The Integral Vision: A Very Short Introduction to the Revolutionary Integral Approach to Life, God, the Universe, and Everything [Paperback]

Ken Wilber (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 14, 2007

Suppose we took everything that all the various world cultures have to tell us about human potential—about psychological, spiritual, and social growth—and identified the basic patterns that connect these pieces of knowledge. What if we attempted to create an all-inclusive map that touches the most important factors from all of the world's great traditions?

Ken Wilber's Integral Vision provides such a map. Using all the known systems and models of human growth—from the ancient sages to the latest breakthroughs in cognitive science—it distills their major components into five simple elements, and, moreover, ones that readers can verify in their own experience right now.

In any field of interest, such as business, law, science, psychology, health, art, or everyday living and learning—the Integral Vision ensures that we are utilizing the full range of resources for the situation, leading to a greater likelihood of success and fulfillment. With easily understood explanations, exercises, and familiar examples, The Integral Vision shows how we can accelerate growth and development to higher, wider, deeper ways of being, embodied in self, shared in community, and connected to the planet, which can literally help with everything from spiritual enlightenment to business success to personal relationships.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Philosopher, psychologist and mystic Wilber (A Brief History of Everything) delivers on the subtitle's far-reaching promise. In a scant 200+ pages chock-full of handsome illustrations and spare, Zen-like diagrams and tables, he forges ahead on his established path, posing, What if we attempted to find the critically essential keys to human growth, based on the sum total of human knowledge now open to us? His answer is a kind of meta-structure of human experience and, more importantly, human potential. His Integral Map, or Integral Operating System (IOS), of quadrants, levels, lines, states, and types is drawn from developmental psychology, worldviews, multiple intelligences, gender studies, the nature of consciousness, etc. If this sounds heady and extremely ambitious, it is. Wilber asserts that the IOS approach to life permits all fields of endeavor at last to speak with one another in a common language. Clearly, however, spirituality dominates much of his thought. Not for the faint of brain, Wilber's work is still accessible and at times surprisingly practical. Some language spirals up majestically, recalling great Eastern texts. Reminiscent in spirit and watershed import of Ram Dass's Be Here Now, Wilber's work may well become a popular classic for explorers on the frontiers of humanity. (Aug. 14)
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Review

Named one of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year 2007.

"Philosopher, psychologist, and mystic Wilber delivers on the subtitle's far-reaching promise. . . . Chock full of handsome illustrations and spare, Zen-like diagrams and tables, Wilber's work here is still accessible and at times surprisingly practical. Some language spirals up majestically, recalling great Eastern texts. Reminiscent in spirit and watershed import of Ram Dass's Be Here Now, Wilber may well have created a popular classic for explorers on the frontiers of humanity."—Publishers Weekly

"[Wilber's] heady multidimensional approach is deciphered in this spiffy full-color paperback filled with pop culture graphics, tables, and charts. If you are interested in consciousness, complexity, maps, multiple intelligences, and more, here is a comprehensive philosophy that puts it all together."—Spirituality and Health

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (August 14, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590304756
• ISBN-13: 978-1590304754
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.6 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ken Wilber is one of the most widely read and influential American philosophers of our time. His recent books include "A Brief History of Everything", "The Marriage of Sense and Soul" and "Grace and Grit".

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 84 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb Overview of a Complex but Crucially Important Vision August 30, 2007

By Dr. Richard G. Petty VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I have been studying and enjoying Ken Wilber's writings for almost thirty years, so I am not a total newbie.

I have also liked the way in which, over the years, Ken has not been afraid to revise his position as new information and new insights have appeared. He has also reached a place familiar to anyone who is trying to push the envelope in any field:
At what point do you simplify to clarify?
When do you take the key components of a model or system and break it down into digestible chunks without dumbing it down or selling out?
And finally, how do you present it in a way that makes sense to people outside your narrow field?

Many philosophers and theorists simply do not bother: they write long treatises that will only be understood by a few of their peers, and as for explaining to the world at large? Forget it!

This short and visually stunning book lays out the bare bones of the most recent incarnation of Ken Wilber's model of life, the universe and everything. Here you will learn the basics about "quadrants," "levels," "lines," states" and "types." Not only what they are, but also why an understanding of them can pay enormous dividends in your own life and in providing insights into your personal psychological and spiritual development, as well as that of your children, family and society.

