Anthropology, Consciousness, and Spirituality: A Conversation with Ken Wilber

Summary

Ken Wilber, a highly influential author on consciousness over the past twenty-five years, blends Eastern and Western approaches, impacting psychology, philosophy, religion, and anthropology. His work in transpersonal psychology is well-known, with his first book, The Spectrum of Consciousness, marking the start of transpersonal studies. Praised by Frances Vaughan as a "work of genius" and listed by Daniel Goleman among grand theorists of consciousness, Wilber discusses the scope of the consciousness problem and contributions anthropologists could make.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This is an interview with author Ken Wilber, whose work on consciousness over the last twenty‐five years has been tremendously influential. His work blends "Eastern" and "Western" approaches and has influenced scholars in psychology, philosophy, and religion, as well as in anthropology. His work on transpersonal psychology is especially well‐known, and his first book, The Spectrum of Consciousness, arguably marks the beginning of transpersonal studies. Frances Vaughan has referred to Wilber's work as the "work of genius." Daniel Goleman once listed Wilber among the "ranks of the grand theorists of human consciousness" including "Ernst Cassirer, Mircea Eliade, and Gregory Bateson." Wilber discusses the scope of the consciousness problem as well as contributions to the field that anthropologists might be well suited to make.