The Farther Reaches of Human Nature (An Esalen Book) (Paperback)

by Abraham H. Maslow (Author), Bertha G. Maslow (Preface), Henry Geiger (Introduction) "My adventures in psychology have led me in all sorts of directions, some of which have transcended the field of conventional psychology-at least in the..." (more)
Key Phrases: secondary creativeness, primary creativeness, innocent cognition, Garden of Eden, Ruth Benedict, Psychology of Being (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In "The Farther Reaches of Human Nature", an extension of "Toward a Psychology of Being", Maslow explores the complexities of human nature by using both the empirical methods of science and the aesthetics of philosophical inquiry. With essays on biology, synergy, creativity, cognition, self-actualization, and the hierarchy of needs, this posthumous work is a synthesis of Maslow's ideas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (October 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140194703
• ISBN-13: 978-0140194708
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #84,631 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A worthy addition to any psychological library, January 14, 2004

By	Ross James Browne (Atlanta, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Overall this is a very good book, but with some significant flaws. The first 100 pages are unbelievably good; as I began reading this book I really felt like I had hit the jackpot, and I quickly concluded I would attempt to read all of Maslow's works. As I got further into the book I was singing quite a different tune. I believe anyone with any interest in psychology whatsoever should buy this book and read the first 100 pages. This section alone is easily worth the price of the book - don't let me scare you away from exploring the ideas of this great man. However, the dropoff in quality after this first section is rather precipitous, and while pages 100-200 were OK, the final 100 pages are an absolute chore to get through and I had to force myself along to finish the book.

Keep in mind that Abraham Maslow died before he was able to make a final edit of this book, and it shows. The second half of the book is almost a verbatim repetition of the earlier sections, and Maslow tends to harp on the same concepts endlessly. Some of it comes across as a very generic self help book designed to be consumed by the masses. In other sections, he seems to start over right from square one, as if some of the essays were meant to stand alone and were not meant to follow other essays that were extremely similar. I would say nearly half of this book should have been relegated to an expanded appendix - but I guess it would be strange to have a book where full half of it consisted of an appendix. I'm sure that Maslow would have fixed these problems had he lived long enough, but we will just have to accept this book for what it is and try as best we can to extrapolate something useful from it.

To conclude, I must still vehemently stress the importance of at least the first half of this book. If you grow bored with it, just stop reading. The editors of this book obviously elected to take a throw-it-all-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks approach, and I suppose there is no harm in that. Just remember that the original author was not around to oversee the final editing, and the result is a large dose of disjecta and detritus towards the end of the book. Nevertheless, do not let this minor disclaimer prevent you from exploring the wonderful ideas of this brilliant man.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars filled with authentic good cheer...., May 17, 2000

By	Craig Chalquist, PhD, author of TERRAPSYCHOLO... (Bay Area, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

....about the possibilities of becoming fully human. This was one of the books that inspired me to study psychology. An eminently sane look at the "higher reaches" from the psychologist who dared to wonder why we study sickness but not health.

37 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A revelation..., May 15, 2001

By	"cortomaltese" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

i could not put down this book. the only vague idea i had from Maslow was the classic pyramid of needs, of which i did not think much. I could not have been more wrong! this book lifted the veil from my eyes, i just so thouroughly identify with the author's views. i wish i had read this book 10 years ago. Maslow is so honest, his style so fluid, his statements so powerful. this book is all about what it means to be human, and it gives faith again in human nature, yet we are facing so many hurdles in our world. while reading it on a train journey, i stopped for a second and looked thru the windows of the cabin. there i saw some clouds in the blue sky, and i felt tears coming up to my eyes. I felt like a follower who had just met his prophet...