When the existential philosopher Colin Wilson died in December 2013, it was suggested by one perceptive obituary writer that, despite the seemingly diverse subject matter of his books, his true legacy lay in the field of Consciousness Studies. This is particularly apparent when studying his many essays and books on psychology and taking into consideration his close association with the celebrated American psychologist Abraham Maslow whose concept of 'Peak Experiences'(PEs) became, for Wilson, an important link to experiencing enhanced consciousness. Maslow, however, felt that PEs could not be induced at will; Wilson thought otherwise and through his work sought to encourage his readers and students to live more vital and appreciative lives thereby paving the way toward an evolutionary leap for mankind in consciousness-indeed, a change in consciousness that would potentially change everything.In this study, Colin Stanley, Wilson's bibliographer and author of Colin Wilson's 'Outsider Cycle': A Guide for Students and Colin Wilson's 'Occult Trilogy': A Guide for Students, provides an illuminating essay on each of Wilson's nine major books on psychology.

The last thing the world needs is yet another book delineating business-induced dangers and damages such as environmental disasters, social inequalities and unethical conduct. And yet, success in achieving sustainable growth - whether for the individual, organization, or the social community - has mostly eluded us. Just as a compass needle moves to magnetic north, our deeply seated behaviours push us back to practices that are familiar and comfortable, even when we have sought to make a change to act in ways that are more sustainable. How can we generate this deep and durable change in our values and beliefs, and thus both in our individual and collective decisions and behaviour at work? How can we unveil the best of our human qualities by learning to raise our consciousness to a more profound perception of ourselves and our relationship with the whole? And what if such a change could lead to an 'evolutionary leap' to a lasting flourishing state for us and for our organizations? This book describes how this shift in mindset and consciousness level can, and has indeed, taken place in organizations using meditative practice, not only for individual wellbeing (which is now well understood) but also for deep transformational change. Through this shift, we can move past a definition of sustainability as 'mere resource efficiency and long-term survival' , to one of 'sustainability-as-flourishing'. This book challenges many pre-conceived ideas about what a sustainably successful organization is and how it should be run. Based on a growing body of evidence - from neuroscience to business research - it maps out a path to empower all who wish to undertake this journey towards the realization of the highest potential in ourselves, our organizations, and our social and natural world.

A study of how evolution has forged our modern lives—from work and relationships to leadership and innovation, as well as our quest for happiness. Human psychology is rife with contradictions: We work hard to achieve our goals, but happiness at our success is fleeting. We hope our friends will do well in life but can’t help feeling jealous if they do too well. We’re aghast at the thought of people we know being murdered but are unconcerned when our armed forces kill enemies we’ve never met. We complain about difficult bosses but are often just as bad when we’re in charge. These inconsistencies may seem irrational, but each of them has evolved to serve a vital function in our lives. Indeed, the most fundamental aspects of our psychology were permanently shaped by the “social leap” our ancestors made from the rainforest to the savannah. In their struggle to survive on the open grasslands, our ancestors prioritized teamwork and sociality over physical prowess, creating an entirely new kind of intelligence that would forever alter our place on this planet. A blend of anthropology, biology, history, and psychology with evolutionary science, The Social Leap traces our evolutionary history to show how events in our distant past continue to shape our lives today. From why we exaggerate to why we believe our own lies, the implications are far-reaching and extraordinary. Praise for The Social Leap Winner of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Book Prize “A rollicking tour through humanity’s evolutionary past. . . . Von Hippel shows how our past explains the present and why our well-being rests on an understanding of how our minds evolved.” —Adam Alter, New York Times–bestselling author of Irresistible “Full of insight into human character, von Hippel’s book provides a stimulating program for measuring success without material yardsticks.” —Kirkus Reviews

Originally published in 1982 The Awakening Earth explores the idea of the Earth as a collective, self-regulatory living organism, and considers in this context, the function of the human race. The book provides an exploration of humanity’s potential and explores the possibility of mankind’s evolutionary future. Drawing on the work of physicists, psychologists, philosophers and mystics, the book argues that humanity is on the verge of another evolutionary leap and explores evolution in the context of spiritual growth, arguing that widespread inner awakenings could lead to a more analogous society, functioning as a single social super-organism, much in the way cells in a body function as a biological organism.

Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species, his revolutionary tract on evolution and the fundamental ideas involved, in 1859. Nearly 150 years later, the theory of evolution continues to create tension between the scientific and religious communities. Challenges about teaching the theory of evolution in schools occur annually all over the country. This same debate raged within Darwin himself, and played an important part in his marriage: his wife, Emma, was quite religious, and her faith gave Charles a lot to think about as he worked on a theory that continues to spark intense debates. Deborah Heiligman's new biography of Charles Darwin is a thought-provoking account of the man behind evolutionary theory: how his personal life affected his work and vice versa. The end result is an engaging exploration of history, science, and religion for young readers. Charles and Emma is a 2009 National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature.

Does the sun have the power to transform humankind? In Solar Revolution, German biophysicist Dieter Broers makes a compelling case, pointing to a wealth of scientific evidence that shows a remarkable correlation between increases in solar activity and advances in our creative, mental, and spiritual abilities. We are in the midst of a dramatic rise in solar disturbances, which have the ability to affect Earth in alarming ways, disrupting the geomagnetic field, knocking out entire power grids, and influencing the development of organisms and the ecology as a whole. Remarkably, solar activity is predicted to peak toward the end of 2012—the same time the Mayans predicted the end of days. But Broers—who has for decades been studying the effect of electromagnetic fields on biological systems—sees the coming shift not as an apocalypse, but as the dawn of a new age. Drawing on research from a variety of scientific disciplines, Broers shows how this eruption of solar activity is a positive thing for humanity, that it is boosting our brain capacity and expanding our minds in ways we never imagined possible. Abilities now seen as extraordinary or supernatural—such as telepathy, extrasensory perception, and off-the-charts intelligence quotients—will become ordinary and natural ... and may very well help us solve the mounting global crises we're now facing. Without a doubt, the way we think, feel, relate, communicate, and experience reality has been changing dramatically in recent years, and Broers affirms those changes will ultimately culminate in a new form of consciousness and harmony on Earth. Humankind is going through an evolutionary leap, says Broers, and the process has already begun.

What does it mean to be enlightened or spiritually awakened? In The Leap, Steve Taylor shows that this state is much more common than is generally believed. He shows that ordinary people — from all walks of life — can and do regularly “wake up” to a more intense reality, even if they know nothing about spiritual practices and paths. Wakefulness is a more expansive and harmonious state of being that can be cultivated or that can arise accidentally. It may also be a process we are undergoing collectively. Drawing on his years of research as a psychologist and on his own experiences, Taylor provides what is perhaps the clearest psychological study of the state of wakefulness ever published. Above all, he reminds us that it is our most natural state — accessible to us all, anytime, anyplace.

An interdisciplinary study that explores the impact of evolutionary theory on Victorian children's literature.

Winner of the 2010 Royal Society Prize for science books Powerful new research methods are providing fresh and vivid insights into the makeup of life. Comparing gene sequences, examining the atomic structure of proteins and looking into the geochemistry of rocks have all helped to explain creation and evolution in more detail than ever before. Nick Lane uses the full extent of this new knowledge to describe the ten greatest inventions of life, based on their historical impact, role in living organisms today and relevance to current controversies. DNA, sex, sight and consciousnesses are just four examples. Lane also explains how these findings have come about, and the extent to which they can be relied upon. The result is a gripping and lucid account of the ingenuity of nature, and a book which is essential reading for anyone who has ever questioned the science behind the glories of everyday life.