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The Unexplained
UFO's and Aliens
Examines various explanations and evidence related to UFO sightings and alien encounters throughout history.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1990
2 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Colin Wilson
430 books1,289 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Colin Henry Wilson was born and raised in Leicester, England, U.K. He left school at 16, worked in factories and various occupations, and read in his spare time. When Wilson was 24, Gollancz published The Outsider (1956) which examines the role of the social 'outsider' in seminal works of various key literary and cultural figures. These include Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Ernest Hemingway, Hermann Hesse, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, William James, T. E. Lawrence, Vaslav Nijinsky and Vincent Van Gogh and Wilson discusses his perception of Social alienation in their work. The book was a best seller and helped popularize existentialism in Britain. Critical praise though, was short-lived and Wilson was soon widely criticized.
Wilson's works after The Outsider focused on positive aspects of human psychology, such as peak experiences and the narrowness of consciousness. He admired the humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow and corresponded with him. Wilson wrote The War Against Sleep: The Philosophy of Gurdjieff on the life, work and philosophy of G. I. Gurdjieff and an accessible introduction to the Greek-Armenian mystic in 1980. He argues throughout his work that the existentialist focus on defeat or nausea is only a partial representation of reality and that there is no particular reason for accepting it. Wilson views normal, everyday consciousness buffeted by the moment, as "blinkered" and argues that it should not be accepted as showing us the truth about reality. This blinkering has some evolutionary advantages in that it stops us from being completely immersed in wonder, or in the huge stream of events, and hence unable to act. However, to live properly we need to access more than this everyday consciousness. Wilson believes that our peak experiences of joy and meaningfulness are as real as our experiences of angst and, since we are more fully alive at these moments, they are more real. These experiences can be cultivated through concentration, paying attention, relaxation and certain types of work.
Colin Henry Wilson was born and raised in Leicester, England, U.K. He left school at 16, worked in factories and various occupations, and read in his spare time. When Wilson was 24, Gollancz published The Outsider (1956) which examines the role of the social 'outsider' in seminal works of various key literary and cultural figures. These include Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Ernest Hemingway, Hermann Hesse, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, William James, T. E. Lawrence, Vaslav Nijinsky and Vincent Van Gogh and Wilson discusses his perception of Social alienation in their work. The book was a best seller and helped popularize existentialism in Britain. Critical praise though, was short-lived and Wilson was soon widely criticized.
Wilson's works after The Outsider focused on positive aspects of human psychology, such as peak experiences and the narrowness of consciousness. He admired the humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow and corresponded with him. Wilson wrote The War Against Sleep: The Philosophy of Gurdjieff on the life, work and philosophy of G. I. Gurdjieff and an accessible introduction to the Greek-Armenian mystic in 1980. He argues throughout his work that the existentialist focus on defeat or nausea is only a partial representation of reality and that there is no particular reason for accepting it. Wilson views normal, everyday consciousness buffeted by the moment, as "blinkered" and argues that it should not be accepted as showing us the truth about reality. This blinkering has some evolutionary advantages in that it stops us from being completely immersed in wonder, or in the huge stream of events, and hence unable to act. However, to live properly we need to access more than this everyday consciousness. Wilson believes that our peak experiences of joy and meaningfulness are as real as our experiences of angst and, since we are more fully alive at these moments, they are more real. These experiences can be cultivated through concentration, paying attention, relaxation and certain types of work.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 27, 2020
My childhood's classic that i found again in a online shop of used books. I bought it for nostalgia and read it again. I did not remember much about the contents of this book. Just that it was the most "scientific" of my UFO's and paranormal literature that i had as a 9-13 year boy.
Now reading it as adult i was surprised on how serious and sceptical book this is. It newer claims that Aliens exist, just that some sightings cannot be explained and that most are just hoaxes. So this explains why i am sceptical of UFO´s even when i want to believe that hey actually exist.
This is a great children´s book that has cool images and it teaches scepticism and what actual science knows about UFO sightings and the quest for extraterrestrial life. This book mixes folklore studies, psychology, astronomy and history.
Now reading it as adult i was surprised on how serious and sceptical book this is. It newer claims that Aliens exist, just that some sightings cannot be explained and that most are just hoaxes. So this explains why i am sceptical of UFO´s even when i want to believe that hey actually exist.
This is a great children´s book that has cool images and it teaches scepticism and what actual science knows about UFO sightings and the quest for extraterrestrial life. This book mixes folklore studies, psychology, astronomy and history.
December 20, 2012
A very basic overview of UFOLOGY. The highs and lows are explored through a narrative threading itself through its history, researchers, abductees and witnesses. An interesting and well-written primer by one of the most prolific writers in the United Kingdom.
However, if you want to delve much deeper into UFOlogy, check out researchers like John E. Mack, Miles Johnston, Jacques Vallée, the late Tony Dodd and even Graham Hancock's book 'Supernatural'. Organisations like AMMACH (http://alienabductionuk.com/) are very curious and worth checking out for more serious researchers.
However, if you want to delve much deeper into UFOlogy, check out researchers like John E. Mack, Miles Johnston, Jacques Vallée, the late Tony Dodd and even Graham Hancock's book 'Supernatural'. Organisations like AMMACH (http://alienabductionuk.com/) are very curious and worth checking out for more serious researchers.
June 22, 2009
outsiders
January 9, 2022
A simple introduction to the world of the unknown. I enjoyed that it gave introductory information on different areas of UFOs and Aliens. It is written at a level to possibly peak 8-10 year old interests. There are plenty of pictures. Is it all real? A giant hoax? Perhaps the answer is somewhere in between.
November 5, 2021
Nuorille suunnattu ufokirja yllätti kriittisellä asenteellaan.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews