychology.." http://www.integralworld.net/benjamin14.html Sun, 13 Apr 2008 10:32:57 +0200 "Well, sometimes you can get the right answer for the wrong conscious reasons; blink and call it "intuition." Since 1951, Joseph B. Rhine's work has been debunked to a point that would unconvince us on almost any other issue. Just read the SkepDic entries which mention that particularly inept fool. We're dealing there with someone who not only thought that Lady the "talking" horse was psychic, but also "believed that persons who disliked him guessed wrong to spite him" on ESP tests ... and correspondingly excluded their low scores from his statistics." http://www.integralworld.net/falk4.html Sun, 30 Mar 2008 10:32:57 +0200 "My wife (Jan) and I recently published a book entitled, Yoga Psychology and the Transformation of Consciousness: Seeing Through the Eyes of Infinity (Paragon House). We used the psychological vision of the Indian poet/yogi Sri Aurobindo as our basis - a vision which for more than 60 years has been referred to as "integral psychology". However, we drew widely from the Indian tradition as a whole and because of this, we eventually settled on the term "yoga psychology" as one which embraced both Sri Aurobindo and the general Indian yogic tradition. " http://www.integralworld.net/salmon.html Sun, 23 Mar 2008 10:32:57 +0200 "The "world of science" and the "world of religion" are at clash on the question whether the dogmas of the one or the dogmas of the other should be brainwashed into the young through the teaching establishments, especially through the American and some other western schools, and thus into the public consciousness and subconsciousness of the present generation, perpetuated hence also for the future ones. And the scientific and religious fundamentalists join hands in their fight against natural spirituality originated in expanded consciousness and rational thinking: active perception, active intelligence and active ethics. " http://www.integralworld.net/soos9.html Sun, 23 Mar 2008 10:32:57 +0200 "Evolution is in all its manifestations an intellectual affair, and represents for every entity the advancement of its mental power in overcoming its actual psychical and physical limitations. This applies as much to the elementary particles as to the universe as a whole, and signifies that neither is complete in its present state, but is continually evolving." http://www.integralworld.net/soos10.html Sun, 16 Mar 2008 10:32:57 +0200 "In addition to creating a new map as I have done, one could also change Wilber's map in such a way that many or most of its limitations are overcome. To achieve this, one would have to add instructions to his map that would allow for complementary interpretations. Since he also presented his map as an Integral Operating System (IOS 1.0), one would enrich this basic version by creating a more inclusive version. Here are some specific suggestions on how to achieve this." http://www.integralworld.net/sattler1.html Sun, 16 Mar 2008 10:32:57 +0200 "Is in-sight point-less? In-sight isn't a construct or a belief-system we can learn or study; in-sight isn't something that we can make happen, nor something that we can force; in-sight arises on its own accord. " http://www.integralworld.net/schaub17.html Sun, 9 Mar 2008 10:32:57 +0200 "A human holon represents a phenomena that is whole in itself (our individual person), while it is equally part of another phenomena (our shared reality). The defining characteristic or quality of a human holon is language, which is the matrix of the mind-space." http://www.integralworld.net/schaub16.html Sun, 2 Mar 2008 10:32:57 +0200 "This paper surveys the development of Ken Wilber's Integral metatheory to date through five main phases over thirty-five years, twenty-plus books, and numerous articles." http://www.integralworld.net/ishaq8.html Sun, 24 Feb 2008 10:32:57 +0200 "In the past several years have I tried to publish essays on Integral World that explored the contours of an integral view of the Middle East conflict. These essays highlight all the difficulties one encounters when one tries to go beyond political slogans, - integral or otherwise." http://www.integralworld.net/ishaq8.html Sun, 17 Feb 2008 10:32:57 +0200 "Religious and spiritual expression is always embedded in societal structures. In this essay, we will claim that contemporary society is evolving towards a dominance of distributed networks, with peer to peer based social relations, and that this will affect spiritual expression in fundamental ways. " http://www.integralworld.net/ishaq8.html Sun, 4 Feb 2008 10:32:57 +0200 "With every new book by Ken Wilber, my feelings of ambivalence have grown towards him and his writings. In the past decade, and especially since the foundation of Integral Institute and its many offshoots, his major agenda seems to have been not to launch a scientific debate but to start a cultural movement. " http://www.integralworld.net/ishaq8.html Sun, 27 Jan 2008 10:32:57 +0200 "AW-WALLIID is the tentative name for this revision of an aspect of AQAL and its theoretical completion and making it compatible with metaphysics and spiritual cosmology. AW-WALLID means all worlds--whole, all lines, levels and, intelligences, and infinite dimensions. Infinite dimensions are a reference to the enlightened state of being that gives the adept the opportunity to access the lofty worlds of the divine essences." http://www.integralworld.net/ishaq8.html Sun, 20 Jan 2008 