Tells the story of John Lilly's discoveries from his early experiments; mapping the brains of monkeys and communication with dolphins, to his experience with consciousness expanding drugs. The book includes an update on Lilly's work on human/dolphin communication and returning animals to the wild.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By michael
Format:Paperback
Lilly was one of the greatest scientists and pioneers on the limits of human possibility of modern times but after his death a collective amnesia has descended and his is now almost forgotten.
Lilly was a generation (or more) ahead of his time. He is almost single-handedly responsible for the great interest in dolphins (which led to the Marine Mammal Protection Act in the USA and helped to found the animal rights movement). In 1958 he noted that the brains of elephants and cetaceans were larger than ours, that we should not abuse them and that it was one our most important projects to communicate with them. He invented sensory isolation tanks (at NIMH in 1954) and used them extensively with and without powerful psychoactive drugs at a time when it was thought that either the brain would shut down or one would go insane if external stimuli were eliminated.
He created methods for implanting electrodes in mammal brains and was planning to do it to himself. He was one of the first to make serious use of computers in bioscience research and created the hardware and software to make the first attempts to communicate with dolphins. He self experimented with dangerous physiological investigations in high altitude medicine for the military during WW2, took LSD with dolphins and movie stars, submitted himself to the rigors of Arica training, and taught classes at Esalen.
He was the first one to investigate the bizarre psychedelic ketamine, and his results (published in the two last chapters of his book `The Scientist`) are still the best data on the dose/effect relation of any psychedelic on one person. And all this happened before most of us were born!... Read more ›
Lilly was a generation (or more) ahead of his time. He is almost single-handedly responsible for the great interest in dolphins (which led to the Marine Mammal Protection Act in the USA and helped to found the animal rights movement). In 1958 he noted that the brains of elephants and cetaceans were larger than ours, that we should not abuse them and that it was one our most important projects to communicate with them. He invented sensory isolation tanks (at NIMH in 1954) and used them extensively with and without powerful psychoactive drugs at a time when it was thought that either the brain would shut down or one would go insane if external stimuli were eliminated.
He created methods for implanting electrodes in mammal brains and was planning to do it to himself. He was one of the first to make serious use of computers in bioscience research and created the hardware and software to make the first attempts to communicate with dolphins. He self experimented with dangerous physiological investigations in high altitude medicine for the military during WW2, took LSD with dolphins and movie stars, submitted himself to the rigors of Arica training, and taught classes at Esalen.
He was the first one to investigate the bizarre psychedelic ketamine, and his results (published in the two last chapters of his book `The Scientist`) are still the best data on the dose/effect relation of any psychedelic on one person. And all this happened before most of us were born!... Read more ›
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This man knows a lot of stuff about the collective unconscious, human motivation, drugs, dolphins and the whatnot. He's important. Very important. Weird things happen when you read this. Watch for "coincincidences." They happen all the time.... This book investiagates those coincidences, and inclinations towards LSD and K... you might lose yourself, become one with the network...
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
After reading John Lilly's "The Scientist: A Metaphysical Autobiography," I have come to realize that drugs can indeed expand the mind. My own mind has expanded just by reading about John's far-out trips, and I didn't even need to take drugs myself! The danger in pursuing this course, however, is that the mind may expand so far past the current human consensus reality that those stuck in it will either find these ideals laughable or frightening. What is truly frightening though, is that no one can disprove the realities that John Lilly experienced while conducting his drug and sensory deprivation experiments.
I discovered John's work through an extraordinary coincidence... [When I decided to research him again twenty years later] I found that he had left our reality for good only a couple of weeks before.... Although I did not know the man personally, I will miss him dearly, and the world will feel the void left in his wake. Goodbye John, and good luck.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By "stbob"
Format:Paperback
Boy, would that change things a bit! Dr. Lilly is an authority on some far-our stuff: dolphin communication, isolation tanks, and Ketamine. Mix them all together and what do you get? I don't know, but I wouldn't lend it my car. GREAT BOOK.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
An intriguing biography of Lilly's work in animal communication, brain research and flotation tanks.
