Neuropolitique

by Timothy Leary, Robert Anton Wilson, George Koopman

Timothy Leary, Ph.D. has been a world-renowned psychologist, a defrocked Harvard professor, a relentless champion of brain change, a reputed drug guru, a stand-up philosopher, and a prisoner of the Nixon administration. He has been called 'the most dangerous man on the planet.'

While in prison, at times in solitary confinement, he wrote the first version of this book. ("I must confess that at that time I was alienated, a bit daft and given to occasional fits of irritation. So color the first version of this book indigo—as in Jail House Blues.") Now revised and updated, Neuropolitique presents some of Dr. Leary's best ideas, his reflections on the past and his hope for the future.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Counter Culture, Politics, Drugs, Conspiracy Theories

187 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Timothy Francis Leary was an American writer, psychologist, futurist, modern pioneer and advocate of psychedelic drug research and use, and one of the first people whose remains have been sent into space. An icon of 1960s counterculture, Leary is most famous as a proponent of the therapeutic and spiritual benefits of LSD. He coined and popularized the catch phrase "Turn on, tune in, drop out."

Reviews

[keys · Rating 3 out of 5]

Been a while since i have read any Leary and now i realise that his ideas are best read through a Robert Anton Wilson filter, or maybe i am just biased. Lots of interesting philosophy and future predictions, its the future predictions that i am sure most people have some issue with. Many would call him naive however i think that it is a combination of wishful thinking, genuine belief in the abilities of the human race and possibly a good old attempt at a self-fullfilling prophecy. Many of his predictions especially space migration could have been attempted and be well on its way by now but he failed to predict the nature of mans love for and drive to get more money, or as i said he may of thought this but attempted the self-fullfilling prophecy. Just thinking now i cant recall any cynicism or negative predictions at all.

[Lisa Gallagher · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this is the book where Leary claims that maybe future time travelers went back to create AIDS to target what they later perceived as the weaker elements of society.

But it's been a while, so I'm not sure.

What I do remember was that this is a collection of essays that he wrote while he was serving time and that my comprehension of anything he says is tempered by the fact that one hand, I knew of so many LSD casualties caused by his encouragement of the drug and on the other, I grew up watching so many great tv shows (hello, "PufNStuff"?) that were clearly created by said casualities - so, there's that.

[Light Bringer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a believer. Should be required reading material in the school.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very scattered, essays were hit or miss. I liked to hear about how brain washing worked, Leary meeting Charles Manson, and how different intelligence agencies thought. Didn't like him going on about things that turned out to be wrong. It's not his fault that we don't have sufficient life extension yet, but when the ending is spoiled it's less fun to indulge in those fantasies.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written partially while he was serving a prison sentence during 1973-1976, Timothy Leary tries to get serious about the future. To hilarious result!

[Hannes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually have "Neuropolitics", writen while he was in prison. A great, great book!

[B. Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Proof that Leary was an extraordinary visionary.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

i rate this 3 stars because i feel like this is a 5 star book while also being a 1 star book

favorite part:

"And, in the bushes, his Fordham morals outraged, his soviet mind seething
with civil service ambitions, G. Gordon Liddy watched."

worst part:

him copy pasting a businessman's 10-page drugged-out proposal for a space house enterprise


best essay is probably the one about the warrior caste in america

[Anthony Faber · Rating 2 out of 5]

Random essays by Leary, a few co-authored with others and at least one written wholly by Wilson. It would have been a better and shorter book if several of these essays had been combined into one work, removing the repetition of the multi-brain stuff, and maybe some other stuff.

[Anthony Faber · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick browse tells me that this book is "Neuropolitics" with the addition of a little at the end of "A Real Estate Proposal" and the addition of 2 essays from the 80s at the end.

[Zach Boyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The style was a bit knee jerk, but the content was good.

[Tom Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE TACTICS OF EVOLUTION ARE:
Space Migration
Intelligence Increase
Life Extension

THE GOAL OF EVOLUTION IS:
Fusion
(at higher levels of intensity
acceleration
aesthetic complexity)


Imagine reading a science fiction paperback and realizing midway through that it's turned into a persuasive essay. That's what it's like to read Timothy Leary. 40 years or so later and some call him a crackpot. Like a crazy cuckoo clock, but they say even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

Technology is astounding. Tool use got us this far and if we can continually improve our toolmaking skills, then maybe we really could achieve the pie-in-the-sky dreams of space exploration, longer lifespans, and better and better means of communication. So speculates Mr. Leary, and it's hard not to get swept up in his breathless enthusiasm. Consider that the man was imprisoned and THIS is what he spent his time thinking about.

So, why 3 stars? Well, this book is a collection of essays written over a span of about 15 years. As such, there's not a strong continuous message, rather a bunch of short spurts of ideas. Even Leary says in the intro that the book is one-third boring, one-third silly, and one-third "home runs". The first chunk, when Leary's describing his experiences with The Law and railing against Nixon, was a bit of a slog but everything beyond that is fascinating. My favorite essay was "War and Centralization as Necessary Prelude to Space Migration."

3 stars out of 5.

[marie monroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I swear everything in here is real even after rehab.

[Stefan Rhyner]

Intersting read as all of his books.