10:32:57 +0200 "AQAL integral meta-theory relies on time. Ken Wilber's magnificent articulation of the unfolding of the manifest world is rooted in the timeless nondual, but even the subtlest of differentiations within this omnipotent creative matrix establishes a movement, a fluid and polar relationship. Even the incomprehensible quantum vacuum, unencumbered by concrete events, appears to have a temporal structure. Time is fundamental – perhaps primary – to our understanding of the universe, and thus an indispensable component of any integral theory." http://www.integralworld.net/garfield3.html Sun, 20 Jan 2008 10:32:57 +0200 "In this essay I would like to add some points to my previous paper A New Model of Development on the organic-integrative model of development. I also try to show (again) why I believe Andrew Smith's One-Scale Model offers a more accurate model of existence than Ken Wilber's AQAL paradigm, and a more fertile avenue for the development of integral theory." http://www.integralworld.net/oconnor3.html Sun, 13 Jan 2008 10:32:57 +0200 "Now I want to understand "me"! Best to start with the brain's alphabet(neuroscience 101); Then look at the brain's architecture and how the neural symphony comes together And then look at the larger human anatomy and see how all the various "beyond" brain parts work together. Is that enough? No... " http://www.integralworld.net/lane3.html Sun, 13 Jan 2008 10:32:57 +0200 "This essay is dedicated to Frank Visser, whose Integral World provides a platform for others to share their insights concerning the given subject matter, as it leaves its visitors wondering what qualifies as “integral” or what “integral” represents, be it in theory, practice or simply as a perspective. Those whose assessment differs are asked to step forward and render their re-cognition on the topic. " http://www.integralworld.net/schaub15.html Sun, 6 Jan 2008 10:32:57 +0200 "It is very basic knowledge that everyone these days knows that if you are feeling depressed or overly anxious, then there is medication you can take that will make you feel better. All you need to do is to visit your local psychiatrist or medical doctor, and if you are lucky enough to have access to or be able to afford good health insurance then it appears that your pills to happiness are on their way. Well--your pills may be on their way, but I must state that in my opinion your medicated happiness is a deceptive maneuver indoctrinated in you by our greedy materialistic technological society." http://www.integralworld.net/benjamin13.html Sun, 30 Dec 2007 10:32:57 +0200 "In the light of how the US National Academy of Sciences on the one hand and the great minds of scientific thoughts on the other perceive Reality and formulate the direction of scientific thought and research, I will present the particular theory of "biological evolution" that the NAS supports as its official stance, expressed by its exponents with conviction, while also insisting that this and no other should be taught in the US American schools, providing with it an injurious example for also other parts of the world, gaining there, however, no followers." http://www.integralworld.net/soos8.html Sun, 30 Dec 2007 10:32:57 +0200 "Is AQAL the best foundation for an Integral program of personal growth? This article proposes an alternative model called ADAP2T (All Dimensions, All Processes, All Participants, Together) that is more clear, more balanced, more differentiated, and more complete. Are there four essential Dimensions, as in AQAL – or really at least eight, as in ADAPT? Is there just one key Participant, as in AQAL – or at least seven, as in ADAPT? Are there nine basic Process categories, as in ILP – or really at least 33, as in ADAPT? Is there just one form of Orchestration, or at least 12? Are both AQAL and ILP sufficiently complete and articulated to be of optimal use as tools for personal growth? And are they sufficiently integrated and coordinated to deserve the title Integral?" http://www.integralworld.net/martin04-1.html Sun, 17 Dec 2007 10:32:57 +0200 "A few days ago, on December 4th, 2007, a posting appeared on Wilber's own blog, titled "Some Criticisms of My Understanding of Evolution".... This reply by Wilber leaves one speechless - the mind just goes blank. So the original extreme and dogmatic statements about the evolution of eyes and wings in A Brief History of Everything – "nobody has a clue" – were never meant to be taken literally? They were meant as metaphors for creative emergence? How careless can one get in writing about science? ." http://www.integralworld.net/visser21.html Sun, 9 Dec 2007 10:32:57 +0200 "In June 2007, the academic journal, Integral Review: A Transdisciplinary and Transcultural Journal For New Thought, Research, and Praxis published (in issue 4) an extended work of mine entitled, Integral Re-views Postmodernism: The Way Out Is Through... Meanwhile, Frank Visser has asked whether I might write a summary or suchlike for Integral World. In response, I have produced something more akin to "suchlike" than "summary". http://www.integralworld.net/hampson.html Sun, 9 Dec 2007 10:32:57 +0200 "Shouldn't we take a fresh look at Wilber and start the arduous process of independent integral research? By all means! But also take a fresh and very critical look at all the other popular figures and movements – whoever and whatever they happen to be – and their thoughts and replace them also with thoughts founded on and derived