What Is Enlightenment? Content Directory

« Back to subject directoryEvolution of Consciousness

 

Media Files

Ray Kurzweil
The Enlightened Universe
Forward-thinking scientist and inventor Ray Kurzweil shows you not just the shape of things to come but just how soon they're coming!
Dr. Ervin Laszlo
Information and Memory in Cosmos and Consciousness
A Voices from the Edge presentation in London

Dr. Ervin Laszlo presents a radical new theory of our “informed universe” in which information is as elemental as energy but is perpetually created and forever retained.

Edgar Mitchell
The Quantum Hologram

Astronaut and founder of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, Edgar Mitchell, discusses the nature of consciousness and its place in the cosmic scheme of things past, present, and future.

Howard Bloom
In Praise of Consumerism: The Spiritual Fruits of Materialism
A Voices from the Edge presentation in NYC

Join author, cultural scientist, and raconteur extraordinaire Howard Bloom as he radically redefines the significance of consumer culture.

Michael Dowd
Beyond Sustainability: A Hopeful, Inspiring Vision of the Next 250 Years
A Voices from the Edge presentation in NYC

Michael Dowd, former Evangelical minister, believes that as we integrate the story of cosmogenesis into our lives a worldwide spiritual revival will occur.

Otto Scharmer
A New Social Technology for Transforming Capitalism and Deepening Democracy
a Voices from the Edge presentation recorded live at Foxhollow Forum, MA
Join Otto Scharmer, corporate consultant and MIT visiting professor, for a presentation on “presencing,” a truly innovative social technology for accessing our deepest capacity to sense and shape the future.
Thomas de Zengotita
Mediated: The Effects of Media on Consciousness
a Voices from the Edge presentation in Lenox, MA

Thomas de Zengotita, Harper’s contributing editor, anthropologist and author, explores how media, from petroglyphs to the printed word to MTV, molds not just what we think, but how we think.

Yasuhiko Kimura
The Further Reaches of Human Consciousness
A Voices from the Edge presentation in NYC

Yasuhiko Kimura, integral philosopher and social visionary, addresses the matter of consciousness, what it is, and what it means to move it forward. A Voices from the Edge presentation.

Robert J. Sawyer
The Future in Fiction
A conversation with science-fiction author

Award-winning science fiction writer Robert J. Sawyer speaks with WIE's Tom Huston about the virtues of good fiction, compelling science, and an active interest in the future.

Allan Combs
The Evolution of We

Allan Combs, author of The Radiance of Being, cocreator (with Ken Wilber) of the conceptual model of consciousness known as the Wilber-Combs Lattice, and pioneering scholar in the field of conscious evolution, speaks with WIE about the history, development, and future evolution of consciousness—from the one to the many.

Barbara Marx Hubbard
A Fusion of Genius

Barbara Marx Hubbard, author, social innovator, and president of the Foundation for Conscious Evolution, speaks with WIE about the extraordinary promise humanity holds for the evolution of life—both in manifest form and as consciousness itself—on earth and throughout the universe.

Zoltan Torey
Light in the Darkness

Zoltan Torey, author of The Crucible of Consciousness, speaks about the tragic accident that destroyed his sight, and the profound insights into the nature of consciousness revealed in its aftermath.

Robert Wright
Fundamentalism vs. Modernity: A Worldcentric Perspective

Robert Wright, evolutionary thinker and author of Nonzero, speaks with WIE's Carter Phipps about creating higher integration in a polarized world.

Andrew Cohen & Ken Wilber
Guru and the Pandit, Live in Denver: Part 2

Andrew Cohen, pioneer of Evolutionary Enlightenment and Ken Wilber, integral philosopher, engage with members of Wilber’s Integral Institute in Denver, Colorado.

Chris Parish
The Ultimate Adventure
A Voices from the Edge event in London

Chris Parish reflects on his work at the frontiers of spiritual development and the evolution of human consciousness.

