Philosophical fantasies by
Alan W. Watts
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
From the Illustrated Series - The Essence of Alan Watts
Book VII
In this book Watts proposes three different fantasies – which at the end he asks, now maybe isn’t this what is going on right now?
The first is about reproduction. Technology has advanced: first we had paintings, then realism style. Photographs were then invented, first as plain black and white, and so on until movies and television. Watts then proposes that someday we will see these images without a tv, but in three dimensions say in your living room. And as technology advances first your hand will go through this image, but then it will be solid, and you do something like dance with this image. Then you could interact and there will be a way that the movie and you are interacting as one, you control the outcome of what happens next, and then the realism becomes perfect. At this point the question arises – is this where we are now?
The second philosophical fantasy is about how every living thing on this earth is the center of it. You are the center, and so are rabbits and a fish and a fly, right in the middle of everything.
The last is about a cycle of everything, somewhat like the chicken and egg. The big bang started everything and the stars, planets everything was formed. But here Watts case is slightly smaller, just a star and planets. Life developed and kept on developing until there is an intelligent species, like us and goes on until boof they blow everything up and then it starts again.
One reason I like Alan Watts is that he has you think about the state of things, ponder this.
I only have a few of the books from the series:
Book I - God
Book VII - Philosophical Fantasies
Book VIII - Ego
Book IX - Cosmic Drama
The Cosmic Drama by Alan W. Watts
