The Essential Ken Wilber: An Introductory Reader. [Paperback]

Ken Wilber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 14, 1998

Ever since the publication of his first book, The Spectrum of Consciousness, written when he was twenty-three, Ken Wilber has been identified as the most comprehensive philosophical thinker of our times. This introductory sampler, designed to acquaint newcomers with his work, contains brief passages from his most popular books, ranging over a variety of topics, including levels of consciousness, mystical experience, meditation practice, death, the perennial philosophy, and Wilber's integral approach to reality, integrating matter, body, mind, soul, and spirit. Here is Wilber's writing at its most reader-friendly, discussing essential ideas of the world's great psychological, philosophical, and spiritual traditions in language that is lucid, engaging, and inspirational.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Ken Wilber's work in the psychology of human consciousness is unparalleled."— Choice

About the Author

Ken Wilber is the author of over twenty books. He is the founder of Integral Institute, a think-tank for studying integral theory and practice, with outreach through local and online communities such as Integral Education Network, Integral Training, and Integral Spiritual Center.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; 1st edition (September 14, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570623791
• ISBN-13: 979-1570623799
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 0.6 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #618,643 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Taste of Wilber's Work, April 9, 2001

By 

David K. Bell (Portland, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Essential Ken Wilber: An Introductory Reader. (Paperback)

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.

44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An impossible task, done as well as possible, November 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Essential Ken Wilber: An Introductory Reader. (Paperback)

I have read many of Wilber's books through the years, starting in philosphy of religon classes at the U of Mich. back in the 70's. "The Atman Project" and "Up from Eden" remain my favorites. It has been the toughest and most rewarding reading I have ever done. Wilber is more than a genius, he is an enlightened writer. I agree with the accolade "Wilber is the Einstein of developmental psychology". Even though consciousness is really just awareness, it's still a subtle and slippery topic. If you're impatient or biased, it will escape you. Also some direct experience in mysticism is useful. Religious dogmas and philosophical/artistic expressions used to look like a fractured mirror to me, but after years of reading Wilber I now see how seemingly contradictory and even primative beliefs actually fit together into an elegant, logical system designed to further conscious evolution. There is almost no better reading in the world for cosmopolitan people, unless you are going to read the enlightened mystics directly. That's not easy either....

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars thought provoking, July 25, 2000

By 

sandra (ohio United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essential Ken Wilber: An Introductory Reader. (Paperback)

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.