The Church of All Worlds, the invented religion I mentioned in yesterday's post, is largely based on Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land and the ideas and rituals therein, including the ritual of sharing water.
The Church of All Worlds website includes a chronology of important events in the history of the church. Here's the entry for 1974 (Tim is church founder Tim Zell, aka Oberzon Zell; MG is Morning Glory, Tim's main squeeze and soul mate):
MG and Tim are married in huge public Pagan handfasting in Minneapolis (April 14). Isaac Bonewits & Carolyn Clark officiate; Margot Adler sings Gwydion songs. Tim & MG share water with Robert Anton Wilson. Morning Glory ordained (Aug. 1). Tim & MG attend sci-fi Worldcon in Wash. DC (Labor Day), win 1st prize in costume contest as “most primal.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Invented Religions by Carole M. Cusack
Useful background on Robert Anton Wilson's cultural milieu is provided by Invented Religions: Imagination, Fiction and Faith by Carole M. Cusack, an Australian religion professor and scholar. This book, on very recent religions, includes a chapter on Discordianism, a chapter on the Church of All Worlds (originally inspired by Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land), a chapter on the Church of the Subgenius and a chapter on even more recent religions such as Jediism, Matrixism and the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Familiar names pop up in the bibliography, such as Eric Wagner (his An Insider's Guide to Robert Anton Wilson is cited several times) and Jesse Walker.
Robert Anton Wilson pops up all over the place, sometimes in ways that I did not expect. I knew that RAW contributed pieces to the journal Green Egg and read it, but I did not know it was published by the Church of All Worlds.
A couple of sentences from the book:
"Literary critic Scott McFarlane has argued that Heinlein could not control the reception of his narrative; 'it belongs to the world.' The readers of the Illuminatus Trilogy and other Discordian-influenced books and websites internalized the mythos, and externalized it as a legitimate narrative of meaning and religious inspiration. The founders of Discordianism are all dead, but the story lives on."
Robert Anton Wilson pops up all over the place, sometimes in ways that I did not expect. I knew that RAW contributed pieces to the journal Green Egg and read it, but I did not know it was published by the Church of All Worlds.
A couple of sentences from the book:
"Literary critic Scott McFarlane has argued that Heinlein could not control the reception of his narrative; 'it belongs to the world.' The readers of the Illuminatus Trilogy and other Discordian-influenced books and websites internalized the mythos, and externalized it as a legitimate narrative of meaning and religious inspiration. The founders of Discordianism are all dead, but the story lives on."
Friday, March 29, 2013
Paul Williams dies
There are many people named Paul Williams on Wikipedia but I am referring to the Paul Williams who founded Crawdaddy and served as Philip K. Dick's literary executor.
The Wikipedia article gives a good summary of his achievements. Here is a piece that emphasizes his role as Dick's literary executor. Here's the article in Rolling Stone.
Because interest in Philip K. Dick tends to fuel interest in Robert Anton Wilson (and vice versa), I would argue that Williams' efforts on behalf of PKD helped keep interest in RAW alive.
The Wikipedia article gives a good summary of his achievements. Here is a piece that emphasizes his role as Dick's literary executor. Here's the article in Rolling Stone.
Because interest in Philip K. Dick tends to fuel interest in Robert Anton Wilson (and vice versa), I would argue that Williams' efforts on behalf of PKD helped keep interest in RAW alive.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Science fiction super weirdo!
The excellent Ted Gioia has an article about Cordwainer Smith in the Atlantic. Here is a sentence from the piece: " In a genre that rarely shows restraint, Cordwainer Smith may have been the loosest cannon of them all."
Via Roman Tsivkin (who called Smith "the science fiction author who out-PKD'ed PKD" and Supergee.
You can track down Smith's stuff and read it if you are determined, although distribution of his work these days is the usual mess for dead SF authors. Most of his stuff is unavailable for Kindle, for example. The official website run by Smith's daughter has search tools to make it easier to find his books.
Bonus science fiction link: Dilbert and his buddies discuss Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics (March 28 strip).
Via Roman Tsivkin (who called Smith "the science fiction author who out-PKD'ed PKD" and Supergee.
You can track down Smith's stuff and read it if you are determined, although distribution of his work these days is the usual mess for dead SF authors. Most of his stuff is unavailable for Kindle, for example. The official website run by Smith's daughter has search tools to make it easier to find his books.