Much of his work is valuable and continues today in the form of NLP, meta states and human mental
development.
Much of his work is valuable and continues today in the form of NLP, meta states and human mental
development.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I recall reading John Lily when I was 15 and it turned me onto sensory deprivation tanks and psychedelics..but this autobiography seems like it was written by someone who is a brain-damaged babbling idiot. Must be nice to have the financial luxury which prevents you from becoming just another homeless statistic.Do not bother with this biography.
Format:Paperback
Lilly was one of the greatest scientists and pioneers on the limits of human possibility of modern times but after his death a collective amnesia has descended and his is now almost forgotten.
Lilly was a generation (or more) ahead of his time. He is almost single-handedly responsible for the great interest in dolphins (which led to the Marine Mammal Protection Act in the USA and helped to found the animal rights movement). In 1958 he noted that the brains of elephants and cetaceans were larger than ours, that we should not abuse them and that it was one our most important projects to communicate with them. He invented sensory isolation tanks (at NIMH in 1954) and used them extensively with and without powerful psychoactive drugs at a time when it was thought that either the brain would shut down or one would go insane if external stimuli were eliminated.
He created methods for implanting electrodes in mammal brains and was planning to do it to himself. He was one of the first to make serious use of computers in bioscience research and created the hardware and software to make the first attempts to communicate with dolphins. He self experimented with dangerous physiological investigations in high altitude medicine for the military during WW2, took LSD with dolphins and movie stars, submitted himself to the rigors of Arica training, and taught classes at Esalen.
He was the first one to investigate the bizarre psychedelic ketamine, and his results (published in the two last chapters of his book `The Scientist`) are still the best data on the dose/effect relation of any psychedelic on one person. And all this happened before most of us were born!
He had courage, honesty and integrity that is rare anywhere and almost nonexistent in science.... Read more ›
Lilly was a generation (or more) ahead of his time. He is almost single-handedly responsible for the great interest in dolphins (which led to the Marine Mammal Protection Act in the USA and helped to found the animal rights movement). In 1958 he noted that the brains of elephants and cetaceans were larger than ours, that we should not abuse them and that it was one our most important projects to communicate with them. He invented sensory isolation tanks (at NIMH in 1954) and used them extensively with and without powerful psychoactive drugs at a time when it was thought that either the brain would shut down or one would go insane if external stimuli were eliminated.
He created methods for implanting electrodes in mammal brains and was planning to do it to himself. He was one of the first to make serious use of computers in bioscience research and created the hardware and software to make the first attempts to communicate with dolphins. He self experimented with dangerous physiological investigations in high altitude medicine for the military during WW2, took LSD with dolphins and movie stars, submitted himself to the rigors of Arica training, and taught classes at Esalen.
He was the first one to investigate the bizarre psychedelic ketamine, and his results (published in the two last chapters of his book `The Scientist`) are still the best data on the dose/effect relation of any psychedelic on one person. And all this happened before most of us were born!
He had courage, honesty and integrity that is rare anywhere and almost nonexistent in science.... Read more ›
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
great scientist and explorer of the other side
I always enjoy reading autobiographical books, provided that the person in question is interesting (forget about Churchill or Tony Blair). Read more
Published on January 14, 2011 by Jaanus Kiipli
1.0 out of 5 stars
FAR OUT
Lilly lived close to my house in his final days and I read this book with particular interest. I was very disappointed. Read more
Published on October 17, 2002
5.0 out of 5 stars
OF THE BOOKS/AUTHORS WHO MADE ME WHO I AM.....
One of my four most influential authors, I first read of John in an Omni magazine and I do not remember what the story was about. Read more
Published on December 7, 2000 by Scott Kruis
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 21
books:
See all 21 books this book cites
- Dyadic Cyclone by John c. lilly on 4 pages
- The Deep Self: Profound Relaxation and the Tank Isolation Technique by John Lilly in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Center of the Cyclone: An Autobiography of Inner Space by John C. Lilly M.D. in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Programming and Metaprogramming in the Human Biocomputer by John C. Lilly in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and Back Matter
- The Respiratory System (World Book's Human Body Works) in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 21 books this book cites
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