Conscious Evolution: Awakening Our Social Potential [Paperback]

Barbara Marx Hubbard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 22, 1998 | ISBN-10: 1577310160 | ISBN-13: 978-1577310167 | Edition: 1

A well-known futurist reveals a quantum change in society and points the way to the third millennium. Barbara Marx Hubbard issues a call to action for the current generation to fulfill its creative potential. Hubbard asserts that we must quickly become capable of wise and ethical guidance of evolution itself, if life on Earth is to survive.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Historically speaking, new worldviews have been responsible for causing major social transformations, says futurist Barbara Marx Hubbard. It occurred in the Renaissance when the idea of progress through knowledge was born. It happened in the United States when the principles of democracy and freedom became institutions. "Now once again a new world view is arising," writes Hubbard. "This idea is the culmination of all human history. It holds the promise of fulfilling the great aspirations of the past and heralds the advent of the next phase of our evolution. It is the idea of conscious evolution."

Human beings have now gained the ability to shape their own evolution, explains Hubbard, and therefore the next world task is to become conscious of this power and guide the earth and all its inhabitants into survival and fulfillment of our potential. Born out of the new spirituality, which began as a path toward self- awareness, but has quickly spread into a "social potential movement," Hubbard predicts that the ideology of "conscious evolution" will be seen as a pivotal turning point in human history, leading us into an era of heightened creativity, environmental accountability, and spiritual development.

Her message is steeped in intelligent writing and persuasive research. But most enticing, she writes as an optimist as well as a visionary. Rather than buy into the "old story" of imminent self-destruction, Hubbard sees the potential for humanity to create a "new story" that melds all our advances--spiritual, scientific, and social--into a glorious vision for the future. --Gail Hudson

Review

Conscious Evolution comes under the heading of millennium books. As Hubbard describes, "It sets forth a vision of the vast transformational enterprise of the next millennium, and it seeks to discover the design of evolution inherent in all nature with which we can consciously cooperate to guide our actions. " She continues by describing how we can make a conscious transition from high technology, polluting and overpopulation to a system that fulfills our potential. In precise detail she reports where we've been, where we are, and where we're going. It's a positive book-one about doing There's a chapter on what we can do now and how to accomplish it. The last portion of the book has names, addresses and descriptions of resources to implement that action. The writing is simple and coherent and even with all the myriad pieces from government to spiritual, she brings it together in one seamless fit. -- From Independent Publisher

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: New World Library; 1 edition (January 22, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1577310160
• ISBN-13: 978-1577310167
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #319,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It eventually gets there, January 3, 2003

By 

Glen Sooter (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conscious Evolution: Awakening Our Social Potential (Paperback)

The first 100 or so pages of this book nearly sent it to my shelf for good. I've never known somebody to find as many different ways to say the same thing over and over and over and over again. With each paragraph ending upbeat and inspiring, I was like "Okay, now here's where we get into the meat and potatoes". But we wouldn't. I started uttering about this new agey fluff being worthless. But by the time I finished reading it, I have to say it was good.

Of course, the core messages in the book are critical to us. They speak of a visionary truth both past and future that we all need to recognize. So, skim if you have to, but make it to the second half of the book. That's when she stops pontificating about loving the vast cosmos and starts pointing the book in a direction. But be wary that the ideas she suggests are her own legacy. They're a wonderful start and I believe are designed only to be a launching point, so don't feel bound to them as the only way through this mess of civilization we've created.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Uplifting and inspiring ways to fix the world's problems., April 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Conscious Evolution: Awakening Our Social Potential (Paperback)

Although it sounds cliche, Conscious Evolution truly does give you a sense that you are not alone - that there are many others who realize that society as it exists today simply does not work. It is clear that if we continue to behave and live as we do now, we're essentially committing suicide as a race.

What's inpsiring about Conscious Evolution is that it gives you the sense that there are numbers here, in which you can find power. It's difficult to sit as an independent island, pondering the depth and endemic nature of what plagues the world. We live so completely outside the realm of universal law and the natural balance of the environment, that it's difficult to even identify what is not working, let alone, try to take action to fix things.

However Conscious Evolution provides inspiration and hope that there are more of "us" than we each think. That there are millions of brilliant ideas of what does work, and that by simply trying to organize and disseminate that information, dramatic change can happen.

Conscious Evolution provides the boost to direct creative energy away from depression that things can't be fixed, towards taking action to partner with like spirits to start the process.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the seminal social guides in recent years, April 26, 2001

By 

Pascal Dupuy (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conscious Evolution: Awakening Our Social Potential (Paperback)

Social interaction and growth is a continuum of observation, inquiry, and application. In Conscious Evolution, Barbara Marx Hubbard describes this process in stunning detail and guides us on how to incorporate spirituality into social policy. Hubbard's inspirational analogy of humankind as a catepillar morphing into a butterfly stimulates the reader's mind to envision how the collective fate of humanity need not end in an apocalyptic, "judgment day"-like scenario. Hubbard weaves a coherent plan of action to help humanity become more globally minded, cultarally integrated, and aware of its own strengths and weakneses through thoughtful insight and inclusion of the ideas and actions of other intellectuals, activists and spiritualists. The reader learns how to unite his or her own community into a stronger, socially conscious, spiritual unit, which in turn leads to an increased ability for humanity to direct and speed evolution. Consciously! I recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn how to participate in the outcome of humanity! Buy 5 copies and pass it out to friends!!!!