User:Joeperez69/Proposed new opening text for Integral Theory article

Integral Theory is an area of discourse emerging from the theoretical psychology and philosophy of Ken Wilber, a body of work that has evolved in phases from a transpersonal psychology synthesizing Western and non-Western understandings of consciousness with notions of cosmic, biological, human, and divine evolution into an emerging field of scholarly research focused on the complex interactions of ontology, epistemology, and methodology. It has been claimed to offer a "Theory of Everything" described as a "post-metaphysical" worldview and a "trans-path path" for holistic development; however, the discourse has received limited acceptance in mainstream academia and has been sharply criticized by some for insularity and lack of rigor.

Integral Theory (or integral approach,  consciousness , paradigm , philosophy , society , or worldview ) has been applied in a variety of different domains: Integral Art, Integral Ecology, Integral Economics, Integral Politics, Integral Psychology, Integral Spirituality, and others. The first interdisciplinary academic conference on Integral Theory took place in 2008. Integral Theory is said to be situated within Integral studies, described as an emerging interdisciplinary field of discourse. Researchers have also developed applications in areas such as leadership, coaching, and organizational development.

The Integral Institute was co-founded as a non-profit "think-and-practice tank" by Ken Wilber and others in 2001, to promote the theory and its practice. While there is no single organization defining the nature of Integral Theory, some have claimed that a loosely-defined "Integral movement" has appeared, expressed in a variety of conferences, workshops, publications, and blogs focused on themes in integral thought, such as spiritual evolution, and in academic developmental studies programs. Others, however, have denied the existence of a single Integral movement, arguing that such claims conflate radically different phenomena.