through pure, unbiased reason." http://www.integralworld.net/soos5.html Sun, 25 Nov 2007 10:32:57 +0200 "The question "what is art" is both more simple and more complex than it might seem at first glance. Andy Warhol once quipped, "Art is whatever you can get away with." Is it? His observation raises some interesting questions: How does one go about judging a work of art as "good", "bad", or "better than" something else? What standards are used?" http://www.integralworld.net/martin-smith.html Sun, 25 Nov 2007 10:32:57 +0200 "Some online discussions on Wilber's ideas deserve to be filed in a Report. The 'Wild West Wilber Report' was one of them. Here's another. As you can see, this is hardly a debate with an open-mindedness that the topic at hand deserves. Perhaps it is not too late." http://www.integralworld.net/visser20.html Sun, 18 Nov 2007 10:32:57 +0200 "In earlier essays I've made it known where I stand regarding Sri Aurobindo and Wilber. Now, a number of converging factors have brought home to me the importance of working together with mainstream Integralists in a more harmonious manner, while at the same time retaining my status as a strong independent voice." http://www.integralworld.net/kazlev15.html Sun, 18 Nov 2007 10:32:57 +0200 "Life, human life, is about choice, so we claim. Hence, imagine that you had to make a choice between awakening to your true nature or advancing to the most evolved level of consciousness in our age, known as integral. To refrain from making a decision would be to invalidate the orders of life and, therefore, create chaos, while choosing one option over the other would amount to endorsing an extreme perspective, from which pain and suffering is derived. " http://www.integralworld.net/schaub11.html Sun, 11 Nov 2007 10:32:57 +0200 "In the current essay I'd like to highlight three areas of criticism that seem relevant to me: Evolutionary theory, postmodernism and meditation research. They are very Wilberologically correct taken from the broad spheres of It(s), We and I... So let's take them one by one. " http://www.integralworld.net/visser19.html Sun, 4 Nov 2007 10:32:57 +0200 There really is something (r)evolutionary under the meditation sun. It is called Integrative Relationship Meditation (IRM.) It can be used in same denomination or mixed denomination groups of meditators. Because some things are just “too good not to share” and our non profit organization forwards open source integral spirituality please find below our first release of "How to do Integrative Relationship Meditation." http://www.integralworld.net/wollersheim4.html Sun, 21 Oct 2007 10:32:57 +0200 In this essay, I re-define "Integral" in a way that includes all current definitions. This involves five definitions: Religious, Theoretical, Practical, Enlightened, and Divinised. Each of these definitions is defined. Of these, the first is considered pseudo-integral, the others authentically integral. This gives us a broader framework that can accommodate, but also go beyond, the various more limited definitions. A lot of difficulty also arises from confusing the Integral Movement as defined by Ken Wilber and Don Beck with Integral Yoga as defined by Sri Aurobindo. http://www.integralworld.net/kazlev13.html Sun, 14 Oct 2007 10:32:57 +0200 I believe that the integral worldview represents our civilization's best hope for progress. Thus I contend that as integralists it is our cultural duty to try to build cohesion within the integral movement and to exhibit a sense of ownership and commitment to this emerging new worldview. http://www.integralworld.net/mcintosh4.html Sun, 07 Oct 2007 10:32:57 +0200 Open Source is a revolutionary idea born recently in the software development world. It means that the underlying software source code is accessible, open, transparent, and free for all to see, use and improve... In an omni-denominational, open source integral spirituality, there always will be many different harmonics of spiritual messages and types of spiritual teachers presenting spiritual wisdom from many different evolutionary perspectives. This is exactly as it should be because spiritual wisdom needs to be presented in a digestible manner that is tailored to the differences in individual abilities, learning styles and personality types as well as differences in religious or cultural backgrounds and psychological developmental perspectives. http://www.integralworld.net/wollersheim3.html Sun, 30 Sep 2007 10:32:57 +0200 In August 2008, John F. Kennedy University and Integral Institute will host the inaugural biennial Integral Theory Conference, the first major academic conference devoted to the field of Integral Theory and practice. The conference will take place at the JFK campus and provide a forum where scholars and practitioners in this burgeoning movement can gather for intellectual exchange, community building, and networking. The theme of the conference is Integral Theory in Action: Serving Self, Community, and Kosmos.. http://www.integralworld.net/jfk2008.html Sun, 23 Sep 2007 10:32:57 +0200 Wilber calls himself a Pandit, or a storyteller. To me, AQAL represents a very usable story or frame of reference, through which to observe reality and act within it. There are more stories on how evolution unfolds ... It is quite useful to keep on reminding yourself that Wilber's story is just that: a story. http://www.integralworld.net/schaveling.html Sun, 23 Sep 2007 10:32:57 +0200 Today's post modern philosophical thinking