why this group

I find there are no discussion topics posted, so why is there a group if there is no talking?

Good question.

On the subject of Ken Wilber, I listened to his 10 cd set titled Kosmic Concessness. My opinion at the end of it was that he is a crack pot with some highly developed skill sets.

At one point while listening to him I thought -- this guy should be a science fiction writer. Then about ten minutes later he made some comment about writing science fiction.

David Perrings

OK, I fell for him, maybe I am naive. I really liked A Brief History of Everything; and then, I read Grace and Grit(written with his late wife) and felt it was an outstanding example of spiritual wisdom in real life struggles. Of course, it was also hopelessly romantic. Maybe it was science fiction....

Maggie1944,

two people who i highly respect introduced me to Ken Wilber, I just did not take to him.

I would like to here what other people think.

David Perrings

I think Grace and Grit is one of the best "cancer memoirs I have ever read.

I have to admit that while it piqued my interest in his other writings, I just cannot seem to get much past the first page. It is like Zen esoterics.

I have been thinking about why I liked A Brief History of Everything so much and intend to write about it; but, I have been so busy loading my books and learning how to give books away to others and get books. I think part of the attractiveness of Wilber's world view is that it is a little bit like Librarything, quite organized and a lot of fun, too. "The archbattle in the universe is always evolution versus egocentrism" - perfect.

I believe that Ken Wilber attempts to fill a gaping hole in philosophy, i.e. the need for integration. Philosophy has followed science down the path of reductionism. People are learning more and more about less and less; very few people are attempting to "put it all together".

Ken Wilber is a noted exception and deserves much credit for attempting to do so. E.O. Wilson, especially in his volume titled Consilience, attemts to integrate knowledge as well but takes a very different approach.

Why are so few people concerned with knowledge integration???

>6 Arctic-Stranger: Arctic, if you're having trouble getting into Wilber, I'd recommend One Taste which is a year excerpted from his philosophical journal. It should be a nice easy way into his ideas, although some entries can be quite long. You may also be interested in taking a look at the Marriage of Sense and Soul the book he wrote during the year he kept the journal documented in One Taste.

After that, I'd recommend his most recent book Integral Spirituality. Its denser than either of the previous two, but his philosophical thought is most developed in IS, and therefore its probably the best place to start in terms of his philosophical work.