alan watts – An Autonomous Agent

Killing Time – Paul Feyerabend

anautonomousagent — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 12:31:34 +0000

Paul Feyerabend’s autobiography, Killing Time, is a nice summary of the life of a very interesting person. Very brief snapshot:

Growing up in Austria he eventually participated (drafted) in World War II and became a Nazi officer. Shot in the spine and disabled for life he went back to university where he studied music, theatre, and science. He became an important intellectual in the philosophy of science. After the war he participated and became a key member of the yearly meetings in Alpbach. His ideas were influenced by Karl Popper (initially), Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Felix Ehrenhaft. He eventually found his way to Berkeley, California where he became a professor. He taught mostly at Berkeley and ETH Zürich.

His life and ideas were intimately connected with many great thinkers of the 20th century: including Karl Popper, Thomas Kuhn, and Imre Lakatos. The autobiography is a good introduction to Feyerabend. Getting to know the background and personal experiences of the great thinker helps gain perspective while reading his philosophical works.

I wonder what, if anything, Feyerabend had to say about Alan Watts? In some ways I feel that Feyerabend has helped to add elements of Eastern Philosophy to Western Philosophy. For instance, Feyerabend’s principal that anything goes and his scientific anarchy seem to have a Zen or Taoist connection. His continual insistence that reality fails to be objectively expressed by language also suggests a connection, but I believe this was also expressed by Wittgenstein?

The Tao Is Silent – Raymond Smullyan

anautonomousagent — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 11:40:00 +0000

The Tao Is Silent, by Raymond Smullyan, has been a wonderful read. Insightful and witty to say the least. It’s a series of discourses on life, religion, culture, logic, and philosophy; I would recommend the book to anyone interested in these subjects. Once again I am surprised how long it took me to discover a wonderful author. I look forward to reading several of his other works.

Tales of Wonder: Adventures Chasing the Divine – Huston Smith

anautonomousagent — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 20:47:00 +0000

I was introduced to the works of Alan Watts by a meditation teacher about three years ago. Since then, I have been interested in mysticism, cognition, Buddhism, and scientism. Don’t ask me why, but these subjects just captivate me. I have been reading the works of various authors such as Douglas Hofstadter, Thich Nhat Hanh, Joseph Campbell, Stuart Kauffman, Francisco Varela, and Jiddu Krishnamurti; but what am I trying to learn; WHY?

Probably, this question will never be answered, but being only 23, I have barely began to experience the reality these authors seek to understand. I can live this reality and hopefully discover something worth telling others. Anyway, besides reading, Yoga and meditation have been my most direct experiences with the spiritual nature of the mind and universe. And just a few days ago I watched a video with Huston Smith. He makes me want to travel the world and experience other cultures. I have started reading his autobiography, Tales of Wonder: Adventures Chasing the Divine. Smith appears to be a fascinating individual and I think that I have much to learn from him. Perhaps you have read Smith? If not, I highly suggest that you do.

Behold the Spirit: A Study in the Necessity of Mystical Religion – Alan Watts

anautonomousagent — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:30:00 +0000

An informative synthesis of western and eastern theology, Behold the Spirit: A Study in the Necessity of Mystical Religion by Alan Watts provides an insight into the fundamental forces which have been shaping Christian religion for the past two thousand years. The book suggests various practices, taken from eastern traditions, which Christianity should adopt in order to satisfy the spiritual psyche of the modern man.

The Way of Zen – Alan Watts

anautonomousagent — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 22:14:00 +0000

The Way of Zen, by Alan Watts, introduces the western mind to the ideas of Zen. The book does a great job, almost as good as any Zen master. Highly recommended for anyone interested in Zen and its history.

Alan Watts

anautonomousagent — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 22:08:00 +0000

I want to share a bunch of video/audio recordings of Alan Watts. Here are the links:

Playlist 1

Playlist 2

The Wisdom of Insecurity – Alan Watts

anautonomousagent — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 22:04:00 +0000

My favorite book by Alan Watts, The Wisdom of Insecurity, will change the way you view yourself and the world. Its views and concepts, made clear through the elegant prose of Watts, shake the foundation of traditional western thought.

The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are – Alan Watts

anautonomousagent — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 21:57:00 +0000

The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, by Alan Watts, was the first book that I read by Watts. The insight into Vedanta and eastern philosophy given by this book will impress you and possibly alter your entire outlook on life. This book provides a great starting point for the rest of Watts’ works.