is before our eyes trying to produce out of the cauldron of evolutionary thought a novel paradigm in which we call the Integral philosophy. Though it is presently not too popular within the culture of today's thought, only so in the elite scholarly, religious, and philosophical layman and professional circles has it had popularity, and a potential for impact on the culture. In this essay I will postulate the idea that it may be imperative that this philosophy become more universally known and understood in the world's public square of ideas before Integral politics can have any possibility of even a reality. http://www.integralworld.net/ishaq7.html Sun, 16 Sep 2007 10:32:57 +0200 God, once signifying a reality without a name, is nowadays a name without a reality. Hence, God is used by whomever, in whatever situation, best demonstrated by the clergy of all religious denominations; because the clergy is believed to be closest to God—a cherished assumption that lacks inquiry and validation, for the most part. Preconceived notions, or presumptions, are challenging to overcome, for to do so, we must first become aware of them; aware of how we are had by what we assume to know; aware of how we interpret and make meaning of life; aware, in short, of the perspective we hold. http://www.integralworld.net/schaub10.html Sun, 16 Sep 2007 10:32:57 +0200 What, I wondered, does Wilber actually believe about certain things? It is easy to talk about going in a "post-metaphysical" direction, but I wanted something much more specific. In particular I wanted to get a clearer sense of where Wilber might stand on the question, "Can spirituality be naturalized? http://www.integralworld.net/chamberlain3.html Sun, 02 Sep 2007 10:32:57 +0200 Before looking at what Wilber's theory might lack in terms of the project he's defined and looking for improvements, we must ask if inclusiveness is the appropriate standard of accounting for integral, or are there better measures? And then, what might integral mean if it is not synonymous with inclusiveness? http://www.integralworld.net/parker2.html Sun, 02 Sep 2007 10:32:57 +0200 At this moment in time, a dynamic, new worldview appears to have burst upon the global stage. It is called the integral worldview. http://www.integralworld.net/wollersheim2.html Sun, 26 Aug 2007 10:32:57 +0200 There is a feeling. Greater than any religious ecstasy, any patriotic exaltation, any sensual enchantment: it is being. http://www.integralworld.net/soos3.html Sun, 26 Aug 2007 10:32:57 +0200 In my recent Integral World articles I argued that Ken Wilber's Integral psychology lacks the conviction of an impactful central focus. http://www.integralworld.net/benjamin12.html Sun, 26 Aug 2007 10:32:57 +0200 Our description of spiritual experiences requires we include an additional term: the Witness. Although sometimes carelessly categorized as a state, the Witness (or as Hindus call it turiya), is in fact not a state at all, but the ever-present awareness existing throughout all states. http://www.integralworld.net/diperna04.html Sun, 19 Aug 2007 10:32:57 +0200 At Integrative Spirituality (IntegrativeSpirituality.org) we practice open source, integral spirituality. We hope that the vision of Integral Spirituality that has evolved in our organization will assist others in developing their personal integral spiritual practices. http://www.integralworld.net/wollersheim.html Sun, 19 Aug 2007 10:32:57 +0200 I see the Universe as One Living, Thinking and Conscious Unity of Timeless Being, differentiating into delegated Selves, fractions of I, individuated minds, underlying the Spatial and Temporal Becoming and Manifestation, characterized by change. The individuated Self underlying the Becoming and Manifesting aspect of the "Infinite I" on all levels of existence is called the Psyche. http://www.integralworld.net/soos.html Sun, 12 Aug 2007 10:32:57 +0200 We tend to live our lives according to decisions, of which we are mostly unaware due to the lack of re-cognizing "what is." What hinders us from re-cognizing "what is" are neither our stories of the past nor the dramas we experienced; both of which are mere constructs that prevent us from looking at "what is. http://www.integralworld.net/schaub8.html Sun, 12 Aug 2007 10:32:57 +0200 We see clearly that Wilber has traded mythology and occultism to the modernist/ postmodernist and have given them AQAL and IMP a concession that ironically they don't accept. No dice Wilber, we want it all! That is Wilber's real dilemma, for we know his real goddess is essentially scientific mysticism. http://www.integralworld.net/ishaq5.html Sun, 29 Jul 2007 10:32:57 +0200 It is difficult to make sense of the United States as a Christian nation, which it claims itself to be, because in theory and practice, most of the people who call themselves Christians in that country act most vehemently against all of the fundamental principles on which Christianity is supposedly based. http://www.integralworld.net/schaub5.html Sun, 29 Jul 2007 10:32:57 +0200 "After 10 years as Britain's prime minister, Tony Blair is no longer in power. We know that he has read Ken Wilber and is a pretty bright guy. But the question is: Does he qualify as an Integral Leader? That's what we want to find out... However, unless we have a major last-minute objection, I think Blair deserves our Integral Leader award. Unfortunately, we have a major last-minute objection, and the reader probably knows what it is." http://www.integralworld.net/vergara.html