2006 - What A Year!
In 2006, Integral World broke all visitors records, with close to 200.000 visitors, and 600.000 page views. It even topped the record year of 2003. One year ago, I was wondering if the time for Integral World, as a public space for debate about matters integral, was over. Not so.
I started blogging. I started running Google ads. I started writing essays to stress the need for validating Wilber's ideas (over merely promoting them), such as "A Spectrum of Critics", "My Take on Wilber-5", "Talking Back to Wilber". About 130 new postings were added to the Reading Room, including essays by Smith, Harris, Edwards, Benedikter, Galli, Benjamin, Falk and Chamberlain.
I published Jeff Meyerhoff's "Bald Ambition" and Alan Kazlev's "Integral Esotericism" (in progress) in separate chapters, thereby closing in on Integralism from different angles. I started republishing my old book "Seven Spheres", and reissued David Lane's criticism of Wilber's treatment of evolution, to which Lane added some new writing. As Wilber once published a "case study" to show that critics (e.g. De Quincey) misrepresent him, we can now build a case study to show how Wilber has misrepresented the status of evolutionary biology. Perhaps we will. Given the attention Dawkins' book "The God Delusion" has received (now #3 on Amazon!), this subject will stay on our agenda for a while.
But the greatest event of the year, of course, was Wilber's demonstration, in the Wyatt Earp Episode, that he was unable and/or unwilling to take criticism, or even feedback, and chose to ridicule and insult his critics. Thereby harming his reputation more then anything any critic has ever written. And showing his true colors.
For 2007, I plan to publish essays that touch on topics that have captured the interest of many: Iraq, the Middle-East, Atheism, Evolution, Reductionism, Intelligent Design, etc. as seen from an integral perspective, but with full acknowledgement of non-integral voices. The aim on Integral World is not to promote, but to validate, debate and discuss things integral. Not to explain but to explore.
I started blogging. I started running Google ads. I started writing essays to stress the need for validating Wilber's ideas (over merely promoting them), such as "A Spectrum of Critics", "My Take on Wilber-5", "Talking Back to Wilber". About 130 new postings were added to the Reading Room, including essays by Smith, Harris, Edwards, Benedikter, Galli, Benjamin, Falk and Chamberlain.
I published Jeff Meyerhoff's "Bald Ambition" and Alan Kazlev's "Integral Esotericism" (in progress) in separate chapters, thereby closing in on Integralism from different angles. I started republishing my old book "Seven Spheres", and reissued David Lane's criticism of Wilber's treatment of evolution, to which Lane added some new writing. As Wilber once published a "case study" to show that critics (e.g. De Quincey) misrepresent him, we can now build a case study to show how Wilber has misrepresented the status of evolutionary biology. Perhaps we will. Given the attention Dawkins' book "The God Delusion" has received (now #3 on Amazon!), this subject will stay on our agenda for a while.
But the greatest event of the year, of course, was Wilber's demonstration, in the Wyatt Earp Episode, that he was unable and/or unwilling to take criticism, or even feedback, and chose to ridicule and insult his critics. Thereby harming his reputation more then anything any critic has ever written. And showing his true colors.
For 2007, I plan to publish essays that touch on topics that have captured the interest of many: Iraq, the Middle-East, Atheism, Evolution, Reductionism, Intelligent Design, etc. as seen from an integral perspective, but with full acknowledgement of non-integral voices. The aim on Integral World is not to promote, but to validate, debate and discuss things integral. Not to explain but to explore.
posted by Frank Visser at 12:43 PM
13 Comments:
Congratulations on your fantastic traffic for Integral World.
That's all I really wanted to say, however, I do feel compelled to note that I disagree entirely with your analysis of the Earpy episode. In my opinion, Wilber didn't prove that he can't take criticism; he proved that he can write parody and the good ol' fashioned web rant with the best of 'em.
I don't want to open a can of worms, but just so my own difference of opinion is made clear. Congrats once again, Frank.
Hi Frank
Yes 2006 was quite a year! Probably for quite a few of us! I'm looking forward to seeing how 2007 unfolds.
The Integral movement, as a movement beyond just Wilber's Integral Community, is very recent, not more than a few years old, if that. But it seems to be really taking off now, with projects like your Integral World website, the Open Integral blog, the Zaadz community, and all of our respective explorations of what Integral means, how it can be developed, and diversified, and how it can be applied. So 2007 may well see the nascent Integral movement developing in all sorts of new directions!
"For 2007, I plan to publish essays that touch on topics that have captured the interest of many: Iraq, the Middle-East, Atheism, Evolution, Reductionism, Intelligent Design, etc. as seen from an integral perspective, but with full acknowledgment of non-integral voices. The aim on Integral World is not to promote, but to validate, debate and discuss things integral. Not to explain but to explore."
Hi Frank,
Just wanted to check in and encourage and support your stated 2007 direction.
It has been quite a year indeed. Glad to hear about your site traffic!
Alan, nice to see you again, and have been enjoying your web-presence.
Another website to keep on your radar is Shift in Action - where I admin along with Integral Visioning, the Heartmind forum, and the Integral Wiki.
Many new directions and potentials opening up...
-Michael
Have you guys read the story about Ken's hospital episode yet? What's the matter.. why isn't anybody bashing it already?! You can find the link in www.kenwilber.com
Looks like Frank had no trouble with Wilber's monological and hierarchical model back in his blue & orange days but after moving to green Frank has been so anti-wilberian..
Frank used to tell us how good it is to have Wilber building us all these maps and models. Now all he wants is debate and discussion.
It's very interesting to watch the changing dynamics between people.
It would be great to have all these maps and models if they actually led anywhere. It's now quite obvious that they don't.
Wilber's business is falling apart and his health is failing. What color is that?
A quote from Stanislaw Lem [or, at least, from the screenwriter(s) of Solaris, based on Lem's book] that is appropriate here:
"We take off into the cosmos, ready for anything – solitude, hardship, exhaustion, death. We're proud of ourselves. But when you think about it, our enthusiasm's a sham. We don't want other worlds; we want mirrors." –Gibarian in Solaris
May Integral World continue to explore other worlds and not get caught in the Hall of Mirrors.
nice comment Tom :-)
Thanks a lot for what You are doing!Information, that I managed to find here
is extremely useful and essential for me!With the best regards!
David
Hello, thanks a lot, You'v done a great job.I can only realize how much time and resources does it take to create such a resource!Great work, I am impressed!
Your article is very informative and helped me further.
Thanks, David
I would like to have more information on this comment you make about Wilber disregarding critics at Wyatt Earp. Sounds like a very serious...
"One year ago, I was wondering if the time for Integral World, as a public space for debate about matters integral, was over."
One can always hope.
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