Robert Anton Wilson (January 18, 1932 – January 11, 2007) wrote 35 books and over 1,500 published articles. He coauthored, with Robert Shea, 
the underground classic The Illuminatus! Trilogy, which won the 1986 Prometheus Hall of Fame Award. His writings include Schrödinger’s Cat Trilogy, called “the most scientific of all science fiction novels,” by New Scientist, and nonfiction works of Futurist psychology and guerrilla ontology, such as The Cosmic Trigger Trilogy, Prometheus Rising, Quantum Psychology and The New Inquisition.
Bob worked as an associate editor at Playboy magazine from 1966 to 1971. In 1975, with his wife Arlen, he founded the Institute for the Study of the Human Future. In 1976, he created the Starflight Network to help implement Timothy Leary’s SMI2LE philosophy (Space Migration, Intelligence Increase, and Life Extension), and promote The Eight Circuit Model of Consciousness (see Prometheus Rising). Bob regularly gave seminars at Esalen and other New Age centers, and lectures across North America and Europe. He made both a comedy record (Secrets of Power) and a punk rock record (The Chocolate Biscuit Conspiracy), and his play Wilhelm Reich in Hell was performed at the Edmund Burke Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. His novel Illuminatus! was adapted as a 10-hour science fiction rock epic and performed under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Great Britain’s National Theatre, where Bob appeared briefly on stage in a special cameo role. In 2006, as the unofficial write-in candidate for the Guns and Dope Party, Bob ran in the election for Governor of California.
Maybe Bob was a futurist, author, lecturer, stand-up comic, guerrilla ontologist, psychedelic magician, outer head of the Illuminati, quantum psychologist, Taoist sage, Discordian Pope, Struthian politician . . . maybe. Bob said Model Agnosticism consists of never regarding any model or map of the universe with total 100% belief or total 100% denial. Bob’s Maybe Logic inspired the creation of the Maybe Logic Academy. Once when asked if he saw himself as a philosopher, he replied, “I am more of a speculator.”
Robert Anton Wilson married the freelance writer Arlen Riley in 1958; they had four children, Christina, Graham, Alexandra, and Patricia known as Luna.
the drawing of RAW above is by Linda Joyce Franks
originally published with many other illustrations
in Robert Anton Wilson’s TSOG
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CITY OF SANTA CRUZ CALIFORNIA
Mayor’s Proclamation
WHEREAS ROBERT ANTON WILSON MAY BE CONSIDERED AS BOTH THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURY’S LEADING REALITY THEORIST, GUERRILLA ONTOLOGIST, PSYCHEDELIC MAGICKIAN, STATIRIC OLD CRANK, OUTER HEAD OF THE ILLUMINATI, QUANTUM PSYCHOLOGIST, SIT-DOWN COMIC/PHILOSOPHER, NEW AGE TEACHER, AND DISCORDIAN POPE; and
WHEREAS ROBERT ANTON WILSON, A MOST PROLIFIC AND DIVERSIFIED WRITER, HAVING PUBLISHED 35 BOOKS, PLAYS AND SCREEN PLAYS IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES, INCLUDING COSMIC TRIGGER, SCHROEDINGER’S CAT, REALITY IS WHAT YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH, AND THE FABLED ILLUMINATUS! TRILOGY (AUTHORED WITH THE LATE ROBERT SHEA), AND IS IN PRINT IN HUNDREDS OF PUBLICATIONS; and
WHEREAS ROBERT ANTON WILSON EMPLOYS GENIUS, WHICH HURDLES FROM SOARING MATHEMATICAL THEORY TO THE SCHOLARLY INTRICACIES OF JOYCE AND POUND, AND AS HE CONTINUES TO PRODUCE WORKS OF LUMINOUS BRILLIANCE AND POLITICAL COURAGE, WEIGHING THE GRAVEST OF ISSUES IN THE DARKEST OF TIMES, IS ACKNOWLEDGED AS THE PRIMARY GUIDE BY SOME OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT MINDS OF THE 20TH CENTURY; and
WHEREAS ROBERT ANTON WILSON HAS GENEROUSLY DEVOTED HOURS OF TIME TO NURTURING GENERATIONS OF YOUNGER WRITERS AND ARTISTS WITH KINDNESS, INSPIRATION, AND PENETRATING CRITICISM, AND IS INSTRUMENTAL IN INSPIRING GENERATIONS WITH BOUNDLESS KNOWLEDGE OF HISTORICAL, CLASSICAL, AND THEOLOGICAL SPHERES: and
WHEREAS ROBERT ANTON WILSON EMPLOYS WITH AND HUMOR SPANNING FIVE DECADES TO RESIST THE IMPERIAL SCHEMES OF NATIONAL POLITICOS, THROUGH SUCH ACTIONS AS DAILY EMAIL TO ATTORNEY GENERAL JOHN ASHCROFT DETAILING HIS PERSONAL ACTIVITIES, THEREBY SPARING GOVERNMENT THE EXPENSE AND TROUBLE OF KEEPING HIM UNDER SURVEILLANCE; and
WHEREAS ROBERT ANTON WILSON IS A MAN OF SUCH MODESTY AND PURITY OF HEART THAT HE VIEWS HIS GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT AS HIS LIFETIME LOVE AFFAIR WITH HIS WIFE, THE LATE POET, ARLEN RILEY WILSON:
NOW, THEREFORE, I, EMILY REILLY, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM JULY 23, 2003 AS ” ROBERT ANTON WILSON DAY” IN THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ AND ENCOURAGE ALL CITIZENS TO JOIN ME IN COMMENDING HIM FOR CONSISTENTLY EXTENDING THE BOUNDARIES OF MODERN THOUGHT AND PROVIDING A MODEL OF COURAGE AND INTELLIGENCE IN AN AGE SADLY SHORT ON HEROES.
EMILY REILLY, MAYOR
Signed and Sealed this 22nd Day of July, 2003
