>I have heard several on this list talk positively about Robert Anton
Wilson,
>I confess I've never read anything by him and always considered that a
lack
>in my education. Recent events have made me feel less guilty about it.
>
>Even by junk science standards the work of Immanuel Velikousky is
really
>stupid. He says that in historic times the planet Jupiter spit out a
"comet"
>that collided with Earth and bounced off and then, through various
>gravitational gymnastics, parted the Red Sea and somehow caused all the
>miracles in the old testament. This "comet" then went into a circular
orbit
>around the sun and became the planet Venus! To call this idea idiotic
would
>be a unjust insult to all the fine self respecting idiots the world
over.
>The late great Carl Sagan had great fun pocking holes in this ignorant
theory,
>not that that's what made him great, it was too easy, like shooting
fish in
>a barrel.
>
>While poking around in the Science section of my local bookstore today
I ran
>across a misfiled book that belonged in the "new age" section next to
the UFO
>and Bigfoot books, it was called "Carl Sagan and Immanuel Velikousky"
by
>Charles Ginenthal. I didn't read it, but after thumbing through it for
>5 minutes I could see it was a revolting attack on the life of Sagan
and a
>deification of Velikousky. On the back of the book was a blurb by
Robert
>Anton Wilson, he said this trash was "an excellent and erudite
destruction
>of Saganism". I don't want to destroy "Saganism" and reading something
by
>Wilson has just dropped about 164 places on my "to do" list.
>
> John K Clark
John -
After reading your above statements I urge you to read Robert Anton
Wilson for all he's worth. In the beginning of his book Cosmic Trigger
he emphasizes to his readers that he "DOES NOT BELIEVE IN ANYTHING".
Bob is a trickster from the get go. How much he is putting you on is up
to you to decide. Dogma is his enemy, encouraging you to think for
yourself is his goal.
Although I respect Carl Sagan for his enormous contributions to the
scientific community, I have always found him pedantic and dogmatic
especially with regards to his involvement with CSICOP. A persons
scientific beliefs can be just as dogmatic as someone's religious ones.
Please take the time to read R.A.W.'s "The New Inquisition" for a
scathing expose on the widespread dogma found in the scientific
commnunity.
I also recommend a psychedelic drug experience of your choice, if you
feel your ready for such a thing.
Warm Regards,
Bobby Whalen
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