A Sociable God Toward a New Understanding of Religion [Paperback]

In one of the first attempts to bring an integral dimension to sociology, Ken Wilber introduces a system of reliable methods by which to make testable judgments of the authenticity of any religious movement.A Sociable Godis a concise work based on Wilber's "spectrum of consciousness" theory, which views individual and cultural development as an evolutionary continuum. Here he focuses primarily on worldviews (archaic, magic, mythic, mental, psychic, subtle, causal, nondual) and evaluates various cultural and religious movements on a scale ranging from egocentric to ethnocentric to worldcentric to Kosmic. By using this integral view, Wilber hopes, society would be able to discriminate between dangerous cults and authentic spiritual paths. In addition, he points out why these distinctions are crucial in understanding spiritual experiences and altered states of consciousness.

In a lengthy new introduction, the author brings the reader up to date on his latest integral thinking and concludes that, for the succinct and elegant way it argues for a sociology of depth,A Sociable Godremains a clarion call for a greater sociology."A Sociable Godis a thought-provoking book that has the potential to stimulate intense discussion about Wilber's theory and transpersonal psychology in general."—Contemporary Psychology: American Psychological Association Review of Books

"A concise, scholarly work."—Branches of Light

"I use Ken Wilber's approach all the time. I think it's the best map of reality we have."—Father Thomas Keating, author ofOpen Mind, Open Heart

Ken Wilber is the author of over twenty books. He is the founder of Integral Institute, a think-tank for studying integral theory and practice, with outreach through local and online communities such as Integral Education Network, Integral Training, and Integral Spiritual Center.

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