Average Rating: 
Rating:  - A "rare voice."
A BRIEF HISTORY (hereafter referred to as "ABH") is addressed "to those of us grappling to find wisdom in our everyday lives, but bewildered by the array of potential paths to truth" (xii). Ken Wilber is "in a category by himself," Tony Schwartz writes in the book's Foreward. "He is . . . far and away the most cogent and penetrating voice in the recent emergence of a uniquely American wisdom" (xi).Written in an conversational, easy-access, question-and-answer format, ABH offers a simplified introduction to Wilber's integral vision, a vision which "attempts to include as many important truths from as many disciplines as possible, from the East as well as from the West, from premodern and modern and postmodern, from the hard sciences of physics to the tender sciences of spirituality" (p. xv). (A more in-depth discussion of Wilber's integral approach may be found in his 832-page SEX, ECOLOGY, SPIRITUALITY.) In this mind-stretch of a book, Wilber takes on "God, life, the universe, and everything . . . it deals with life, mind, and spirit, and the evolutionary currents that seem to unite them all in a pattern that connects" (p. xix). And as Schwartz notes, ABH "delivers just what it promises. It covers vast historical ground, from the Big Bang right up to the desiccated postmodern present. Along the way, it seems to make sense of the often contradictory ways that human beings have evolved--physically, emotionally, intellectually, morally, spiritually" (p. xi). In this book, Wilber triumphs in integrating Freud and Buddha (p. 141), suggesting that on the "precious path to global consciousness" (p. 121), the "coming Buddha will speak digital" (p. 281). Thoreau wrote: "With all your science can you tell how it is, and whence it is, the light that comes into the soul." In his recent book, WHY RELIGION MATTERS (2000), Huston Smith says that "the greatest problem the human spirit faces in our time is having to live in the procrustean, scientific worldview that dominates our culture" (p. 202). In ABH, Wilber also examines this dilemma. We are living under the Confucian curse of "interesting times" (p. 51), in a flatland of "zero" depth (p. 299)--"no consciousness, no mind, no soul, no spirit, no value, no depth, no divinity found anywhere in the disqualified universe" (pp. 224-5). We live in the scientific "world of the lab technician, slabs of meat each and all" (p. 244). And the "thought that somebody, somewhere might be higher or deeper . . . is simply intolerable" (p. 140). He writes: "Only by rejecting flatland can we arrive at an authentic environmental ethics and council of all beings, each bowing to the perfected grace in all. Only by rejecting flatland can we come to terms with the devastating culture gap, and thus set individuals free to unfold their own deepest possibilities in a culture of encouragement. Only be rejecting flatland can the grip of mononature be broken, so that nature can actually be integrated and thus genuinely honored, instead of made into a false god that ironically contributes to its own destruction" (p. 307). In following "evolution from matter to life to mind" (p. 15), Wilber reveals "a more accurate, comprehensive map of human potentials" that directly translates "into a more effective business, politics, medicine, education, and spirituality" (p. xvi). (He covers this application in greater detail in A THEORY OF EVERYTHING.) ABH offers an "'all-level, all-quadrant' approach to consciousness, therapy, spirituality, and transformative practice" (p. 221). Reading Ken Wilber is like being in the presence of someone who knows something you should know. He is a "rare voice" (p. xiii) that belongs on your bookshelf. G. Merritt
Rating: - Great book that unifies wisdom from many sources.
To me as a scientific minded person approaching spirituality but having a hard time integrating the two, this book was a landmark.Not only does the book give an excellent structure where all sorts of wisdom and knowledge may live side by side in a friendly manner, but on the personal level it helped me at least intellectually to unify various aspects of myself and my life. Lately I have read large amounts of buddhist texts, new as well as traditional. This book takes a wider perspective and helps me relate my spiritual understanding and experiences in framework where it can co-exist with everything else I know about biology, physics, psychology, etc. I recommend this book to everyone with an open mind that has the capacity to understand and grasp the subject and has any interest in science, psychology, philosophy, religion, history, feminism, biology. I have already one other book by Wilber in my book stack, and I'm sure I will at least buy and read a few more before I move on.
Rating: - Great Insights of a Modern Sage
Ken Wilber is one of the truly great wise men of our time. in this book he has given us a vast panoramic look at humankind's past, present, and possible future. primarily, he treats our spiritual nature and transpersonal potential. early in the book he writes, "i think the sages are the growing tip of the secret impulse of evolution. i think they are the leading edge of the self-transcending drive that always goes beyond what went before. i think they embody the very drive of the Kosmos toward greater depth and expanding consciousness. i think they are riding the edge of a light beam racing toward a rendezvous with God." he backs up this huge statement with a wise exploration of evolution, philosophy, history, psychology, systems theory, gods and goddesses, comparative religion, gaia theory, gender issues, great men and women of the past and much more. the question and answer format works well as he weaves into the tale interesting sidebars, humor, anecdotes, research and the musings of a modern mystic/seer/scholar. this book is something special and destined to be a classic in the field of human potential. whether you're an established Ken Wilber fan [as i am] or reading him for the first time, this book should be on your short-list of must read books. Enjoy!!!
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