Up from Eden, New Edition: A Transpersonal View of Human Evolution (Paperback)

~ Ken Wilber (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Wilber traces humanity's cultural and spiritual evolution. New Foreword by the author.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Quest Books (April 25, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0835607313
• ISBN-13: 978-0835607315
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #225,294 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #31 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Authors, A-Z > ( W ) > Wilber, Ken
  #50 in	Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Anthropology > Sociobiology
  #67 in	Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Anthropology > Evolution

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Readable and Plausible Account of Evolution, December 12, 1999

By A Customer

Wilber develops in detail his model of consciousness as applied to human evolution from the earliest prehistoric levels to levels beyond those attained by average human beings today. Typical of all his works, he incorporates insights from the anthropological, sociological, biological, physical and psychological sciences for his exposition of evolution in the body/mind realms, and the explanations provided by both Eastern and Western mysticism for the higher levels of consciousness. Unlike Eastern mystic writers, Wilber provides his insights with startling clarity and profound logic that resonate with the current, admittedly rational, Western mentality. This is among the best of his many works we have read.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Painful History of Mankind- and a way Beyond..., July 12, 2002

By	Nicq MacDonald (Sioux Falls, SD United States) - See all my reviews

After the success of his initial works (The Spectrum of Consciousness and No Boundary), Ken Wilber gave his "spectrum" model a serious reappraisal and found it woefully lacking. It seemed that he had made a mistake that he goes on to chide others for in his later books- he confused prerational myths with transcendental truths, and confused the spiritual fall with the scientific fall. He makes up for his previous errors with "Up From Eden: A Transpersonal View of Human Evolution".

In UFE, Wilber covers the historical development of consciousness, from the animalistic/uroboric level to the typhonic, and then to the development of the Solar ego, the disassociation of the mind from the body, and the development of the rational mind. But he takes it a step further as well, discussing the development of transrational consciousness throughout history, and discussing the differences between magical fetishism and psychic Nirmanakaya and between mythic religion and subtle archetype. Drawing upon Freud, Jung, Campbell, and a ream of Anthropoligical and Archaeological data, Wilber paints us a fascinating picture of society, it's history, and it's discontents. Lastly, he finishes the book by discussing his ideas for a politics of the transrational, in a fascinating chapter titled "Republicans, Democrats, and Mystics".

As far as Wilber's older books go, this is one not to be missed. Although some concepts are better elucidated in Wilber's later "Sex, Ecology, Spirituality", nowhere does he draw on more anthropological support for his theories than in "Up From Eden".

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes problematic, but a gripping and convincing account, July 25, 2001

By A Customer

Ken Wilber is a mystic-par-excellence and he lets you know it from the first page. For those unfamiliar with his work, he basically launched the transpersonal psychology movement back in the late 1970s with his "Spectrum of Consciousness" book; here he tackles that controversial of all topics, human origins--not just anthropological evolution, although he definitely covers that; but CULTURAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, and SPIRITUAL evolution. As noted by others, he definitely buys into some of the work of Joseph Campbell (read: Carl Jung mark II); he synthesizes this perspective with some remarkable insights not only on how human consciousness evolved, but how this process is traceable through the archaeological record and through the myths of our distant, proto-human ancestors. He also highly touts (with good reason) the "perennial philosophy" of mysticism, and uses it in tandem with existential, psychological, and anthropological insights. What is slightly difficult about Wilber is the way he treats the major world religions, however. I'm not saying I think he'll go to hell, I'm not a dogmatist by any means nor do I believe in a hell; but as a former theology student I do find some of his terms puzzling. He consistently uses the words "Atman" as representative of the "Ground of Being" (ie. Paul Tillich's term for "God"), and talks about Christianity, Buddhism, Sufism, and many strains of Hinduism as essentially the same. If he'd done his homework he'd know that "Atman" is not the Whole; that's BRAHMAN, as any Hindu will tell you! And the key to salvation in Hinduism is the enlightenment that the Atman-self inside the human soul and the Brahman, the Universal Self, are one--he alludes to this idea but uses the wrong terminology. His understanding of Judaism and Christianity are also somewhat skewed; he basically sees Jesus of Nazareth being at heart a Gnostic and somewhat divorces him from Jewish ideas, and chooses to take the esoteric, symbolic ideas of the Gospel of John rather literally, making Christ seem a lot more like Buddha. I greatly admire and respect both Buddha and Christ, but I think Wilber does a small disservice to both traditions by assuming they are essentially the same. Nonetheless, these are merely academic differences of opinion; I think Wilber has made a significant stride towards healing the split between the rational and intuitive natures of humanity, and this book is a solid contribution to an emerging body of holistic literature which is helping us all become more integrated, self-aware human beings.