Nobody, least of all Ken himself, believes that this is the only model, or that the map is the same as the territory. But the model can be immensely valuable. Time alone will tell how well it can incorporate new data and insights without becoming a meta-theory that sounds good but has no predictive value. For that is where this whole project will live or die: its ability to predict and to be falsifiable. At the moment the indications are that this way of looking at the world is here to stay, and it would be well to know something about it.

I had doubts that the project would even be possible, and I am pleased to have been proven wrong. The book works extremely well as an introduction to the Integral model. But it should also be seen as something of a taster. If it whets your appetite, then you will probably want to explore some of the books, CDs and websites that have been created by Ken Wilber and Integral Institute.

This book is essential for anyone interested in psychological, social and spiritual growth, and I recommend it very highly.

Richard G. Petty, MD, author of Healing, Meaning and Purpose: The Magical Power of the Emerging Laws of Life

59 of 61 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a great introduction to Wilber's work August 19, 2007

By Ted Saad

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Having been an avid reader of Wilber's books for years, I have been deeply moved by his philosophy as it has helped me orientate and weave multiple perspectives in coherent and compelling way. Although this is far from my favorite book of his, I applaud it for what it is meant to be: a primer on integral theory for someone that is new to it and isn't ready to dive in too deeply. This is something I have been looking for a while, as I have often recommended Wilber's work to friends. When asked what was the first book they should read, I would often suggest "Brief History of Everything" (the abridged version to "Sex, Ecology, and Spirituality"). Still, for many of my friends not accustomed to reading philosophy, they felt that "Brief History" was a bit much.

"The Integral Vision" hits the right note for just about everyone, as it goes down easier than most of Ken's work, but still gets its point across thoroughly. This is still not light-weight material, however, most readers will find the attractive illustrations helpful and crisp non-academic prose refreshing. "The Integral Vision" also demonstrates that integral theory passes the "mother-in-law test": the idea that if you can't explain it simply and succinctly to her, it's probably too complicated and nonsensical to use. Any decent theory needs to be elegant for intellectuals and simplistic enough for everyone else. "The Integral Vision" successfully lays out quadrants, levels, lines, states, and types in both a manner of elegance and ease.

With integral theory, Wilber has brought something of a gift, albeit "true, but partial" (as he would put it), that has built on many philosophical foundations and resealed some cracks in the process. "The Integral Vision" is worth a look for newbies and Wilber fans who are looking for a gift read for friends.

39 of 46 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Flawed but useful intro to Wilber October 6, 2008

By Nathaniel T. Parsons

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Ken Wilber is a genius at synthesizing vast amounts of knowledge and human experience and thought and pulling them together into a single, coherent system. Everyone should know his work. The problem is, he sucks at trying to talk about it to normal people. Every time I read one of these attempts, I have to cringe as I imagine "wilber virgins" reading it. His most successful attempt so far I would have to say is "The Marriage of Sense and Soul", which doesn't go as far as this book (it's a much older work) but is MUCH easier to digest.

In this book Wilber tries so hard to be accessible he seems to be forcing a mickey mouse face on top of a buckminster fuller dome. I would steer people who want an "introduction" to Wilber away from this book and toward "A Theory Of Everything". Or do some pushups and take on Sex Ecology Spirituality if you've got the guts (I haven't yet). The thing is... given what Wilber has managed to do -- which is enormous and ground breaking in its scale and depth -- one can hardly expect him to re-learn how to talk to normal everyday idiots. But in my opinion, this book is damaged by its author's voice, which veers unevenly between being cute (ie. accessible) cursory (giving a shallow version of his ideas) and confusing (leaping into the deep end). The 'stoned kid with photoshop' graphics are mostly gratuitous and are there to break up text rather than add a layer of meaning or illustrate anything. The net effect is to preach to converts and not reach a new public, which was obviously his intent. I also think the structure of this book is flawed, getting too "spiritual/new age" too early. You have to start from what people can accept easily and build slowly from there, and he fails to do this, leaping too soon into material only a full fledged, bead wearing, incense burning, mantra chanting eco-putz would appreciate.

Sounds True put out a nice box set of disks of Wilber interviews that is a great way to familiarize yourself with Wilber, although it would help a lot if you read "Theory of Everything" at the same time. It's called Kosmic Consciousness. Also log on to youtube and search his name, there's lots of stuff there. You can also go to his site "integralnaked.com" but it suffers from a lot of the same myopia as this book, ie. annoying to the outsider. I mean come on. Couldn't they call it something other than Naked? I don't need to see Ken naked, thank you very much.