The Rise And Fall of Ken Wilber - Mark MansonFrom there, the integral movement began to sputter. Rabbi Marc Gafni,
a spiritual leader whom Wilber aligned himself and even co-sponsored
seminars with, was later indicted in Israel for child molestation.
Despite this, Wilber and his movement refused to distance themselves or
repudiate him. In fact, the whole integral scene doubled down, claiming
that its critics were “first-tier thinkers,” and were coming up with
lies in order to attack a greater, higher level of consciousness that it
didn’t understand.
The seminars slowed to a crawl. Wilber’s health deteriorated greatly (he was diagnosed with a rare disease
that keeps him bed-ridden). He stopped writing. Ten years on, despite
developing some fans in academia (some in high places) Wilber’s work had
yet to be tested or peer-reviewed in a serious journal. Much of his
posting online devolved into bizarre spiritual claims (such as this one about an “enlightened teacher” who can make crops grow twice as fast by “blessing them”).
The brilliant
scientist-turned-monk-turned-recluse-turned-New-Age-celebrity, whose
ideas changed everything for so many people (myself included), devolved
into the butt of another New Age joke. How the mighty have fallen.
