Alan Watts was an orator and philosopher of the 20th century. He spent time reflecting on personal identity and higher consciousness. According to the critic Erik Davis, his "writings and recorded talks still shimmer with a profound and galvanising lucidity."[1] These works[clarification needed] are not accessible in the same way as his many books.
Watts proposes a thought experiment of imagining that one has total control over the content of each night's dreams. He uses this thought experiment to make a case for the self as the ultimate reality.[2]
Watts argues that there is less difference than generally supposed between what one would want to do if money were no object, and what one should do under actual circumstances. He proposes that the question "What do I desire?" should be given greater emphasis, even under actual circumstances.[3]
Watts makes a case for quieting the mind by leaving it alone. He argues that we are "addicted to thoughts" and want to avoid ourselves, and that this quest for self-avoidance leads to a "vicious circle" of worry.[4]
Note: ISBNs for titles originally published prior to 1974 are for reprint editions.
Watts, Alan W. (1932). An outline of Zen Buddhism. London: Golden Vista Press.
Watts, Alan W. (1937). The legacy of Asia and Western man: a study of the middle way. London: John Murray.
Watts, Alan (1940). The meaning of happiness: the quest for freedom of the spirit in modern psychology and the wisdom of the East (1st ed.). New York: Harper and Row.
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (1944). Theologia mystica: being the treatise of Saint Dionysius pseudo-Areopagite on mystical theology, together with the first and fifth epistles. Translated from the Greek and with an introduction by Alan W. Watts. West Park, New York, USA: Holy Cross Press.