Sun, 22 Jul 2007 10:32:57 +0200 The idea of modernism and postmodernism these nebulous descriptions of modern thought [particularly postmodernism] I will use generally in the context of this essay in describing people inimical to religion, and metaphysics, and its extended sciences. It is actually modernism per se that is the more inimical to religion, though the postmodernist also have savaged the traditional metaphysical systems on certain levels. http://www.integralworld.net/ishaq4.html Sun, 22 Jul 2007 10:32:57 +0200 We cannot reveal our “I” directly to others, for to do so, we would have to know who “I” is, which is not to be confused with the person we think our “I” to be. Being is not a concept, a thought or a behavior. Being simply is; and once we have realized it, we would then be able to directly disclose to others who “I am” is. “I” can neither meet nor be met by another “I,” simply because there exists only one “I,” which is the one “I” know in relation to “me,” without knowing who this “I” really is, for we are only experiencing it. http://www.integralworld.net/schaub2.html Sun, 15 Jul 2007 10:32:57 +0200 We cannot see “what is” by mere marveling at our own reflection of self, thinking that is the most exalted philosophy there is. Truth be told, we all are the most exalted manifestation of consciousness or the most exalted creation of God. However, to confuse our reflection with the relationships in which we exist will neither cause us to become aware of our own self, nor enable us to relate to others with an open mind; an open heart and an open hand. Relating does not happen in self-defense... http://www.integralworld.net/schaub3.html Sun, 8 Jul 2007 10:32:57 +0200 We relate to people according to the perspective we hold, which, in turn, informs us how we relate to them. In other words, we relate to others according to our own understanding and conception of self. Take, for instance, the integral map of consciousness, as articulated by Ken Wilber. Like all maps, his too is a tool for orientation; it is a construct that allows us to see the world in a so-called integral way... http://www.integralworld.net/schaub.html Sun, 1 Jul 2007 10:32:57 +0200 Anyone paying attention to Wilber knows that Wilber has long proposed tacking on his AQAL theory to each and every discipline of human endeavor. He uses "integral" (even though I don't think it is warranted) so that, for example, ecology becomes "Integral Ecology", medicine becomes "Integral Medicine", science becomes "Integral Science", business becomes, "Integral Business" (all capitalization his). But let's remember what AQAL is: a psychological theory. http://www.integralworld.net/dallman5.html Sun, 24 Jun 2007 10:32:57 +0200 The deep dualities which Wilber's integration seeks to remedy are not resolved. Subject and object, science and spirit, individual and social are mapped and juxtaposed, but not integrated. http://www.integralworld.net/meyerhoff-ba-11.html Sun, 16 Jun 2007 10:32:57 +0200 But if by the spirit of genuine love, respect, and the search for truth and intent to raise humanity, we take it upon ourselves to judge your work in an objective spirit, then we in turn Ken Wilber put ourselves at that same alter of judgment that we dare impose on you. http://www.integralworld.net/ishaq3.html Sun, 16 Jun 2007 10:32:57 +0200 It's worth asking whether Wilber's material, or at least some of his more famous books have a mood altering effect. http://www.integralworld.net/heath2.html Sun, 16 Jun 2007 10:32:57 +0200 Actually I suspect that deep down Ken Wilber himself does integral psychology with a transpersonal twist, but I do not believe he would state this publicly. For the official integral policy is an equalitarian one: all things are equal (but perhaps some things are more equal than other things?) http://www.integralworld.net/benjamin11.html Sun, 9 Jun 2007 10:32:57 +0200 If you're a fan of Ken Wilber, you know who you are. You've read some of his books, agreed with a number of his arguments, and often agreed with his major underlying, if not explicitly stated, belief that he is the most important philosopher in history (due to his privileged position in it). If you know who Ken Wilber is and are not a fan, you're a critic. In not actively naming him the most important philosopher in history, you say, quite clearly to some, that he certainly is not history's most important philosopher. http://www.integralworld.net/parker.html Sun, 2 Jun 2007 10:32:57 +0200 The Processes of personal growth did not begin with psychoanalysis, or gestalt therapy, or group process, or bodywork. They did not even begin with meditation, or yoga, or vision quests. Since the dawn of humanity, our innate drive toward self-regulation, self-improvement, self-actualization, and self-transcendence has inspired us to develop numerous methods of personal evolution. Taken together, all these methods are called Processes. http://www.integralworld.net/martin03.html Sun, 27 May 2007 10:32:57 +0200 On the 10th anniversary of Integral World, formerly known as The World of Ken Wiber, I would like to look back, take stock and clarify my own position. http://www.integralworld.net/visser18.html Sun, 20 May 2007 10:32:57 +0200 Actually I suspect that deep down Ken Wilber himself does integral psychology with a transpersonal twist, but I do not believe he would state this publicly. For the official integral policy is an equalitarian one: all things are equal (but