The analysis is generally cogent and understandable to the careful reader, but it is sometimes presented in a more convoluted manner than is necessary (we can hope the final version of The Many Faces of Terrorism will be more streamlined). Readers familiar with Wilber's work may be most fascinated by the way this theorist links political movements to the four prime drives of all holons, a key feature of integral thought.
How persuasive the analysis will be to contemporary analysts of politics remains to be seen. Unfortunately for new readers, Wilber's analysis is dependent on a depth of vision that is not found either in the terrorism excerpts or in The Integral Vision. The political theory does not seem fully fleshed out as a presentation in itself, but rather an invitation to approach a deeper study of the entire Integral method. Ever the unapologetic generalist, Wilber is content to discuss examples of major political theorists such as Rousseau and Nietzsche, but without exploring the complexities and subtleties of their work. It's as if he's writing the Preface to a much longer history of political theory, one that would likely be completed -- if it is completed at all -- by his students.
Wilber has expounded the details of the Integral Framework over the course of twenty books, and he often points readers to original sources in psychology texts that many readers will not have read. It's not a mission impossible, but frankly comprehension of "Integral Politics" requires more effort than many readers will be willing to undertake.
However, diligent readers willing to study Wilber's Integral Theory will be richly rewarded with its sophistication and its applicability to virtually every sort of human endeavor. Wilber's writings on Integral Political Theory are his most detailed yet to see print, while his The Integral Vision is his philosophy's shortest and most accessible overview for beginners. Read together, these recent writings can introduce serious students of politics to an alternative to mainstream theories that is original, noteworthy and deserving of a wide audience.
Although the details of the political theory are complex, the overall thrust of Wilber's approach is straightforward. People are at different levels of development, he says, and that's a fact. If you can't speak to them and find room for them in your politics, then you must use coercion and brutality to achieve your ends. The alternative is to devise a more inclusive politics that gives persons at every station of life a respected and dignified place, but which leads from the highest levels of consciousness at any given point in history.
According to Wilber, the highest point of consciousness reached in our day is the Integral consciousness. If you are a thinker operating near or at an Integral level but are unfamiliar with Wilber's work, then start your journey with The Integral Vision and supplement it with Wilber's more detailed work such as "Integral Politics." If you aren't there, at least it may be some consolation that Wilber even makes room for you in his own politics of everything.
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