John Haught
An Unfinished Universe

John F. Haught, Landegger Distinguished Professor of Theology at Georgetown University and author of God After Darwin: A Theology of Evolution, speaks with WIE's Amy Edelstein about science, Darwin, God, nature, and our future in an infinite, evolving universe. Recorded at the 2006 Metanexus Conference.

Deepak Chopra & Andrew Cohen
Courage. Creativity. Passion. Ecstasy.

WIE founder Andrew Cohen and bestselling author and mind-body-spirit pioneer Deepak Chopra share the stage in NYC for a moderated discussion about what it takes to create the future.

Gary Lachman
Esoterica and the Evolution of Consciousness

This WIE interview features Gary Lachman, author of A Secret History of Consciousness and renowned authority on the history of the occult and Western esoteric philosophy, as he explores the life and work of such pioneering figures in modern esoteric spirituality as Blavatsky, Krishnamurti, Gurdjieff, Ouspensky, Jean Gebser and Rudolf Steiner.

Zoltan Torey
Language, Consciousness, and Self

Zoltan Torey, author of The Crucible of Consciousness, returns to WIE Unbound to speak with Andrew Cohen and Ross Robertson about his original and compelling theory of consciousness, language, and the self.

Joyce Kovelman
Gender Archetypes and the Evolution of Consciousness

WIE's Elizabeth Debold speaks with Dr. Joyce Kovelman, author, scientist, and spiritual innovator, about the evolutionary imperative in the universe and in the human psyche—as seen through the lens of masculine and feminine archetypes.

Andrew Cohen
Redefining the Spiritual Impulse

In this talk recorded live in Chicago, spiritual teacher and WIE editor-in-chief Andrew Cohen articulates a vision of the enlightened life that offers a radically new way to understand the quest for meaning in a secular postmodern culture.

Rupert Sheldrake & Andrew Cohen
Changing Kosmic Habits - Part One

In part one of this special two-part release, pioneering British biologist Rupert Sheldrake and WIE founder Andrew Cohen engage in a free-spirited dialogue about the nature and evolution of consciousness, exploring the habits or structures that shape our culture and demand our attention if we want to consciously create an enlightened future.

Andrew Cohen & Rupert Sheldrake
Changing Kosmic Habits - Part Two

In Part Two of this special two-part video, pioneering British biologist Rupert Sheldrake and WIE founder Andrew Cohen continue their free-spirited investigation into the nature and evolution of consciousness, exploring the phenomenon of interiority, the pursuit of higher potentials, and the urgent need to change our individual and collective habits to ensure an enlightened future.

Andrew Cohen
Special Release: The Art and Science of Enlightened Communication

In this video montage, Ken Wilber, Duane Elgin, Jim Garrison, and others describe why human beings must take an evolutionary leap to create a new and higher worldview. It also shows how such a step is possible through what spiritual teacher and What Is Enlightenment? magazine editor in chief Andrew Cohen calls the Art and Science of Enlightened Communication.

Steve McIntosh
How Does Consciousness Evolve?

Integral philosopher Steve McIntosh and WIE editor Carter Phipps explore the patterns and mechanisms through which human consciousness and culture develop. 

Steve McIntosh
Bringing an Integral Perspective to the White House

Integral philosopher Steve McIntosh gives some unorthodox advice to the next U.S. President on how to approach the most pressing challenges of the next four years.

Amir Aczel
Exploring Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's Scientific Roots

Science writer Amir Aczel explores the remarkable scientific career of evolutionary mystic Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.

Steven Vedro
The Coevolution of Technology and Consciousness

Steven Vedro speaks to WIE’s Carter Phipps about his recent book, Digital Dharma: A User’s Guide to Expanding Consciousness in the Infosphere, and discusses the unique role that technology plays in the evolution of consciousness.

Elizabeth Debold
Where Are the Women?
A Voices from the Edge event

Join Dr. Elizabeth Debold, founding member of the Harvard Project on Women's Psychology and Girls' Development, and What Is Enlightenment? senior editor, in a bold call for a new women's liberation.

