Robert Anton Wilson
American author, futurist, and agnostic mystic (1932–2007) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Robert Anton Wilson (born Robert Edward Wilson; January 18, 1932 – January 11, 2007) was an American author, futurist, psychologist,[1][2] and self-described agnostic mystic. Recognized within Discordianism as an Episkopos, pope and saint, Wilson helped publicize Discordianism through his writings and interviews.[3] In 1999 he described his work as an "attempt to break down conditioned associations, to look at the world in a new way, with many models recognized as models or maps, and no one model elevated to the truth".[4] Wilson's goal was "to try to get people into a state of generalized agnosticism, not agnosticism about God alone but agnosticism about everything."[5]
Robert Anton Wilson | |
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Born | Robert Edward Wilson (1932-01-18)January 18, 1932 Brooklyn, New York, US |
Died | January 11, 2007(2007-01-11) (aged 74) |
Notable work |
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Spouse |
Arlen Riley Wilson
(m. 1958; died 1999) |
Era | 20th-century philosophy 21st-century philosophy |
Region | Western philosophy |
School | |
Main interests | |
Notable ideas | |
In addition to writing several science-fiction novels, Wilson also wrote non-fiction books on extrasensory perception, mental telepathy, metaphysics, paranormal experiences, conspiracy theory, sex, drugs, and what Wilson called "quantum psychology".[6]
Following a career in journalism and as an editor, notably for Playboy, Wilson emerged as a major countercultural figure in the mid-1970s, comparable to one of his coauthors, Timothy Leary, as well as Terence McKenna.[7]