Bonus science fiction link: Dilbert and his buddies discuss Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics (March 28 strip).
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
RAW on James Joyce's greatness
PQ, featured in yesterday's post, Tweets a provocative quote from Robert Anton Wilson: "James Joyce is more important than Jesus, Buddha, and Shakespeare put together."
There's no doubt that Wilson saw Joyce as a revolutionary writer, and I don't think it's a coincidence that Masks of the Illuminati pairs Joyce with Albert Einstein, a revolutionary scientist. But it's also true that RAW knew he was being provocative. Here's a bit more of that question and answer:
CRNLA: Any more artistic opinions?
RAW: If I must. James Joyce is more important than Jesus, Buddha and Shakespeare put together. Pound is the greatest poet in English. Thorne Smith should be reprinted immediately, and would be enormously popular with the current generation, I wager. The novels that get praised in the NY Review of Books aren't worth reading. Ninety-seven percent of science fiction is adolescent rubbish, but good science fiction is the best (and only) literature of our times. All of these opinions are pompous and aggressive, of course, but questions like this bring out the worst in me. Artistic judgments are silly if expressed as dogmas, at least until we get an "artometer" which can measure objectively how many micro-michelangelos or kilo-homers of genius a given artifact has in it.
The interview is one of my favorites. You can read it here.
PQ, by the way, has begun his annual Major League Baseball preview at his blog. I await his prediction for the Cleveland Indians with a sense of foreboding.
There's no doubt that Wilson saw Joyce as a revolutionary writer, and I don't think it's a coincidence that Masks of the Illuminati pairs Joyce with Albert Einstein, a revolutionary scientist. But it's also true that RAW knew he was being provocative. Here's a bit more of that question and answer:
CRNLA: Any more artistic opinions?
RAW: If I must. James Joyce is more important than Jesus, Buddha and Shakespeare put together. Pound is the greatest poet in English. Thorne Smith should be reprinted immediately, and would be enormously popular with the current generation, I wager. The novels that get praised in the NY Review of Books aren't worth reading. Ninety-seven percent of science fiction is adolescent rubbish, but good science fiction is the best (and only) literature of our times. All of these opinions are pompous and aggressive, of course, but questions like this bring out the worst in me. Artistic judgments are silly if expressed as dogmas, at least until we get an "artometer" which can measure objectively how many micro-michelangelos or kilo-homers of genius a given artifact has in it.
The interview is one of my favorites. You can read it here.
PQ, by the way, has begun his annual Major League Baseball preview at his blog. I await his prediction for the Cleveland Indians with a sense of foreboding.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
PQ on the human brain
PQ at A Building Roam has a good post "On the Lofty Potential of the Human Brain."
"Soaking in certain books and lecture materials (mainly revolving around the works of Robert Anton Wilson and Timothy Leary) over the last few weeks has had me often floating in a deep, blissful and prolonged appreciation and consideration of the human brain, nature's astounding biocomputer," he writes, and there are references to discussions of Masks of the Illuminati at this blog, including comments from Oz Fritz.
Bonus link: Reason has published my review of Cory Doctorow's Homeland.
"Soaking in certain books and lecture materials (mainly revolving around the works of Robert Anton Wilson and Timothy Leary) over the last few weeks has had me often floating in a deep, blissful and prolonged appreciation and consideration of the human brain, nature's astounding biocomputer," he writes, and there are references to discussions of Masks of the Illuminati at this blog, including comments from Oz Fritz.
Bonus link: Reason has published my review of Cory Doctorow's Homeland.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Masks of the Illuminati, Part Six
Pages 167-213 of the Dell Edition; Pocket Books pages 138-176; about 60 percent of an ebook
"I am seeking multi-dimensional vision. I wish to see deeply into Gothic novels, Zola novels and all other masquerades, and then beyond them." Page 173, Wilson's artistic credo, derived from reading Joyce.
"who understands modern mathematics as well as Aleister Crowley, but aside from that his head is a swamp of mushy mysticism." RAW liked math and was accused of mushy mysticism.
Book Four by Aleister Crowley page 182, in spite of the fact that a book written in 1912 ought to be easily available in the public domain, I have not been able to locate a downloadable complete copy. The first three parts may be read online here. (Update: It appears everything is here -- see the comments.)
Page 184, to say "This is transitory" about all incidents and events is a key teaching of Buddhism.