Don Beck & Andrew Cohen
A Perspective That Changes Everything
A Voices from the Edge event in NYC

Join evolutionary enlightenment teacher Andrew Cohen and evolutionary theorist and activist Dr. Don Beck as they explore two powerful models for individual and cultural transformation.

Andrew Cohen & Ken Wilber
Guru and the Pandit, Live in Denver: Part 1

Ken Wilber, integral philosopher and acclaimed author, shares the stage with Andrew Cohen, pioneering spiritual teacher and founder of What Is Enlightenment? magazine. Filmed in Denver, Colorado, these videos feature dialogue and Q&A with members of Wilber's Integral Institute.

Michael Beckwith & Andrew Cohen
Is God Evolving? A Conversation About the Creative Principle
A Voices from the Edge presentation in Lenox, MA

Reverend Michael Beckwith, founder of Agape International Spiritual Center, speaks with WIE editor in chief Andrew Cohen about the evolution of the divine principle.

Duane Elgin
The Promise Ahead
A Voices from the Edge presentation
Duane Elgin, internationally recognized author, speaks about how our future might unfold in ways both good and bad, and explores how to begin collectively charting an intentional—and evolutionary—course. A Voices from the Edge presentation.
Michael Beckwith
Portrait of an Awakening

Michael Bernard Beckwith, founder and spiritual director of Agape International Spiritual Center, recounts his dramatic awakening to a higher power and purpose.

Andrew Cohen
A Passion for Evolution
A Voices from the Edge presentation in New York City

Join Andrew Cohen, pioneering spiritual teacher and founder of What Is Enlightenment? magazine, in a public talk concerning the evolution of consciousness and the creative impulse at the heart of existence.

Yasuhiko Kimura
The Transcendent Unity of Science, Art, and Spirituality
A Voices from the Edge presentation in Boston, MA
Yasuhiko Kimura makes you think. Literally. This corporate consultant and translator of mystical Chinese texts mixes an intriguing blend of Zen, the Socratic method, and cutting-edge evolution theory to stimulate your mind.
Brian Swimme
The Story of the Universe
Mathematical cosmologist Brian Swimme is both scientifically grounded and spiritually inspired in this portrayal of human consciousness as the end result and leading edge of 13.7 billion years of cosmic evolution.
Andrew Cohen
The Miraculous Impulse to Evolve
a Voices from the Edge presentation in London

In this Voices talk from London, spiritual teacher and WIE founder Andrew Cohen deconstructs familiar conceptions of God, spirituality, and the meaning and purpose of human life to reveal a profound vision of enlightenment for the sake of evolution itself.

Articles

Women, Enlightenment, and the Evolution of Culture
Andrew Cohen & Ken Wilber in dialogue
Issue 37
Creative Friction
Community and the Utopian Impulse in a Post-postmodern World

Andrew Cohen & Ken Wilber in dialogue
Issue 36
The Utopian Propensity
An interview with historian Fritzie P. Manuel
Issue 36
A Living Experiment in Conscious Evolution
In their latest dialogue, spiritual teacher Andrew Cohen and integral philosopher Ken Wilber turn their attention to the dynamics at work between Cohen’s students, whose collective spiritual practice aims to push human consciousness to new levels.
Issue 35
The Only Journey There Is
An Exploration of Cosmic & Cultural Evolution
Issue 35
A Brief History of Evolutionary Spirituality
Three centuries of progressive thinkers reveal that evolution has always been a fundamentally spiritual concept
Issue 35
A God-Shaped Hole at the Heart of Our Being
An interview with evolutionary theologian John F
Issue 35
God's Playing a New Game
Integral Spirituality, Evolutionary Enlightenment, and the Future of Religion

Andrew Cohen’s twenty years of experience as a spiritual teacher provides dynamic counterpoint to Ken Wilber’s comprehensive integral theory. The result is more than an exchange of ideas, as “guru and pandit” bring their rigorous inquiry and passion to this lively exploration of Wilber’s new manifesto.

