Human Growth and the Ultimate Way of Living 3: From Wilber's New Book, Opening Up

In the section on Growing Up, I wrote, 'Even if there are developmental stages, if one is influenced by the shadow and remains unaware of it, could regression occur?' The concept of Opening Up can be seen as the answer to that question.

Wilber posits that humans possess multiple lines of intelligence that cannot be captured by IQ alone, and that each develops relatively independently; he calls this development 'Opening Up.' He identifies these lines of intelligence as including Cognitive intelligence, Emotional intelligence, Moral intelligence, Interpersonal intelligence, Aesthetic intelligence, and Spiritual intelligence.

1. Cognitive intelligence
The fundamental question is, 'What exactly am I aware of right now?' (p.72).
This is not merely IQ or calculation ability, but the capacity to understand things, think logically, grasp complex relationships, take multiple perspectives, and recognize larger systems.
For example, young children understand the world centered on their own perspective, but as they develop, they become able to understand that 'others have thoughts different from my own.' Developing further, one becomes able to think that 'multiple factors such as psychology, family, culture, economy, and social systems are mutually influencing individual problems.'

2. Emotional intelligence
The fundamental question is, 'What do I feel about that?' (p.72).
This is the ability to notice one's own emotions, distinguish between them, put them into words, regulate them, and understand the emotions of others.
For example, moving from a vague feeling of 'I don't like this' to being able to recognize in detail, 'I am angry. However, beneath that anger, there is hurt and a fear of being abandoned,' is also a development of emotional intelligence.

3. Moral intelligence
The fundamental question is, 'What is the right thing to do?' (p.72).
This is intelligence regarding what is right, who to consider, how to balance one's own interests with those of others, and how to think about fairness and responsibility.
Simplifying the direction of development, the scope of moral concern expands: protecting only oneself -> protecting one's peers or group -> treating all humans equally -> considering non-human life, ecosystems, and future generations.

4. Interpersonal intelligence
The fundamental question can be expressed as, 'What is that other person thinking?' (p.293).
This is the ability to understand another's position, sense the other's feelings, engage in dialogue, cooperate, resolve conflicts, and establish appropriate boundaries.
It overlaps with emotional intelligence, but is slightly different.
Emotional intelligence centers on 'What am I feeling?'
Interpersonal intelligence centers on 'What is happening between me and you?'

5. Aesthetic intelligence
The fundamental question is, 'What looks the most attractive or most beautiful to me?' (p.72).
This is the ability to perceive beauty, recognize harmony, understand art, create new aesthetic expressions, and feel subtle colors, sounds, shapes, and rhythms.
It is not just the technical skill of 'being good at painting' or 'being good at music.'
For example, even when listening to the same music, there is depth in aesthetic perception, such as 'It's a bright song,' 'In this chord change, there is a sense of loss within the joy,' or 'This song transforms personal sorrow into universal beauty.'

6. Spiritual intelligence
The fundamental question is, 'What is of ultimate concern?' (p.72).
This can be called the ability to 'think about the meaning of life,' 'think about ultimate values,' 'hold a perspective that transcends the self,' 'understand religious and spiritual symbols,' and 'give meaning to mystical experiences.'

While Growing Up indicates 'climbing the developmental stages of Pre-Personal -> Personal -> Trans-Personal one by one,' Opening Up can be said to be the process of recognizing the multiple intelligences within a human being, developing each, and integrating them with one another.

It is normal for the intelligences discussed in Opening Up to have unevenness. This can be called Uneven Development.

For example, it is possible to have:
Cognitive intelligence: Very high
Emotional intelligence: Low
Moral intelligence: Low
Interpersonal intelligence: High
Aesthetic intelligence: High
Spiritual intelligence: Low

Let us say such a person experiences a sense of oneness with the universe. This can be called a spiritual experience in Waking Up.

Spiritual intelligence and spiritual experience are not the same.
The ability to think, 'What does this experience mean to me?', 'How do I understand this experience in relation to religion, psychology, science, and ethics?', or 'If I have had this experience, is there a possibility that I might cause regression if I interpret it narcissistically, such as by saying 'I am enlightened'?' is Spiritual intelligence.

If spiritual intelligence is low, one might think simplistically that this experience means 'I have reached the final stage of development, that is, the state of enlightenment.' If cognitive intelligence is high, one might also be able to intellectually explain that one has reached final liberation by utilizing difficult terminology from the perspectives of religion, psychology, and science.
Because interpersonal intelligence is high, one might create a group and eventually develop it into a cult. Because emotional and moral intelligence are low, one might not hesitate to take large donations from followers. If aesthetic intelligence is high, one might use the collected money to build a magnificent temple.
Eventually, if there is a possibility that fraud will be discovered, one will be criticized by society, and one will face judicial judgment, one might use high cognitive intelligence to create a story that they are being persecuted for injustice, and reach the conclusion that it is acceptable to kill those who oppose them, which can lead to the execution of such acts.

The impact of uneven development is not limited to the runaway behavior of such cults, but is often seen in extreme conspiracy theories, political confusion, organizational corruption, bullying, and harassment.

In modern Japan, there is a strong tendency to prioritize academic background and deviation scores, and there is a situation where only cognitive intelligence receives attention. This can lead to the 'Intelligence Trap' (Robson, D. 2025), where people who appear intelligent become intoxicated by their own theories, and those around them who have high cognitive and emotional intelligence 'understand the plausible 'intellectual' explanations and empathize too much with others, which can result in a situation where they are easily deceived.'

Furthermore, if only emotional intelligence is high, one might be deceived by fraud or get caught up with dependent people who empathize too much with others. People with only high interpersonal intelligence may become adept only at reading the room, and it may happen that they lose track of what they themselves are feeling.

Each intelligence can be improved if one notices its deficiencies. It is also good to know that if the 'peaks' are too prominent and the balance is too poor, it can become a disadvantage.

Rather than stretching only one ability to the highest level, by noticing the diverse intelligences within oneself and opening and integrating them, a new kind of Wholeness is born.

To achieve this, the Cleaning Up process of first knowing the peaks and valleys of one's own development and looking at and correcting the shadow becomes necessary.

We will cover Cleaning Up next time.

Reference:
Wilber, K. 2024, "Finding Radical Wholeness: The Integral Path to Unity, Growth, and Delight" Shambhala

Robson, D. 2025, "The Intelligence Trap," Nikkei Business Humanities Paperback

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