Beyond the Outsider
A Reader from
Kentucky
Supposedly the sixth book in a series, I had no problem reading this after only reading the first book of the series - but definitely read The Outsider first. The series deals with a world that cannot accept religious approaches from a superstitious past and seeks a new meaning for mankind. My opinion was that this was not as good as The Outsider, mostly because it reads more like a dry philosophical summary and discussion than an inspired holistic analysis. It speaks of the dual nature of mankind's perception and how recognizing this allows us to take the next step which is the path to our own evolution. Provides a discussion of the development of Romantic and Existential philosophies, to show how concepts have been revealed or failed through the last hundred years or so (from when the book was written in 1965). Seems to jump around and present aspects of thought in a manner that makes it read like a mental zig zag. Briefly the "immediate perception" that is the basis of scientific investigation is only half of it, the other being "meaning perception". And one way (via Huxley and Sartre) to open the western mind to the concept of meaning perception is the taking of mescalin (a drug that actually seems to confuse perceptions, as I see it, rather than awaken them, but this book was a product of the sixties). Anything that gets man to understand his role is not passive but active, then Wilson gets to a sort of ultimate answer that was not totally clear after one reading, except it converged upon man's design of his own evolution. The book attempts to cover only some main concepts but does so in a flurry of references and odd phrases (like describing a concept as the 'St. Neot Margin' or 'old woman in a vinegar bottle'). You may have to be familiar with at least the more notable Romantic and Existential philosophers to really appreciate his presentation. I have enjoyed reading Colin Wilson's books.
Sean Klinge from the USA
May not be the place to start with
Wilson, but ultimately it's probably his most important work. Needs a
larger audience.
A Reader from London, England
I cannot believe that only one review
of this book had been written before now. This book is of paramount
philosophical importance. I presume that people interested in philosophy
have been reading archaic works of the erroneous Rene Descartes or Hegel.
This work is of present value. The Whitehead-Husserl hypothesis is as far
as man has come. It synthesises the age-old battle of Realism-Idealism. I
believe I have a reasonable knowledge of philosophy because I have read
many works from an early age, but I feel this would be a good introduction
into philsophy, especially the opening two chapters. Many people may
become confused if they were to start with someone such as Locke and
immediately turn to Kant, as the ideas the antithesises of each other.
Colin Wilson is a writer of eminent quality and should be read around the
globe. I feel his works are not publicised enough in the US considering
the lack of reviews here.
Milton Hallman from Baton Rouge
In the sixth and last book of Wilson's "Outsider" series, Colin Wilson attacks the "doom" prophets of existentialism with a different and more accurate philosophy. He notes that the existentialism of the early 20th century is due mainly to poor thinking habits and erroneous self-pity. Wilson describes his idea of peak experiences - times when one feels more vitally alive and interested in the world around one - and the role of sex and danger as stimuli of some such experiences. In the appendix he recounts his experience of taking mescalin to investigate modes of consciousness and perception.