"The Moral Majority," page 185, Wilson's opinion of the group, but also a way to signal that Wilson himself wrote "De Oculo Hoor," that it's not an authentic old document.
"I am seeking multi-dimensional vision. I wish to see deeply into Gothic novels, Zola novels and all other masquerades, and then beyond them." Page 173, Wilson's artistic credo, derived from reading Joyce.
"who understands modern mathematics as well as Aleister Crowley, but aside from that his head is a swamp of mushy mysticism." RAW liked math and was accused of mushy mysticism.
Book Four by Aleister Crowley page 182, in spite of the fact that a book written in 1912 ought to be easily available in the public domain, I have not been able to locate a downloadable complete copy. The first three parts may be read online here. (Update: It appears everything is here -- see the comments.)
Page 184, to say "This is transitory" about all incidents and events is a key teaching of Buddhism.
"The Moral Majority," page 185, Wilson's opinion of the group, but also a way to signal that Wilson himself wrote "De Oculo Hoor," that it's not an authentic old document.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Libertarians and peace
Reason's Hit and Run blog and Jesse Walker call our attention to an important essay, "Libertarians and War: A Bibliographical Essay" by Anthony Gregory, a writer I admit I was not familiar before. It offers an excellent discussion of libertarian antiwar thought, with lots of links to books, essays and blog postings.
The sort of libertarian who reads this blog will perhaps notice the omission of Robert Anton Wilson, a prominent antiwar libertarian. On the one hand, this is understandable, as Wilson did not write any books devoted solely to antiwar themes or even any essays (that I can think of, at least -- please point to anything I've missed.) On the other hand, antiwar themes are a major component of Illuminatus!, arguably the most important libertarian novel of the last few decades, and antiwar statements permeate Wilson's work. A couple of examples: Wilson contributed a short story, "Von Neumann's Second Catastrophe," to Lewis Shiner's antiwar science fiction anthology, When the Music's Over, and Wilson wrote this in his essay, "Left and Right: A Non-Euclidean Perspective," reprinted in Email to the Universe: "I know I would kill an armed aggressor, in a concrete crisis situation where that was the only defense of the specific lives of specific individuals I love, although I would never kill a person or employ even minor violence, or physical coercion, on behalf of capitalized Abstractions or Government (who are all damned liars)."
I could write a long blog post pointing to other examples.
The sort of libertarian who reads this blog will perhaps notice the omission of Robert Anton Wilson, a prominent antiwar libertarian. On the one hand, this is understandable, as Wilson did not write any books devoted solely to antiwar themes or even any essays (that I can think of, at least -- please point to anything I've missed.) On the other hand, antiwar themes are a major component of Illuminatus!, arguably the most important libertarian novel of the last few decades, and antiwar statements permeate Wilson's work. A couple of examples: Wilson contributed a short story, "Von Neumann's Second Catastrophe," to Lewis Shiner's antiwar science fiction anthology, When the Music's Over, and Wilson wrote this in his essay, "Left and Right: A Non-Euclidean Perspective," reprinted in Email to the Universe: "I know I would kill an armed aggressor, in a concrete crisis situation where that was the only defense of the specific lives of specific individuals I love, although I would never kill a person or employ even minor violence, or physical coercion, on behalf of capitalized Abstractions or Government (who are all damned liars)."
I could write a long blog post pointing to other examples.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Auction the unemployed?
I continue to see discussion on blogs and social media from time to time about the idea of a guaranteed basic income, a concept that's been endorsed by folks such as Robert Anton Wilson and Milton Friedman. Here is variation on that idea: A basic income guarantee scheme that auctions the unemployed, providing everyone with the chance to work.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Various links
"The Internet is a surveillance state." From security expert Bruce Schneier.
New book about the guy who invented LSD (via Only Maybe.)
"Johnson said in court Thursday that the trial will delve into the hip-hop music culture and the notion that a secret society called the Illuminati has control over the success of some performers." (Via Michael Johnson -- not THAT Johnson -- at alt.fan.rawilson.)
RAW's 1963 attack on his future employer (not his most charitable piece) (via Michael Johnson at alt.fan.wilson).
Douglas Rushkoff has a new book out.
Ebook versions of The Da Vinci Code are free this week. (Kind of a dumbed-down version of The Widow's Son, if you aren't familiar with it.)
