At 01:56 PM 12/11/98 -0700, Steven wrote:
>
>I am 15 and very new to the list, so perhaps its too early to participate.
But a recent thread has generated quite a bit of confusion for me.
Perhaps somebody could clear it up. I have been reading the arhives for
about a month, so I know there is little all extropians agree on, but I
find it interesting that books marked as recommended reading in Max More's
Extropian Principles 2.6 clearly lists three books of note:
>
>Robert Anton Wilson's: Prometheus Rising.
> The New Inquistion.
>and
>
>Timothy Leary's: InfoPsychology.
>
>Why is it that some people who seem to be a prominant member on the list
continue to trash as gibberish any and all information presented by other
parties about Leary, and specifically his 8 circuits model in Infopsychology?
Steven: A quick note. Listing of books does not imply full agreement of me with the complete contents of the books, nor of the authors with me or with the Principles. They are books that I consider contain material of particular value. Prometheus Rising I consider one of Wilson's best, from the point of view of presenting the desirability, possibility, and practically of reprogramming one's psychology. (Not that I think it's easy.)
There's a LOT I disagree with in The New Inquisition. I find Wilson way too gullible. On the other hand, it's the only book I know of that tackles the real danger of "irrational rationalism".
It's been quite a while since I read InfoPsychology, and someone seems to have walked off with my copy, so I find it hard to comment on. I have *never* found the eight-circuit model remotely plausible or useful, so *that's* not why it's on the list. If I had a copy, I would scan it and see whether I still think it deserves to be included.
Onward!
Max
http://www.maxmore.com
Consulting services on the impact of advanced technologies
President, Extropy Institute:
exi-info@extropy.org, http://www.extropy.org