perhaps some things are more equal than other things?) http://www.integralworld.net/benjamin10.html Sun, 13 May 2007 10:32:57 +0200 Why is growth important? What difference does it make? Why make the effort? – especially since it seems so much easier to just stay the same. Growth offers several significant benefits http://www.integralworld.net/martin02.html Sun, 6 May 2007 10:32:57 +0200 Why is growth important? What difference does it make? Why make the effort? – especially since it seems so much easier to just stay the same. Growth offers several significant benefits http://www.integralworld.net/martin02.html Sun, 6 May 2007 10:32:57 +0200 Ken Wilber's interest in postmodern theory derives in part from his thoroughness in attending to all the philosophical and spiritual threads historically influential in cultures around the world but also in good part from the fact that postmodernism presents a penetrating and relentless critique of metaphysical tradition. Since this metaphysical tradition has been mightily influenced by spiritual traditions, religion has been no less a target of postmodern critique than philosophy. And among philosophers placed in the postmodern bin, Jacques Derrida emerges as probably the most rigorous, original, prolific, and broadly influential theorist. http://www.integralworld.net/desilet2.html Sun, 28 Mar 2007 10:32:57 +0200 In the West, it was Christ who was one of the first to have a spiritual experience of causal union. If we recall from Chapter 5 [Spiritual Experience], a peak experience of causal union discloses that the ground and source of all of existence is none other than one's own Self. "I and the Father are One" Christ explained. It was this recognition that gave Christ his unrivaled reputation in a community first exposed to such ideas. Beyond the single personal God encountered in subtle communion by Moses, Christ discovered the ground of all being; a formless union of the soul and Godhead. Despite the profound breakthrough that Christ's causal realization brought to the West, repeated experience of a similar state by others soon dwindled. As Christian follows reflected on the life and teachings of Jesus, less did they make him the example, and more did they make him the exception. Slowly, Christ's causal peak experience was placed on a pedestal. After time, it was only Christ who was allowed to claim identification with the divine. In the East, causal union or union with the divine, would remain available to all aspirants. In the West, Godhead was reserved, at all costs, only for Christ. http://www.integralworld.net/diperna02.html Sun, 28 Mar 2007 10:32:57 +0200 As a birthright, each and everyone of us has the inherent capacity to develop through the spectrum of conscious proposed in this chapter. All of us find ourselves in a situation that deserves both reverence and gratitude. No longer must one wait until death to live in a heaven or paradise. If there truly is to be a heaven on earth, one place it rests is in both the realization and stabilization of these higher levels of development. As Christ proclaimed "The Kingdom of Heaven is within you". "Enlightenment," as some Buddhist and Hindus demand, "is within the reach of every human being in this very lifetime." This chapter describes five stages of Religious Orientation. http://www.integralworld.net/diperna01.html Sun, 28 Mar 2007 10:32:57 +0200 At an Integral Spirituality book signing in Boulder (November, 2006) Ken Wilber and I had a brief exchange about postmodernism and specifically his understanding of Derrida. Based on comments he made during the talk prior to the signing, I was most interested in his response to the question: “Do you believe Derrida errs by offering what amounts to a false critique of absolute transcendence?” Wilber answered “Yes,” without hesitation. Derrida's approach, Wilber believes, contains a fundamental flaw in his specious critique of transcendence, epitomized in his deconstruction of the transcendental signifier/signified. Wilber claimed that Derrida himself came to understand the overstatement of his case and in an interview published in Positions (1981) reversed himself by acknowledging the transcendental signifier/signified's necessary role in language. http://www.integralworld.net/desilet.html Sun, 18 Mar 2007 10:32:57 +0200 Ray Harris responded with impressive speed to my essay about his views on the Arab-Israeli conflict, although the quickness of his response is due, in no small part, to the complete lack of documentation he offers. While there are some areas of agreement which I note, I, for the most part, am reduced to the laborious task of marshalling the scholarly evidence which, in most cases, directly contradicts his confidently undocumented assertions or lends balance to the fewer true, but partial, statements he makes... Harris and I can agree on the dangers of the extremist fundamentalism of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim kind. What's odd about Harris's writings on Islam and the Arabs is his desire to make a large-scale judgment about it and them; that there is something about the belief and the people that make them somehow bad, or tend towards badness. And yet, at other times, he says he's only talking about the Islamic and Arab extremists. But I wonder why, at any given time, there are more extremists or more moderates of any religion? The question between us is: in what proportion do we assign responsibility for the Arab-Israeli conflict? The