Introducing Ken Wilber: Concepts for an Evolving World [Paperback]

Lew Howard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 2005

Ken Wilber's revolutionary thinking is beginning to shift the orientation of Western culture. Wilber combines his knowledge as mystic, scientist, psychologist and philosopher to create comprehensive concepts for understanding our world and our place in it. This "integral approach" is much needed in a world torn by conflicts of religion, culture, and ideology.Lew Howard says, "I wrote this book to make the work of Ken Wilber accessible to the average person. Wilber's integral understanding (which is an interlocking whole) is broken down into concepts that can be individually understood. These understandings result in an integral conception of the Kosmos. Wilber's insights revolutionized my spiritual practice-and can do the same for you."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lew Howard is a retired nuclear reactor engineer. His engineering career included reactor operations, research and development, nuclear fuel contract management, and consulting regarding uncertainties in cost and schedule for construction of nuclear power plants. His expertise includes mathematical modeling of complex operations using probabilistic analysis. This career was Lew's vehicle for developing advanced logical skills and the ability to teach complex concepts to the average person.Lew's lifelong study of spirituality and psychology led him eventually to a seven-year study of the work of Ken Wilber. He desires to make Wilber's academic work understandable to the general public.Lew lives in Albuquerque, NM, with his wife, Ti Howard, and their seven-year-old grandson.

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (May 17, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1420829866
• ISBN-13: 978-1420829860
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,400,779 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:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Place to Start Reading Wilber, July 13, 2005

By 

Ken H. Renshaw (CAMBRIA, US, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Introducing Ken Wilber: Concepts for an Evolving World (Paperback)

This is an excellent place to start in learning Ken Wilber's work. The author has done an outstanding job of organizing and annotating Wilber's ideas. I have tried to read Wilber before but always had the feeling I was taking a graduate level course when I hadn't had the "1A" course or many of the prerequisites. I was confused by terminology and concepts relating to previous or related works and gave up. Lew Howard has started at the beginning and created a whole sequential "curriculum" of Wilber's ideas and concepts. This book also provides a kind of master index to Wilber's books so you can explore topics in greater depth.

Lew Howard provides a very useful summary at the end of each chapter. I found this a good way to self-test myself to see if I had assimilated the chapter before continuing. I also found the summaries a place to return to for reviewing terms or concepts referenced later in the book.

At the end of many chapters, the author has included a topic with the title, "What Difference Does it Make?" He illuminates the importance of ideas with respect to those in other chapters on this topic. These sections are similar to the comments an instructor might give at the end of a lecture to provide insight on a lecture subject.

This book will go on my bookshelf as my ultimate Wilber reference.

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Guide To Our Intelligently Evolving Universe., October 5, 2005

By 

James Earl Murdoch (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Introducing Ken Wilber: Concepts for an Evolving World (Paperback)

I call this book a 1st class passenger's guide to the universe (hitchhikers would not have access to the scenicruiser seats). This is essentially a survey course that puts Science and Spirituality in a perspective where both can be well understood.

Drawing heavily on Ken Wilber's work, Lew Howard defines the terms and concepts and illustrates them until you have a good working knowledge before showing how the forms and constructs work together and evolve. Each chapter starts by showing where it is leading, then breaks these complex issues into understandable pieces and concludes with a summary. Things which I had assumed, believed, or wondered about all of my life have been changed, clarified, or deepened with his clear empirical evidence.

Everything is put into focus, from the subatomic to the geopolitical levels; everything from outside of the self to deep within. This book is a great reference to Life, the Universe, and Everything. Thanks to this book, I can look at everything around me with a deeper understanding.

For those who wish to delve more deeply into Ken Wilber's work, this book will provide an excellent roadmap. For those who want to open the door to meditation, this book will do that for you as well.

My copy (which is well soiled with the stains of seeking fingers, dog eared, and paper clipped) is within arms reach as I sit by my computer.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars User-friendly introduction to Integral Thought, August 17, 2005

By 

Lucy C. Lunt "novels and philosophy matter" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Introducing Ken Wilber: Concepts for an Evolving World (Paperback)

"Introducing Ken Wilbur" is an excellent and accurate title to this book. I have enjoyed reading bits and pieces of Wilbur's works in the past but found it hard to stick with his larger works and was somewhat (not entirely) disappointed in Wilbur's novel "Boomeritis." Mr. Howard has condensed and summarized the kernals of Wilbur's philosophy. Howard's book - almost a textbook - also helped me understand how Wilbur came to the conclusions that he did.

A friend of mine also read this book and we found that it opened up some interesting discussions regarding politics and religion. As a liberal/green/analytical/sort of buddhist/sort of catholic person, it helped me understand and communicate with a conservative/pro-war/very catholic friend and colleague in a meaningful, less reactive way. I hope, really, that by educating people about their place in a complicated spiritual/psychological world, we can actually achieve that ideal of a more peaceful, successful, happy world.

I would also add that I found Mr. Howard's sincere admiration of Ken Wilbur very touching and quite appropriate. Both authors deserve our attention.