Robert Anton Wilson (1932–2007,) born Robert Edward Wilson, was an American author, novelist, essayist, editor, playwright, poet, futurist, and self-described agnostic mystic. He wrote 35 books on extrasensory perception, telepathy, metaphysics, paranormal experiences, conspiracy theory, sex, drugs.
Born in Brooklyn, Wilson contracted polio as a child and felt the effects throughout his life. He studied engineering and mathematics at Brooklyn Polytechnic and then New York University. He worked as an engineering aide, a sales representative, and a copywriter. Then, he before becoming a freelance journalist, publishing most notably in Paul Krassner’s early counterculture journal The Realist.
Wilson was an associate editor at Playboy 1965–71. He wrote four books: Book of Fabulous Words (1972,) Sex and Drugs: A Journey Beyond Limits (1973,) Sex Magicians (1973,) and The Book of the Breast (1974)—these books were a cult hit and have remained in print ever since.
Wilson was a significant figure in the counterculture. Wilson co-wrote with Robert Shea the Illuminatus (1975) trilogy—Eye of the Pyramid, Golden Apple, and Leviathan. This science-fiction series about a secret global society grew out of their experience as editors at Playboy, particularly from the Playboy Forum, readers’ letters, which they answered and occasionally wrote.
Wilson also wrote other nonfiction books, including Schroedinger’s Cat Trilogy (1980–81.) Cosmic Trigger (1977) is a strange autobiography in which he describes tales of when he believed that he had communicated with extraterrestrials—while confessing that he was experimenting with peyote and mescaline.
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Belief is the death of intelligence. As soon as one believes a doctrine of any sort, or assumes certitude, one stops thinking about that aspect of existence.
—Robert Anton Wilson
Topics: Belief, Intelligence
The more internal freedom you achieve, the more you want: it is more fun to be happy than sad, more enjoyable to choose your own emotions than to have them inflicted on you by mechanical glandular processes, more pleasurable to solve your problems than to be stuck with them forever.
—Robert Anton Wilson
Topics: Freedom
Pregnancy is a kind of miracle. Especially so in that it proves that a man and woman can conspire to force God to create a new soul.
—Robert Anton Wilson
Topics: Miracles
Nothing of any importance can be taught. It can only be learned, and with blood and sweat.
—Robert Anton Wilson
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