Famous Thinkers

Famous Thinkers

Famous Thinkers
Two famous thinkers of today would be Andrew Cohen and Ken Wilber. These two philosophers study the spiritual being and the route of the human mind on the path of enlightenment. Andrew Cohen was born in New York City in 1955 to an upper class secular Jewish family. Ken Weber was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1949. These two philosophers believe that a human’s perception of enlightenment is based on what that person has experienced in their life time. The open-ness of the mind depends on what the mind allows to absorb and experience. The wide spectrum of the thoughts and ideas of these two are not easily grasped. One has to be in tune with their mind and be able to allow their body to spread out and explore and be open to its surroundings to feel everything in its fullness.
Andrew Cohen came upon his enlightenment at the age of sixteen after a horrific experience. Cohen believes that experiences, like the one that he had earlier in his life, lead to the openness needed to feel enlightenment. Cohen believes that a person background and upbringing has a lot to do with how one interprets and experience different situations. Therefore the interpretation of those experiences opens the door to how we view the world around us, and how we see ourselves in the world and everything that the world is made up of. These experiences allow us to set up our value system.
Eastern influences inspired Ken Wilber in most of his beliefs and much of his philosophes. Wilber beliefs use a combination of the body, mind, soul, and the spirit and how it interacts with self, culture, and nature. His literature works cover different facets of the human development and the evolution of culture. Wilber ideas include the thought that over time ideas change and evolve, ideas get revamped, insight becomes deeper, and understanding becomes more widespread. Wilber believes that we as thinkers have to think on two dimensions. The first dimension being what we already have as understanding and then the next dimension where we expand our understanding of what we know and use that knowledge to make decisions and that molds our beliefs.
Cohen and Wilber ideas were innovative in the beginning. Over time their ideas and beliefs were used by many. Oprah Winfrey often refers to one being their “authentic” self. The “authentic” self is the idea of Andrew Cohen and it requires the ability to open one’s mind to bigger and wider ideas. Cohen’s evoluntary enlightenment uses two opposite sides of the human makeup and identity the “ego” and the “authentic self”. Cohen defines the “ego” as the deep compulsive self to be superior at all times. The authentic self is defined as the need to become more aware. Andrew Cohen has been referred to as a spiritual guru because of his beliefs and views and is also known as a musician; Cohen also offers retreats all around the world that are held up to three weeks. Those retreats allow the follower to be in the presence of the thinker and are encouraged to listen and share ideas and thoughts with Cohen. Both philosophers’ ideas were not like any other, and since their many books and lectures they have both gained popularity in the form of followers. Both Cohen and Wilber have worked together, giving lectures and writing articles together. Cohen often gives credit to Wilber to encouraging him to reach his level of enlightenment. It is no surprise, their thinking pattern go hand in hand with each other. Their ideas and beliefs are very similar.
The ideas and beliefs of both great thinkers have been used by former President Bill Clinton. An Andrew Cohen and Ken Wilber idea on war takes the notion of war on many different levels and gives a greater insight to the issue of war than the two sides. Andrew Cohen and Ken Wilber simply offer the encouragement to open one’s mind, and to dig deeper into what ideas that one might harbor and be unaware of. Because our life experiences mold our every decision in life, it is important to take a step back and open the mind up to different viewpoints of every situation. Different viewpoints on every situation allows one to understand the feelings of another, and allows one to think about the decisions made and how those decisions effect everything around that person. Any idea not properly thought out can have a negative effect on the environment, it can also change situations not only surrounding the undecided decision but all those decision that further result from one un-thought out decision. From the readings of these two great thinkers one can be encouraged and enlightened in the ways to reach a higher element on their thought pattern. Andrew Cohen and Ken Wilber ideas are above and beyond any common or ordinary way of thinking. The practice of reaching the new levels and dimensions of the thought process that Cohen and Wilber suggest, would take years for one to reach. One would first have to allow their minds to open up and travel to a place that would allow the flow of free thinking to take a step in. The ideas of Cohen and Wilber are not easily reached and thought out. Their ideas and thoughts are as fresh today as they were when these two men first started out on their own journeys of enlightenment. Those that chose to follow the ideas and teachings of these two men; life has to forever be changed for the better. To be able to have an understanding of the form of thinking out side of the box and against the grain, is not a process that comes easily. As Cohen and Wilber suggest, the dimension that the mind needs to reach to be such a free thinker, can only be reached through some sort of tragic event. Only tragic events allow one’s mind to go to different places and be able to hit bottom and build ones thoughts and ideas back up to a proper level of thinking. The ideas of Cohen and Wilber are not easily received, however, their ideas to be encouraged to be sought after by all, to allow for better understanding of problems and new ways to gain a solution.

Reference
Cohen, A., & Wilber, K. (Dec. 2008 - Feb. 2009). The Interdynamics of Culture and Consciousness. EnkightenNext, n.a.(42), 41-44, 46-48, 50, 52.