A Theory of Everything: An Integral Vision for Business, Politics, Science and Spirituality
by Ken Wilber
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Book Summary Information
Author: Ken WilberEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2001-10-16
ISBN: 1570628556
Number of pages: 189
Publisher: Shambhala
Book Reviews of A Theory of Everything: An Integral Vision for Business, Politics, Science and Spirituality
Book Review: Everyone is right
Summary: 1 Stars
The thesis of this book is that we need an "integral" approach to everything. What is an integral approach? Well, it takes into account all levels and all quadrants. So there.
Here's what you do. Create a sort of Dewey Decimal System for reality. Slice it into chunks, cram the chunks into categories, nest concepts inside other concepts, then create lots of lists, levels, charts, graphs, diagrams, spirals, and hierarchies. Adopt a progressive color scheme to describe the levels of human progress, from beast to buddha. Make a four-quadrant diagram. Find a place for everything in one of the quadrants. In fact, make a bunch of four-quadrant diagrams to demonstrate that, with a little ingenuity, you can make everything fit.
Once you have performed this microscopic analysis, declare that the proper course for humanity in all things is to consider all the stuff in all the quadrants. There, now, isn't that helpful? As the author says, "In the Theory of Everything, I have one major rule: EVERYBODY is right. More specifically, everybody--including me--has some important pieces of truth, and all of those pieces need to be honored, cherished and included in a more gracious, spacious, and compassionate embrace, a genuine T.O.E." (Emphasis in original.)
Suppose you're willing accept that dubious but egalitarian sentiment. How do you distinguish the "important pieces of truth" from the nonsense. Now THAT would be helpful. Wilber can't be bothered with such messy business. He's already handled the hard part. He told you to be integral. Does he have to explain everything?
The book is filled with quirky words to describe trite concepts. Consider the "holon." His definition: "A holon is a whole that is part of other wholes. For example, a whole atom is part of a whole molecule; a whole molecule is part of a whole cell; a whole cell is part of a whole organism." What is the real analytical value of a word that describes everything in the universe? (Maybe Wilber's answer is that reality is holon's "all the way up and all the way down," as he says in the Notes. Cute, but of what use?) The concept of the "meme," when introduced by Richard Dawkins, was new and useful (even if it is stretched out of shape by Wilber). Not so with holons. Although by definition, a meme must be a holon, since everything else is.
Wilber has other distracting habits. As others have observed, he spends much of his time promoting his other books and dropping names. It all leads me to wonder why his writings and his ideas are so rarely cited, other than by himself. Some of his remarks, such as on evolution, would be shared with a fringe group, at best. It is apparent that he spends a great deal of time reading and pondering, but not enough time testing his ideas against those who would challenge him. He comes off as a wannabe guru.
I remember late nights in college during the 1970's, sitting around with friends, absorbed in deeply meaningful discussions that produced flashes of sudden insight, revelations so profound they simply must be preserved. I'd rush to my journal to record the epic moment for future generations. The next day I'd jump out of be and open my journal, eager to read what I knew had to be irrefutable proof of enlightened thought. Then I'd read it.
Reading A Theory of Everything reminded me of that.
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Summary of A Theory of Everything: An Integral Vision for Business, Politics, Science and Spirituality
Here is a concise, comprehensive overview of Wilber's revolutionary thought and its application in today's world. In A Theory of Everything, Wilber uses clear, nontechnical language to present complex, cutting-edge theories that integrate the realms of body, mind, soul, and spirit. He then demonstrates how these theories and models can be applied to real-world problems in areas such as politics, medicine, business, education, and the environment. Wilber also discusses daily practices that readers take up in order to apply this integrative vision to their own everyday lives.The spiritual intellectual Ken Wilber takes on the hottest theory in modern physics, known as the "M Theory," or the "The Theory of Everything." As Wilber explains, it is "a model that would unite all the known laws of the universe into one all-embracing theory that would literally explain everything in existence." Of course this new "M Theory" opens up a can of wormy, slippery questions, which Wilber addresses: "What does 'everything' actually mean? Would this new theory in physics explain, say, the meaning of human poetry? Or how economics work? Or the stages of psychosexual development?"
Being Ken Wilber, he couldn't resist answering these questions by folding the "Theory of Everything" into some of his own personal visions and theories. This overlay is presented in his signature straightforward, clearly written style. The upshot is that common readers can easily follow Wilber on a quantum journey and wind up with a lasting souvenir--a scientific and spiritual understanding of how the mind, body, soul, and universe all work together like a never-ending symphony. And that's just in the first four chapters. From there he shows readers the practical applications of this vision--explaining how it could lead to more integrative styles of business, education, medicine, ecology, and even how we address world conflicts. Wilber admits that this "holistic quest is an ever-receding dream, a horizon that constantly retreats as we approach it." Nonetheless, he can still take readers on an incredible journey--one that's well worth the price of the ticket. --Gail Hudson
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