New book about the guy who invented LSD (via Only Maybe.)
"Johnson said in court Thursday that the trial will delve into the hip-hop music culture and the notion that a secret society called the Illuminati has control over the success of some performers." (Via Michael Johnson -- not THAT Johnson -- at alt.fan.rawilson.)
RAW's 1963 attack on his future employer (not his most charitable piece) (via Michael Johnson at alt.fan.wilson).
Douglas Rushkoff has a new book out.
Ebook versions of The Da Vinci Code are free this week. (Kind of a dumbed-down version of The Widow's Son, if you aren't familiar with it.)
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Image of the day
Jesse Walker has a daily feature on his Twitter account called "Your morning image," and sombunall of them are related to the topic of this blog. Here's the image that was featured Wednesday:
Blowing up the picture reveals that it is attributed to Voxx.org. It was featured in a posting about RAW put up after he died. The About section of the Web site says, "Voxx is internationally known as an incredibly accurate and entertaining Psychic. She is prominently featured as America’s most accurate Love and Sex Psychic in the book, America’s Top 100 Psychics, (Simon & Schuster)."
Blowing up the picture reveals that it is attributed to Voxx.org. It was featured in a posting about RAW put up after he died. The About section of the Web site says, "Voxx is internationally known as an incredibly accurate and entertaining Psychic. She is prominently featured as America’s most accurate Love and Sex Psychic in the book, America’s Top 100 Psychics, (Simon & Schuster)."
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
A look back at space colony enthusiasm
If you read Robert Anton Wilson's writings in the 1970s and 1980s, you can't help but be struck by how optimistic he was that space travel, space colonies and lifespan extension would very soon transform everyone's lives.
The timetable didn't move along as quickly as Wilson expected, but he wasn't the only one who thought that great things were within reach. Reason magazine has published a review of a new book, The Visioneers: How a Group of Elite Scientists Pursued Space Colonies, Nanotechnology and a Limitless Future. The book is by W. Patrick McCray, a California history professor.
According to Brian Doherty's review, The Visioneers focuses in particular on Gerard O'Neill, whose advocacy of space colonies was promoted in Wilson's Schroedinger's Cat trilogy, and nanotechnology guru Eric Drexler.
Doherty writes, "O’Neill and Drexler imagined progress in their respective fields faster than reality warranted. But it is too early to declare them prophets of what McCray calls 'failed futures.' I don’t think either of their stories is over, despite being entombed here in a book from an academic press."
These seems fair. Recent successes from SpaceX suggest there's hopes for space exploration optimists.
A check on Amazon reveals that McCray's book has several references to Wilson, described by McCray as a "Bay Area science fiction writer." The book appears to offer excellent background for Wilson's ideas (and Timothy Leary's ideas) on space exploration.
Hat tip: Jesse Walker.
The timetable didn't move along as quickly as Wilson expected, but he wasn't the only one who thought that great things were within reach. Reason magazine has published a review of a new book, The Visioneers: How a Group of Elite Scientists Pursued Space Colonies, Nanotechnology and a Limitless Future. The book is by W. Patrick McCray, a California history professor.
According to Brian Doherty's review, The Visioneers focuses in particular on Gerard O'Neill, whose advocacy of space colonies was promoted in Wilson's Schroedinger's Cat trilogy, and nanotechnology guru Eric Drexler.
Doherty writes, "O’Neill and Drexler imagined progress in their respective fields faster than reality warranted. But it is too early to declare them prophets of what McCray calls 'failed futures.' I don’t think either of their stories is over, despite being entombed here in a book from an academic press."
These seems fair. Recent successes from SpaceX suggest there's hopes for space exploration optimists.
A check on Amazon reveals that McCray's book has several references to Wilson, described by McCray as a "Bay Area science fiction writer." The book appears to offer excellent background for Wilson's ideas (and Timothy Leary's ideas) on space exploration.
Hat tip: Jesse Walker.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Henry George in the Wall Street Journal
I had only heard of the 19th century economist Henry George because Robert Anton Wilson mentions him, so I was surprised to see Monday's front page article in the Wall Street Journal about the lonely band of George fans who still advocate his ideas.
The article doesn't really give much of an explanation of George's ideas, but the Wikipedia biography is here.
The article doesn't really give much of an explanation of George's ideas, but the Wikipedia biography is here.
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