In their first ever “Guru-Pandit” dialogue, which appeared in the pages of EnlightenNext in spring 2002, editor in chief Andrew Cohen and esteemed integral philosopher Ken Wilber embarked on a groundbreaking exploration of the relationship between evolution and enlightenment. Since then, these two pioneers of evolutionary spirituality have expanded their inquiry to include a broad range of topics--from gender and morality to politics, postmodern culture, and the future of religion--all through a series of more than twenty dialogues that have become a central pillar of the magazine (not to mention our most popular feature!).
In this dialgue Cohen and Wilber get back to basics, teasing out the "fascinating, complex, and infinitely subtle" relationships between enlightenment and evolution, consciousness and culture, inner and outer, that have framed their discussions since day one. Drawing on decades of experience in the trenches of conscious evolution, they describe why it is becoming increasingly obvious to both of them that for anyone interested in pushing into the next stage of human development, it is essential to cultivate both a deep connection to the timeless, immortal dimension of consciousness itself as well as a sophisticated understanding of the dynamic and ever-changing structures of cultural development.
BIO
Ken Wilber is the world's leading “integral” philosopher. The author of such titles as A Brief History of Everything (1996) and A Theory of Everything (2000), his philosophy integrates body, mind, soul, and Spirit with self, culture, and nature. Integral philosophy is rapidly becoming a powerful presence in fields as diverse as politics and spirituality, psychology and business, medicine, and art.
Revered as the “Einstein of consciousness,” Wilber has written sixteen books exploring different facets of human development and cultural evolution. His first book, The Spectrum of Consciousness (1977), written when he was only 23, became a seminal text in the emerging field of transpersonal psychology. His most recent book, Boomeritis (2002), is a novelized critique of our postmodern culture and a call to move to a higher, more integral relationship to life. He is currently finishing the third volume of his Kosmos Trilogy, the most up-to-date summation of his continually evolving philosophy.
In 2000, Wilber founded the Integral Institute to support and promote integral thinking. The Institute acts as a clearinghouse for research and applications using the integral approach, and recently launched an engaging online resource, “Integral Naked,” to introduce cutting-edge integral thinkers to the public. His latest project is the development of Integral University, an online learning community that will offer accredited courses in a variety of fields such as Integral Ecology and Integral Law. With a growing popularity among the younger generations, Wilber's philosophy has sparked online discussion forum communities and e-zines, as well as live gatherings called integral salons. United under the banner of “IntegralNEXT,” their mission is “to help create connections between individuals and groups who are seeking to enact an integral vision in their day-to-day lives—people yearning for true integration, genuine transformation, and whole-hearted communion.”
Ken Wilber currently lives in Denver, Colorado.
Andrew Cohen, founder of EnlightenNext magazine, is a spiritual teacher and acclaimed author widely recognized as a defining voice in the emerging field of evolutionary spirituality. A life-changing awakening in 1986 brought Cohen to the end of his own search for liberation while simultaneously starting him on an exploration of the meaning and significance of enlightenment for our time. This has led him to a profound investigation of the human predicament and into dialogue with sages, saints, and spiritual luminaries from nearly every tradition and beyond.
In 1992, Cohen released the first issue of EnlightenNext (formerly What Is Enlightenment), expanding his own inquiry through the public forum of a magazine and pioneering an innovative form of spiritual journalism reminiscent of classical Socratic dialogue. Over the last decade on the pages of EnlightenNext, Cohen has brought together leading thinkers—mystics and materialists, philosophers and psychologists—to call for a higher and wholly contemporary synthesis of the spiritual truths found in the East and the empirical rigor of the West. Through the magazine and his writings, Cohen is creating a new context for understanding enlightenment as a human evolutionary imperative. Together with a growing network of integral visionaries, including Ken Wilber and Don Beck, he is helping to define a culture of thought that places spiritual transformation at the center of any vision of transforming the world.
