#29 – Robert Anton Wilson: Preparing for the 21st Century (1988)
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Robert Anton Wilson (January 18, 1932 – January 11, 2007) wrote 35 books and over 1,500 published articles. He coauthored, with Robert Shea, the underground classic The Illuminatus! Trilogy, which won the 1986 Prometheus Hall of Fame Award. His writings include Schrödinger’s Cat Trilogy, called “the most scientific of all science fiction novels,” by New Scientist, and nonfiction works of Futurist psychology and guerrilla ontology, such as The Cosmic Trigger Trilogy, Prometheus Rising, Quantum Psychology and The New Inquisition.

Bob worked as an associate editor at Playboy magazine from 1966 to 1971. In 1975, with his wife Arlen, he founded the Institute for the Study of the Human Future. In 1976, he created the Starflight Network to help implement Timothy Leary’s SMI2LE philosophy (Space Migration, Intelligence Increase, and Life Extension), and promote The Eight Circuit Model of Consciousness (see Prometheus Rising). Bob regularly gave seminars at Esalen and other New Age centers, and lectures across North America and Europe. He made both a comedy record (Secrets of Power) and a punk rock record (The Chocolate Biscuit Conspiracy), and his play Wilhelm Reich in Hell was performed at the Edmund Burke Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. His novel Illuminatus! was adapted as a 10-hour science fiction rock epic and performed under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Great Britain’s National Theatre, where Bob appeared briefly on stage in a special cameo role. In 2006, as the unofficial write-in candidate for the Guns and Dope Party, Bob ran in the election for Governor of California.

Maybe Bob was a futurist, author, lecturer, stand-up comic, guerrilla ontologist, psychedelic magician, outer head of the Illuminati, quantum psychologist, Taoist sage, Discordian Pope, Struthian politician . . . maybe. Bob said Model Agnosticism consists of never regarding any model or map of the universe with total 100% belief or total 100% denial. Bob’s Maybe Logic inspired the creation of the Maybe Logic Academy. Once when asked if he saw himself as a philosopher, he replied, “I am more of a speculator.”

Robert Anton Wilson married the freelance writer Arlen Riley in 1958; they had four children, Christina, Graham, Alexandra, and Patricia known as Luna.

Robert Anton Wilson)

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