Integral Theory
Integral theory is Ken Wilber‘s attempt to place a wide diversity of theories and thinkers into one single framework.[1] It is portrayed as a “theory of everything” (“the living Totality of matter, body, mind, soul, and spirit”),[2] trying “to draw together an already existing number of separate paradigms into an interrelated network of approaches that are mutually enriching.”[1]
Origins[edit]
Ken Wilber’s “Integral Theory” started as early as the 1970s, with the publication of The Spectrum of Consciousness,[4] that attempted to synthesize eastern religious traditions with western structural stage theory, models of psychology development that describe human development as following a set course of stages of development.[5]
Wilber’s ideas have grown more and more inclusive over the years, incorporating ontology, epistemology, and methodology.[6] Wilber, drawing on both Aurobindo‘s and Gebser‘s theories, as well as on the writings of many other authors, created a theory which he calls AQAL, “All Quadrants All Levels”.
