philosophy

When I first heard that there was going to be a ten CD set of Wilber's lectures, I assumed it would be unaffordable as many things that bear the "new age" label (as unfair as this description is when applied to Wilber's work)often are. Now that I've actually listened to the set, I feel like I owe Ken significantly more than I paid for it.

Although I loved "Speaking of Everything" when it was all that was available, this new set is arguably the best thing I've purchased in the last several years. Please buy "Kosmic Consciousness". It is a true source of wisdom and joy.

If you want to know what Wilber is like, get this set. He presents his theories as well as his personality. Wilber is one of the most insightful spiritually based theorists, and has developed a very interesting model or rather models. The only negatives of the series are his laugh which is irritating at best and his constant joking about himself being crazed. Be much better if he could find his own voice, but then maybe this is the real Wilber. You decide. Definitely worth the money.

Tammy Simon and Sounds True have put together the ultimate audio learning set for those who are fans -- or would like to be fans -- of the great American spiritual philosopher Ken Wilber. Tammy closely interviews Ken as to the many components of this "theory of everything," and she is relentless in making sure that Ken has explained topics to the point where they can be clearly understood.

Ken, as always, is brilliant, and Tammy shows great spunk throughout. One of my favorite exchanges comes early on where Ken is describing first person, second person, etc., and at one point he says something like, "You have to have two minds capable of understanding each other to have this. Suppose, for example, that you were catatonic..." and Tammy shoots back "...or that you, Ken, were totally incomprehendible." Well, maybe you have to hear it, but it is definitely funny.

Tammy has clearly done her homework, and Ken has such a huge wealth of information at his disposal that a great deal of ground gets covered. The reason I have given this 4 as opposed to 5 stars is that it ... is ... just ... a ... little ... long. But then again, if you want a comprehensive learning experience, you'll certainly get it here. Another slight criticism is that Tammy doesn't really push or challenge Ken personally here (e.g., the way Ken is pushed and challenged in the earlier Speaking of Everything CD interview). But then again, when looked at for its main purpose -- conveying the breadth and some of the depth of Ken Wilber's theories -- Kosmic Consciousness does an excellent job.

This interview, while perhaps a little light for the most serious of Wilber scholar's, does have a good deal that is new and interesting and that will keep the interest of the already-deeply-immersed. And for the person struggling to understand Ken's books, especially the technical details of concepts like lines, levels, waves, quadrants, and so on, Kosmic Consciousness will be a real Spirit-send. All in all, if you know a Ken Wilber fan, or someone who should be a Ken Wilber fan, then this ten CD audio set will make a great gift.