The Psychology of Man's Possible Evolution [Paperback]

 

 

Create your own review

This is a great little book that offers a surprising amount of insight into the spiriual path. The book is written before Ouspensky published his book "In Search of the Miraculous", which goes into much more detail, but this book has so many little gems that it is worth every penny spent. To me Ouspensky is more accessible than reading Gurdjieff directly and gives a very good overview of the 4'th way teaching.

Some people have very negative opinions of Ouspensky and his books but for reasons that rarely have anything to do with the books themselves or the knowledge they contain. Usually they are associating everything with a bad experience they had in one cult or another that probably exploited all or some of the knowledge in books like the Psychology of Man's Possible Evolution, or, they're working from some uniquely conceived intellectual fetish like the 'Laws of Manu' and how their tradition is attempting to renew itself and strike terror into Democratic Man, or whatever... There's nothing about the Laws of Manu in this book by Ouspensky, nor is there anything having to do with cults or cult manipulation. The book itself explains very clearly the basic psychological side of what has come to be known as the Work, which is simply the universal ideas and practices of inner, spiritual development put into a very clear and precise and practical language. Aside from its unique terminology it is the inner meaning and goals of the New Testament, Stoic philosophy and some Buddhist literature (just to name a few examples from the full spectrum of universal influences...) This book doesn't contain the cosmological side of the Work which provide the metaphor and models for understanding the psychological side of the Work, but that can be found in Ouspensky's other major books the Fourth Way and In Search of the Miraculous. All these books require real effort in the area of study to learn the language that they contain as-well-as enough of a development in your life in the areas of physical activity, creative activity and the absorbtion of the lowest to the highest influences in the realms of art, philosophy, music, imaginative literature, history, religion and science. At first you're fighting your own ignorance. Later you fight your own laziness. The ultimate goal is to, in a very practical and real way, build your inner, spiritual body which requires conscious efforts in the right direction (a right direction that it is very possible to find on your own without the 'guidance' of a group or so-called school, in fact Ouspensky himself said late in his life that this Work could be learned on one's own without a school ['school' as that word is understood by the common schools associated with the Fourth Way, yet in the Work 'school' has a higher meaning as well, and is found in your everyday surroundings and the friction of going up against what in the Work is called the General Law...]) Learning a book like the Psychology of Man's Possible Evolution puts you on the road to the whole experience.

In spite of his difficulty in accepting Gurdjieff as an authentic teacher Ouspensky kept in contact with Gurdjieff from 1915 until their last meeting in France 1930. He started lecturing the 'system' already in the twenties in Constantinople and continued until close to his death in 1947.

(By the way I have yet to see a negative review with an e-mail address!)

When you take this book for what it is - a short introduction to the psychology of an extensive 'system for personal development' - then it certainly serves its purpose. The book was written to be read aloud to people waiting for Ouspensky to start his lectures. His audiences ranged from just a handful of people to some hundreds.

'The Psychology' gives you an overview of the psychology of Gurdjieff's teaching.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 11 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

4.0 out of 5 stars Power Packed in this small volume
This book, a little over 100 pages, is packed with Ouspensky's philosophy. This book might be a good place to start if one is trying to evaluate Ouspensky to decide whether or not... Read more

Published on May 13 2002 by Shawn Regan

5.0 out of 5 stars Potentially life changing: explosive knowledge within...
When you have had your first 'education' by the way of years of "ordinary" life; when you have been exposed to thousands of works of literature, art, science,... Read more

Published on Feb 26 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Anti-venin for the poision
I just scrolled through the reviews and am pleased to see divergent views, regardless of how misguided they may be.

But. . . Laws of Manu? Cult? Wha-a-a. . . ? Read more

Published on July 29 2001 by Mnemosyne

2.0 out of 5 stars Laying to rest the great lie of the Code of Manu
In this work Ouspensky perpetuates an historical confusion that vitiates his presentation of the so-called 'Work' and the 'Fourth Way' by injecting his obsessive concern with the... Read more

Published on Sep 6 2000 by John C. Landon

5.0 out of 5 stars A summary of Gurdjieff, and strikingly true
The basic substance of the Gurdjieff Work is here put in summary for the adept and laymen alike. As with Socrates and Plato and Colin Wilson, Ouspensky shows us what it is to... Read more

Published on Aug 6 2000

4.0 out of 5 stars The Fourth Way Explained
If you're new to Gurgjieffian thought, this is the book to start with. It gives a general overview of G.I. Gurdjieff and P.D. Ouspensky's main philosophical ideas. Read more

Published on Oct 20 1998

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't just read it - understand it.
This little book is one of those that is worth its weight in diamond. If you are on the fence about it - buy it. Read more

Published on Sep 23 1998 by freedom7777@yahoo.com

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended
A spare, terse distillation of the no-nonsense call to waking up in the manner of the 4th Way, which takes place not in the monastery, but in the ordinary conditions of life... Read more

Published on July 19 1998

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 11 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Search Listmania!