The Fallacy Of The Pre/Trans Fallacy

Ken Wilber defines the “pre/trans fallacy” as mistaking the experience of “pre-rational bliss” with “trans-rational bliss.” Wilber suggests that these are not the same. The first, Wilber says, is really the Romantic bliss of ignorance in early man, the second is the true bliss of God-consciousness which has been attained only after evolution. This way it seems that Wilber can include evolution and progress for man without getting trapped by a Romantic view of a past Golden Age, as the myths portray.

One benefit of here exposing this non-fallacy is that if pre and trans are essentially the same then Tradition can be affirmed, eg., Perennial Tradition, because the Golden Age bliss is not really different from the New Age trans-rational bliss. The same virtual God was and is experienced, and evolution can be validated, without degrading the Golden Age experience. We have not evolved far from early man.

The problem with Wilber---who has many admirable qualities---and the problem with many mystics, is that they tend to stop their search at God-consciousness rather than at Godhood Itself, or they stop with the Awareness of Nonduality rather than Nonduality Itself.

Nonduality and God-consciousness are possessed only by God, not by animal, man or superman. We can sometimes catch a virtual glimpse of God-consciousness by experiencing the seed or soul of God that dwells within us. This is the Involutionary Way, which is usually accomplished by blocking out the Evolutionary Way.

Evolution is related to the Transcendence of God without and Involution is related to the Immanence of God Within. Immanent Involution leads to the attainment of the virtual experience of the God Within.or the Soul , whereas Evolution leads to the Transcendent of the God Without.

A virtual experience of God, great as that may be, is not enough. The Dual Aspect of the Soul and Spirit must be seen. Both the Immanent and Transcendent Aspects of the Soul and Spirit can be affirmed, and together, with great time and effort, we can bio-spiritually evolve all the way to Godhood, where the Immanent and Transcendent truly become One, Nonduality, or God.