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"Norman Einstein": The Dis-Integration of Ken Wilber
Ken Wilber is the "long-sought Einstein of consciousness research," having been generously regarded as such since the late 1970s.
Ken Wilber is "a genius of our times."
Ken Wilber is "the world's most intriguing and foremost philosopher."
Ken Wilber's ideas have influenced Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Jeb Bush, Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, and a host of other luminaries, spiritual and otherwise. Writer Michael Crichton, leadership guru Warren Bennis, playwright Eve Ensler ( The Vagina Monologues ), alternative medicine's Larry Dossey, the Wachowski Brothers (directors of The Matrix ), and a handful of rock stars have all lent their voices in support of the "integral" community.
Yet Ken Wilber, his celebrated theories of consciousness, and the increasingly unquestioning population of "second-tier" spiritual aspirants surrounding him and participating in his Integral Institute (I-I) and Integral University, are not what they appear to be.
"Norman Einstein": The Dis-Integration of Ken Wilber will show you why the community around Wilber is being increasingly called a "cult," even by former founding members of I-I who have seen it first-hand.
Ken Wilber is "a genius of our times."
Ken Wilber is "the world's most intriguing and foremost philosopher."
Ken Wilber's ideas have influenced Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Jeb Bush, Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, and a host of other luminaries, spiritual and otherwise. Writer Michael Crichton, leadership guru Warren Bennis, playwright Eve Ensler ( The Vagina Monologues ), alternative medicine's Larry Dossey, the Wachowski Brothers (directors of The Matrix ), and a handful of rock stars have all lent their voices in support of the "integral" community.
Yet Ken Wilber, his celebrated theories of consciousness, and the increasingly unquestioning population of "second-tier" spiritual aspirants surrounding him and participating in his Integral Institute (I-I) and Integral University, are not what they appear to be.
"Norman Einstein": The Dis-Integration of Ken Wilber will show you why the community around Wilber is being increasingly called a "cult," even by former founding members of I-I who have seen it first-hand.
216 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 12, 2024
There are many valid criticisms of Ken Wilber, especially regarding his questionable scholarship and his misrepresentation, whether wanton or merely careless, of others' ideas. Author Falk addresses these issues but also provides nearly equally weighted coverage of more trivial issues and outright nitpicking.
But the most egregious issue with this book is its tone. Falk clearly deeply dislikes his subject, and he misses no opportunity to take potshots at him on nearly every page. It seems that Falk's disdain for Wilber kept him writing long after he could have made his point but did not motivate similar effort spent on editing. The result is a frustrating mess of a book that reads like an overlong screed one might find typed in all caps on an online message board. There are some good points raised in this book, but the author has done himself a disservice by writing with such vitriol that his target is justified in never giving him the satisfaction of a response.
But the most egregious issue with this book is its tone. Falk clearly deeply dislikes his subject, and he misses no opportunity to take potshots at him on nearly every page. It seems that Falk's disdain for Wilber kept him writing long after he could have made his point but did not motivate similar effort spent on editing. The result is a frustrating mess of a book that reads like an overlong screed one might find typed in all caps on an online message board. There are some good points raised in this book, but the author has done himself a disservice by writing with such vitriol that his target is justified in never giving him the satisfaction of a response.
Displaying 1 of 1 review