Healthy Thinking
and Ken Wilber
Healthy thinking
includes healing
thinking and healing
thinking involves healthy thinking. Often healthy thinking
is equated with positive thinking. However, healthy
thinking is not necessarily positive thinking, but most of
all balanced thinking since health entails balance
according to Chinese medicine.
Ken Wilber’s thinking and his integral vision appear healthy
and healing to a great extent. His
holarchical thinking includes and
transcends and thus unites what has been torn apart by
unhealthy fragmenting thinking that seems so widespread. In
our culture and society we tend to think in terms of
either/or
that often
creates wounds, antagonisms, conflict, and war.
Healthy thinking recognizes “both/and”
in addition to “either/or”. And healthy thinking acknowledges
even “neither/nor”
(neti neti) and thus points to the silence and mystery
beyond
thinking, writing, and speaking.
Ken Wilber’s
AQAL map includes body,
mind, and spirit in self, culture, and nature, or in art,
morals, and science. Integrating all of these aspects and
balancing them seems healthy and healing. A more
widespread recognition of this integration could
beneficially transform individuals, society, and the whole
world (see, for example, my book manuscript “Healing
Thinking and Being. Chapter 7:
AQAL Map by Ken Wilber Integrates the Unnamable and
Namable.”
Ken Wilber also recognizes that different ways of thinking,
different models, and different visions complement one
another. He underlines that “the world of manifestation is
the world of perspectives” (Ken Wilber. 2006. Integral
Spirituality. Boston & London: Integral Books. Shambhala,
p. 288). But he maintains that his AQAL map “is the most
comprehensive map we possess at this time” (Ken Wilber. 2007.
The Integral Vision. Boston & London: Shambhala, p. 213)
and that “it is the only genuinely integral view that we are
aware of at this time” (ibid., p. 179). Such claims appear
unfounded and have led to intense controversy and unhealthy
accusations (see Ken Wilber critique).
Daryl Paulson wrote: "First, for Wilber there is nothing
beyond Wilber. As one studies Wilber's writings it becomes
apparent that Wilber believes everyone is partially right,
but he is more right. Although he incorporates others' works,
they are always reduced to a component in his system, not the
other way around" (Paulsen, D. 2007. Wilber's integral
philosophy: A summary and critique. Journal of Humanistic
Psychology 48 (3), p. 381).
Such an attitude is not well balanced and therefore appears
somewhat unhealthy.
In my book Wilber’s AQAL
Map and Beyond, I pointed out
that Ken Wilber insists that the Kosmos is basically
holarchical, which means that “the Kosmos is a series of
nests within nests within nests indefinitely” (Ken Wilber.
2001. A Theory of
Everything. Boston:
Shambhala, p. 40). Although it appears useful to view the
Kosmos in a such a holarchical way, other non-holarchical
ways present other aspects of the Kosmos. Thus, one can see
the Kosmos in terms of undivided wholeness, as a continuum, a
network, and yet other ways as I have pointed out in
Wilber’s AQAL
Map and Beyond. To avoid
misunderstandings, I have to emphasize that Ken Wilber
also recognizes these other views, but not with regard to
the most basic structure of the Kosmos, that is, manifest
reality. Including these other views with regard to the
most basic structure of manifest reality could lead to
greater balance and health.
Ken Wilber also insists that “the only way you get a holism
is via a holarchy” (Ken Wilber. 2000. A Brief History of
Everything. 2nd
revised edition.
Boston & London: Shambhala, p. 25). Again, other ways of
getting a holism are known (see Chapter 1:
Hierarchy and Beyond in
Wilber’s
AQAL Map and Beyond).
Selecting one view, claiming that it is the only right one,
and ignoring or denigrating other complementary views that
enrich our understanding of reality appears unhealthy,
especially if we consider that health is related to balance
and wholeness. It appears healthier to acknowledge
complementary
views in a spirit of
tolerance (see also Ken Wilber's AQAL map and
Korzybski, Chapter 6
on Complementarity in my
book Wilber’s
AQAL Map and Beyond, and the
website on Healthy Thinking
Skills).