answer to that requires sifting through the historical record. Read more: http://www.integralworld.net/meyerhoff8.html Sun, 4 Mar 2007 10:32:57 +0200 Ken Wilber's Tables represent the distilled essence of his work. In them, he delineates the entire sequence of development, applicable to every process of human growth. Then, he demonstrates plausibly how dozens of authorities, in broadly diverse fields, all define and elucidate some aspect of that great sequence. Where else does he summarize his whole system of human development so tangibly, so comprehensively, so succinctly, so convincingly? Indeed, Wilber's Tables are a fundamental underpinning of his work. They are the platform he uses to summarize the evidence that supports and substantiates his theories. If the Tables are not well-organized, understandable, accurate, representative, and complete, Wilber's whole system stands on shaky ground. http://www.integralworld.net/martin.html Sun, 4 Mar 2007 10:32:57 +0200 In his reply to my recent article Jeff Meyerhoff accuses me of error. Fair enough. I always pay attention to any suggestion I've got my facts wrong. I sometimes do get it wrong, but I try to be careful and not write anything until I'm reasonably sure I'm on solid ground. I wouldn't have tackled the Arab/Israel question a few years ago for these reasons. However Meyerhoff's response is so full of errors and 'spin' that I found little of value in it. http://www.integralworld.net/harris31.html Sun, 18 Feb 2007 10:32:57 +0200 I originally intended to write a lot more about the practical side of integral spirituality. But in the end I wrote much more about theory. The reason is that for me practice is very simple; it involves simply reading books by Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, attuning to the presence behind the words, and offering up whatever is in my consciousness to the Supreme. So I cannot really write more about it than that. Whereas it is much easier to create mental maps and play with ideas and possibilities of that sort. But because practice is important, and is too often neglected, and because the Integral movement at present - both Wilberian and post-Wilberian) seems very unbalanced towards the theoretical and intellectual, with only a few exceptions like Matthew Dallman (Art), Michel Bauwens (peer to peer social activism) and C4Chaos (blogging as a spiritual discipline), it seemed appropriate that something be said regarding integral spirituality, to round out this essay. So here we go. http://www.integralworld.net/kazlev12.html Sun, 18 Feb 2007 10:32:57 +0200 I'll show that Harris's view is seriously mistaken and un-integral, despite his extensive knowledge of the subject. It ignores the centrality of the material causes of the Arab-Israeli conflict, most importantly, land. My focus on the material conditions makes better sense of the historical conflict and better agrees with the historical record. Harris perpetuates myths of Muslim irrationality, when, in reality, it is a matter of how people have always acted when they are in positions of strength or weakness relative to the necessities of life. Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs - a staple of humanistic and transpersonal psychology - suggests the primacy of physiological and safety needs and motivations and so confirms the centrality of material conditions for understanding the Middle East conflict. http://www.integralworld.net/meyerhoff7.html Sun, 11 Feb 2007 10:32:57 +0200 All sides indulge in such exclusionary logic and to understand the conflict we need to understand the competing narratives and that the extremes of each of the polarised positions refuse to accept the narrative of its opposite. Thus Arabs refuse to acknowledge the Jewish claim on the area and Jews refuse to acknowledge Arab and Muslim claims. The Zionists had a saying, 'a land with no people for a people with no land'. This could not have been a more disastrous assertion and one guaranteed to offend any resident of Palestine, including non-Arab members of minority religious groups (who deserve mention). Similarly the counter-claim that Jews do not have any legitimate claim to the land is equally offensive and disastrous. http://www.integralworld.net/harris30.html Sun, 4 Feb 2007 10:32:57 +0200 In the Wilberian Integral Movement, Integral theory (i.e. the Wilberian version) can serve as a framework for a holistic/integral practical approach to lifestyle, society, politics, and business. In practice things don't work out quite as well, because the Wilberian model itself is deeply flawed, both methodologically, through the artificial, simplistic, and abstractionist nature of the AQAL theoretical framework and morally, through justifying antagonistic behaviour, authoritarian leadership, cultic demonisation of critics, and supporting the activities of abusive gurus and recommending that people follow them. I have in this essay proposed an alternative, Esoteric Integral Ethics, which uses the two-fold principle of Freedom of Consciousness and Right Action to base practice upon, and avoid the problems that have bedeviled the Wilberian (mainstream) Integral Movement. http://www.integralworld.net/kazlev10.html Sun, 7 Jan 2007 10:32:57 +0200 Wilber and Schneider were certainly at odds in their respective viewpoints and criticism of each other's arguments (c.f. [1]). And it is undoubtedly a difficult and challenging intellectual task to decide who got the better of the argument. But