Issue 33
Kosmic Questions
“Ask me anything,” Ken told our curious editors, so we did...
Issue 33
Where Are the Women? Part III
Beyond the Divine Feminine
Issue 32
Creating the Future
The Guru and the Pandit

Cohen and Wilber take to the stage in Denver, Colorado, and explore the future of enlightenment—they also field a wide assortment of questions and articulate commentary from the audience—in their first-ever public dialogue.

Issue 32
Moral Hierarchy
The key to evolving consciousness
Issue 31
The Transmission of Consciousness
Reviving the Role of the Spiritual Master
Issue 31
Laying the Tracks for a Moving Train
Revelation, Right View, and the Challenge of Conscious Evolution

In this, their 11th exchange, Cohen and Wilber explore how transformation is sustained in people. This leads to a discussion about the value of both spiritual experience and the framework in which experience is interpreted, and how each can lead to enlightenment.

Issue 31
The Ultimate Black Belt Test

At a time when the gospel of self-acceptance is leading to ever-lowering expectations, an audacious martial arts training program strives to replace mediocrity with mastery.

Issue 31
Higher Integration
The Guru and the Pandit

What does a second-tier, or integral, perspective signify? What does it look like, and how do we acquire it? These are questions that Cohen and Wilber address in this dialogue, which advocates a commitment to the very biggest perspective.

Issue 29
The Resonance of Awakening
The Guru and the Pandit

The importance of how the spiritual experience is interpreted is the focus of this conversation between Cohen and Wilber. They examine the impact of evolution on both culture and spirituality and delve into the nature of enlightenment in a world of evolving form.

Issue 28
Awakening the Double Wisdom of Civilization

How to awaken our collective consciousness through the power of mass communication.

Issue 27
Democracy Gets a 21st-Century Makeover
An internet initiative is making plans for a post-UN global government
Issue 27
The Higher We
Issue 26
Conflict, Creativity, and the Nature of God
The Guru and the Pandit

The guru and the pandit discuss the relationship between belief systems, views of reality, and political orientation in this thought-provoking dialogue. In so doing, they describe the nature of the creative process and its role in the process of transcending old structures.

Issue 26
Come Together: The Mystery of Collective Intelligence

Is it possible for groups to access a level of wisdom far beyond what is available to individuals? WIE takes an in-depth look at the miraculous phenomenon of collective consciousness that many feel is the next step in human evolution.

Issue 25
Following the Grain of the Kosmos
States, stages, selves, and the directionality of development

Wilber and Cohen exchange their understandings of how the developmental trajectory unfolds. They discuss the evolutionary impulse, what it is and why it’s significant, and differentiate between stages and states of consciousness.

Issue 25
Enlightenment Unplugged
Not just a book review of Walter Truett Anderson's The Next Enlightenment
Issue 24
In Search of a New Moral Compass
The Guru and the Pandit

The importance of a moral context for spiritual experience occupies the attention of Wilber and Cohen in this riveting exchange. They confront the ethical ambiguities of our time and re-insert morality into the discussion of postmodern spirituality.

Issue 24
Exploring the Future of Religion
The Guru and the Pandit

What would “spirituality appropriate” to our rapidly evolving times look like? Ken Wilber and Andrew Cohen consider new religious structures and the potential they have for bringing people together in a context that transcends the individual.

Issue 23
Are You Ready to Change Now?
Enlightenment for the 21st Century

Everybody wants to get enlightened but nobody wants to change! Join What Is Enlightenment? as we explore our evolutionary potential through new models of individual and collective transformation.

Issue 22
A Philosopher of Change

One of the new breed of evolutionary philosophers, Twilight Club Director Yasuhiko Kimura rails against the conspiracy of mediocrity plaguing the postmodern world, and shares his vision of the future human: homo universalis and beyond.

