A brief compendium of Ken Wilber's All Quadrant All Level schema for consciousness.

I've had a few questions from visitors to the blog about my view of consciousness. In general I subscribe to an inter-subjective approach to consciousness (i.e., an individual consciousness that is formed in and through relationship). What else would you expect from an African? After all as we say in Africa umuntu ngumunta ngabantu (a person is a person through other persons).

So, I believe that your consciousness and identity is formed by your biological and psychological makeup. However, it is also formed by your social relationships, your gender, your social standing in society, your geographical location, when you live in history etc. There are four basic dimensions to identity:

1. The individual interior (what I think about myself).
2. The individual collective (what I think about 'my kind', e.g., maleness, richness, englishness etc.)
3. The individual exterior (how I am e.g., tall, white, weak, strong, healthy etc.)
4. The collective exterior (how we are e.g., we are English, white, South African which is different form being a black, Zulu, Zimbabwean)...

Well, here's a first podcast I did on Ken Wilber's integrative theory. It is followed by a second podcast on Wilber's All Quadrant All Level holarchic theory.

Please do excuse the quality - I was still figuring out my equipment, and certainly didn't have much confidence with recording! Hopefully, however, you find something useful in all of this! Lastly, if you're interested in reading a detailed (academic) explanation of my views please download this document (a copy of my PhD) and read chapter 5 (from page 156).

This Podcast is a discussion of Ken Wilber's notion of holons and holarchy. The concept is extremely enlightening and offers an interesting critique of hierarchies and heterarchies.

To find out more about Ken Wilber you can go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Wilber

Download the audio here: scast4.mp3

Please drop me a line and let me know if you're listening! Also feel free to add any comments using the comments link below.

Thanks for listening! Please drop me a line with any comments, suggestions, or discussion.

Comments

[Don Scrooby]

Dion, in your first two paragraphs you describe your understanding of consciousness and I agree with everything you say. I'm not sure whether you cover this in the podcasts, but don't you think that there is also a consciousness beyond the structures you describe. It's the one that knows all of that and can actually look at it and asess. Is it not what one would call Observer consciousness. As I understand Wilber, please help me if I've got it wrong, he acknowledges objectivity within Intersubjectivity in his book "Integral Spirituality" - the fact that we can look at and asess everything you described as consciousness. For me, and I find this not easy to grasp, this Observer consciousness is the portal where Spirit touches spirit. If you have been following the posts on Inspiration on the ministers network this is the struggle that I see when it comes to what is being grappled with there. Could you comment on this.

[digitaldion (Dion Forster)]

Hi Don,

Thanks so much for your post here! It is truly wonderful to hear from you.

I believe you are correct that there is a measure of objectivity within the intersubjective consciousness.

In some senses his notion of holarchies deals with this - objectivity is often approached from the point of seperation (I am me in that I am not you). However, within Wilber's notion of the holon (whole / parts) that is not the case. The whole and the part derive identity and value from one another. In the podcast (this one or the following one) I used an analogous example -

What is more valuable to the meaning of a poem? Letters of the alphabet, or words and their structure within sentences? Of course neither is more valuable than the other. Each has value within itself and each brings value to the other (letters create words, allowing them to exist. Whereas words allow letters to rise to a higher level of meaning through their constructive relationship with other letters)... Thus they grow in value as their meaning and relationship becomes more subtle and complex.

In that sense I believe there is some measure of objectivity within intersubjective consciousness - I can know 'who I am', but the true content of that knowledge gains greater value and meaning because of nested relationships (physical and spiritual, gross and subtle) within which I exist.

Does that make sense? I'm not sure if it answers your question!

Be blessed Don! It is wonderful to hear from you!

Regards,

Dion

[seeingmoreclearly.blogspot.com]

I like what you say. Perhaps just another question - How would you, from a Christian perspective, understand the Divine in Wilber's system? You see, I ask that because it has real implications for our understanding e g of the whole area of Inspiriation and of course other aspects of our spirituality. I think I grasp something of his understanding of Spirit and I'm trying to see it within the context of our faith. I'd really value your insight.
Thanks Dion.