Wilber, Ken

Psychologist and writer on mysticism and transpersonal consciousness. He was one of the pioneers of transpersonal psychology, and his early volume, The Spectrum of Consciousness (1977), is considered one of its classic statements. For several years, he was editor-in-chief of the journal ReVision, prior to its acquisition by Heldref Publications.

Wilber has taken a special interest in the study of new religious movements in the light of transpersonal psychology, arguing for a non-reductionistic approach that is rooted in a transcendental structuralism and takes into account the various stages of human evolution, which culminates in God-realization. Wilber is a Buddhist but hailed the mystic Da Free John as a New Age avatar. In the 1980s he became the general editor of the New Science Library, published by Random House.

Sources:

Anthony, Dick, Bruce Ecker, and Ken Wilber. Spiritual Choices: The Problem of Recognizing Authentic Paths to Inner Transformation. New York: Paragon House Publishers, 1987.

Wilber, Ken. Eye to Eye: The Quest for the New Paradigm. Garden City, N.Y.: Anchor/Doubleday, 1983.

——. No Boundary: Eastern and Western Approaches to Personal Growth. Los Angeles: Center Publications, 1979.

——. A Sociable God: A Brief Introduction to a Transcendental Sociology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1982.

——. Up From Eden: A Transpersonal View of Human Evolution. Garden City, N. Y.: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1981.

Wilber, Ken, Jack Engler, and Daniel P. Brown. Transformation of Consciousness: Conventional and Contemplative Perspectives on Development. Boston: New Science Library, 1986.