what I believe is a more meaningful activity is to see what we may learn from the Wilber/Schneider debate in the context of the development of both thinkers 17 years later, as they have emerged to be leaders in their respective domains of transpersonal and existential psychology. http://www.integralworld.net/benjamin8.html Sun, 7 Jan 2007 10:32:57 +0200 Integral morality can be defined as the application of integral thought to morality and ethics. This determines the way one acts in the world towards other sentient beings (and even towards nonsentient matter). I see three approaches here, which can be coinsidered as complementary: the epistemological (morality resulting from empathic understanding of the other), metaphysical (the synergetic dynamics of the yin and yang pole), and activist (animal liberation, deep ecology, going beyond ethnocentric and anthropocentric biases). The first of these is inspired by participatory thinker John Heron (who along with Richard Tarnas, Jorge Ferrer and other participatory thinkers represents a very different form of Integral than the Wilberian and post-Wilberian), the second by Edward Haskell (Unified Science), and the last by people like Peter Singer and the Animal Liberation movement, and by the environmental and alternative movement in general. http://www.integralworld.net/kazlev9.html Sun, 31 Dec 2006 10:32:57 +0200 This essay freely explores some assumptions behind the four quadrant model and the three personal pronouns common to language, that might shape our perception and condition our actions. As the final thought of this year, looking back on the tumultous year of 2006, one wonders how much of Wilber's behaviour towards his critics has been shaped by the four quadrant model (as summarized by I, We and It) -- so everything not included in the I and the We can be looked at with contempt -- where a more personalistic approach would have taught us that, first and foremost, we're all persons, entitled to respect, even if we refuse to speak to eachother -- with widely different opinions, for sure, but in the end connected in our search for truth. http://www.integralworld.net/visser17.html Sun, 31 Dec 2006 10:32:57 +0200 David Lane, a sociology professor and former-Wilber-fan-turned-critic around 1996, was one of the first strong critics of Wilber's treatment of biology and other fields of science. From that original series of essays: "What makes Wilber's remarks on evolution so egregious is not that he is more or less a closet creationist with Buddhist leanings, but that he so maligns and misrepresents the current state of evolutionary biology, suggesting that he is somehow on top of what is currently going on in the field. And Wilber does it by exaggeration, by false statements, and by rhetoric license." http://www.integralworld.net/lane2.html Sun, 24 Dec 2006 10:32:57 +0200 "What makes Wilber's remarks on evolution so egregious is not that he is more or less a closet creationist with Buddhist leanings, but that he so maligns and misrepresents the current state of evolutionary biology, suggesting that he is somehow on top of what is currently going on in the field. And Wilber does it by exaggeration, by false statements, and by rhetoric license. Wilber cannot understand half a wing, or part of an eye. Well, those are the very things that Darwin himself talked about in 'The Origin of Species'. Moreover, just read Gould's book on 'The Panda's Thumb' and one will clearly understand the contingencies of nature and how certain parts of the body evolve to be utilized for their advantage (genetic or otherwise). " http://www.integralworld.net/lane1.html Mon, 20 Dec 2006 10:32:57 +0200 "Ken Wilber is an unknown celebrity. This American autodidact, born in 1949, currently has written 19 books on psychology and spirituality, which have been translated in more then 20 languages. At his 50th birthday, the publication of The Collected Works of Ken Wilber was started, which now comprise eight voluminous tomes. Wilber's biographer and exegete Frank Visser comments that this makes him “the most translated American author of academic works”. However, Visser's Dutch language study is internationally seen the first integral analysis of Wilber and his oeuvre, which has been published by a non-university publishing house [the US edition was published by SUNY Press]. In university circles interest in Wilber is almost absent: few psychologists of religion or scientists of religion know his name, let alone have read his work. The reason for this is not hard to see..." http://www.integralworld.net/hanegraaff.html Mon, 17 Dec 2006 10:32:57 +0200 "I would like to draw attention to some issues related to reincarnation, that deserve more attention. Is there a self that reincarnates? Or does reincarnation occur without an enduring self that reincarnates, as most Buddhist schools proclaim? What to make of the complex view of reincarnation that is presented in the Tibetan Book of the Dead, which is becoming more and more popular in the Western world thanks to the efforts of Tibetan lamas such as Chögyam Trunpga and Sogyal Rinpoche? In the absence of any comprehensive view of life after death, the Tibetan view seems to hold the day. The Tibetan Book of the Dead offers a view of the reincarnation process -- nothing less, and nothing more. How probable is the Tibetan view? What alternatives exist to understand reincarnation?" http://www.integralworld.net/visser-ss-05.html Mon, 17 Dec 2006 10:32:57 +0200