Issue 22
Do Here Now!
Introduction to this issue
Issue 21
Why Sri Aurobindo Is Cool
WIE proves that sometimes even dead gurus kick ass

A freewheeling tour through the fascinating life and work of one of the twentieth century's greatest evolutionary pioneers.

Issue 21
A Song that Goes on Singing

This contemporary Christian contemplative, passionate scientist, and philosopher speaks about the creative impulse behind the evolutionary design of the universe.

Issue 21
For the Sake of the Future
Seven Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Speak About Their Hopes for Humanity

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Rigoberta Menchu Tum, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and others.

Issue 21
The Evolution of Enlightenment
The Guru and the Pandit

In this, the inaugural dialogue of a new serialized feature of WIE, integral philosopher Ken Wilber and WIE founder Andrew Cohen talk together about the implications of enlightenment in an evolving universe.

Issue 21
The Breaking Point

An evolutionary activist warns us that the fragile systems of our biosphere and global human community are rapidly nearing “the breaking point.”

Issue 19
I'm Optimistic

This Internet entrepreneur and philanthropist has a dazzling vision of a 2050 society and some bold ideas to get us there.

Issue 19
Comprehensive Compassion

A visionary cosmologist explains why this may be the most critical yet potentially transformative time on the planet in 65 million years.

Issue 19
Toward Homo Noeticus

An evolutionary thinker gazes into the near future and sees the advent of a new kind of human being.

Issue 19
Where Are the Women?

Noting the surprising absence of women at the leading edge of cultural change, Debold asks what happened to the revolution that women started in the last half of the 20th century—and calls women to once again aspire to transform the status quo.

Issue 29
The Business of Saving the World
Can capitalism become a force for a new global consciousness?

Innovative organizational change makers—and their corporate counterparts—are tackling one of the most complex problems facing humanity: the urgent need for big business to evolve from being a profit–driven machine to a living system working for the future of the planet.

Issue 28
A New Consciousness For a World In Crisis
Geopolitical activist Dr. Don Beck shines new light on our greatest global challenges

From AIDS in Africa to the war in Iraq, Don Beck provides surprising insight into the cultural forces driving the news of the day.

Issue 28
Coming Out as a Moral Cosmopolitan
What It Means to Be a Human Being in the New Millennium

A rousing call to forge a new world from the depths of our own souls.

Issue 27
Faster Forward
Impressions of Our Emerging Future

From the far out to the close at hand, four futurists zoom out for a bird's eye view on the global changes we're experiencing now and can anticipate in the future—each outlining both the unprecedented challenges and mind-spinning opportunities humanity faces in the minutes and years to come

Issue 23
Epistemology, Fourth Order Consciousness, and the Subject-Object Relationship
or... How the Self Evolves with Robert Kegan

Psychologist and professor Robert Kegan illuminates the intricate processes of human transformation, and describes how consciousness needs to evolve to master the demands of a rapidly changing world.

Issue 22
Flow with Soul

This Hungarian-born painter, psychologist, and evolutionary thinker speaks about the flowering of human creativity and our potential to give meaning to the evolutionary process.

Issue 21
On Darwin, Evolution, and the Perfect Man

Believe it or not, this trailblazing yogi (who first brought Vedanta to the West) had studied Western evolutionary theory and developed a spiritual critique of Darwin—in 1898!

Issue 21
In Search of Babaji
WIE Tracks Down the Elusive Yogi-Christ of the Himalayas
Issue 21
Come Together
Introduction to this issue
Issue 19
The Great Work
Reviewed by Susan Bridle

Susan Bridle considers eco-theologian Thomas Berry's resounding call to our ecological conscience.

Issue 19
The Divinization of the Cosmos

Brain Swimme in a discourse on the work and vision of Christian mystic, paleontologist, and pioneer of evolutionary spirituality Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.

Issue 19