Philip K. Dick
- Thread starter jarod_al
- Start date
truth seeker
The Living Force
Hi jarod_al,jarod_al said:
I believe he's mentioned in a couple of threads on the forum. If you're interested, you may want to do a search on him. If you still have difficulty finding them, don't hesitate to let us know. :)
Mr. Premise
The Living Force
truth seeker said:
The Cs mentioned him in a session. Said something like "there's a thin line between genius and insanity."
Here is what the C's had to say about him.
[quote author=Session 4 December 1999]
Q: Okay, Philip K. Dick wrote this book called V.A.L.I.S., meaning Vast Active Living Intelligence or Information System. Some of his information was strikingly similar to the information we have received through this source. He obviously wasn't prepared for this in the same way that Don Elkins was not prepared for the Ra Material, and it caused a lot of problems in his life. Was Philip Dick channelling something like a Sixth Density source?
A: Not much of the time, but in part.
Q: Was he being abducted by aliens?
A: Interaction.
Q: Did he actually live in another universe...
A: No.
Q: He didn't live in another branch of the universe where Germany won the war and everything was horrible?
A: No.
Q: Why did he have these memories of having lived in another time and then...
A: Genius is next to insanity.
Q: So, he was a genius in his ideas, but they unbalanced him?
A: Close.
Q: He claims to have had a couple of experiences very similar to some I have had; and in these experiences he claims to have actually seen the underlying reality matrix... he saw the universe as it really is, in its nature of flowing lights and colors and so forth, as it reformed, so to speak... was he seeing 4th density?
A: Close.
[/quote]
[quote author=Session 4 December 1999]
Q: Okay, Philip K. Dick wrote this book called V.A.L.I.S., meaning Vast Active Living Intelligence or Information System. Some of his information was strikingly similar to the information we have received through this source. He obviously wasn't prepared for this in the same way that Don Elkins was not prepared for the Ra Material, and it caused a lot of problems in his life. Was Philip Dick channelling something like a Sixth Density source?
A: Not much of the time, but in part.
Q: Was he being abducted by aliens?
A: Interaction.
Q: Did he actually live in another universe...
A: No.
Q: He didn't live in another branch of the universe where Germany won the war and everything was horrible?
A: No.
Q: Why did he have these memories of having lived in another time and then...
A: Genius is next to insanity.
Q: So, he was a genius in his ideas, but they unbalanced him?
A: Close.
Q: He claims to have had a couple of experiences very similar to some I have had; and in these experiences he claims to have actually seen the underlying reality matrix... he saw the universe as it really is, in its nature of flowing lights and colors and so forth, as it reformed, so to speak... was he seeing 4th density?
A: Close.
[/quote]
Zadius Sky
The Living Force
I have had been meaning to post my thoughts on Philip K. Dick since this thread started.
(There's another, however brief, discussion about him here)
In the last year and a half, I read close to 40 short stories and 20 novels by PKD, with the latest being Deus Irae (1976), which is based on his short story ("The Great C"). This is the first novel to which a collaboration was done with the author. PKD experienced a writer's block (due to his lack of a religion understanding) during this project and couldn't finish it sololy, and Roger Zelazny eventually worked on it with him. It's fairly a good story, focusing on a conflict of faith and has a large religious tone. The book itself felt "rushed," though. The very first novel of his that I ever read was VALIS and then the rest of the trilogy before heading to the rest of his earlier books.
A lot of his books came across as "good stories" with many mind-bending/reality-altering ideas. And, many of these ideas became "inspirations" for future films/books, such as The Matrix. Needless to say, I enjoyed reading them.
If I have to pick one book as my "favorite," it would have to be the first part of The Cosmic Puppets (written in 1953), which takes place in a "small town" and starts with Ted Barton, a main character, arriving on scene in a hope to re-visit his childhood town. Upon arriving, it immediately dawn on him that the very details of the town were not right - not even close. He felt sure of its location, of its similar landmarks, but he knew that something wasn't right: his memories do not agree with the town's physicality. But, he soon finds himself in the middle of the battleground between good and evil, light and dark, real and illusion. The first part of the book is mainly Ted's confusion and shock as he stays in the town and trying to discover the truth of it all and the latter part shifts to the battle between ancient gods with Ted's sudden involvement. I am more inclined to be interested in the first part of the book as it is very much like an The Twilight Zone episode (the show that I actually loved to watch) than the latter part. The idea of a town so different, so unreal, that doesn't match with the memories of a man who returns after so many years is intriguing on psychological levels. Then, there is an idea of the Wanderers, sort of spectral entities who "wander" through the walls and doors of the town reminds me of forgotten ghosts who are earth-bound and unwilling to leave their place of memories. But, there is an attitude of the town who accept the Wanderers as a natural way of life and they were confused when Ted didn't think that it was natural at all. I felt that Ted has stumbled into an alternate reality of the same town where everything has changed and goes by different rules. This part felt so surreal and fascinating to me that it sure can stimulate a food for thoughts. However, the novel went on to the later part which seems to be just awkward to read.
It's no doubt that many of the themes in PKD's works are alternate realities, human vs. machine, entropy, the nature of God, and social control. And, he often draws on his own experiences to be incorporated into his stories (i.e., drug abuse, alter states, etc.). He once mentioned that just talking to someone, however ordinary, gave him ideas for new novels. He believed that science fiction differs from fantasy in that it deals with possibilities (which are "simulating" and sets off a chain reaction in readers' minds) while fantasy deals with impossibilities, which is why he felt a great love for SF. Nothing to do with "messages or morals," either.
I think it was mentioned elsewhere on the forum that it could be possible that PKD read or at least aware of Gurdjieff's works or the Forth Way materials. After reading a number of biographical/autobiographical materials and Tessa Dick's Philip K. Dick: Remembering Firebright, I don't think he did (but Ouspensky was mentioned in a letter in Exegesis yet he didn't seem to pursue that direction). Although, he did read Castaneda's works in the 1970s. The way I see it, PKD's works dealt with "out of reality" while Gurdjieff focused on reality. I would be careful with reading his novels because of the fact that his "fans" had gravitated towards his works in order to "escape."
The ideas that he had utilized in his works came from elsewhere (his later years, ideas derived from his study of Gnosticism). His own mother had some literary skills, and even encouraged his son on writing while growing up. He discovered, at the age of 11-12, the Wizard of Oz books. At this time, he was discouraged by the librarians from reading such books of fantasy, which would lead a child into a dreamworld, making it difficult for him to adjust to the "real life." PKD once said that he "recognized the magic" in science fiction that he found in the Oz books (PKD, "Self Portrait," 1968). He started writing the science fiction short stories at the encouragement of Tony Boucher, and as a result of being in a photograph with A.E. van Vogt, he began writing novels in early 1950s. He had had extensive knowledge of the literature (including James Joyce) and philosophy (mainly Platonism) as well as depth psychology, etc. (he was aware of Jung, etc.). He was also aware of J.W. Dunne's works, among others. Not only he was able to know these things, he at times wrote that some of the novels that he had written seemed to have derived from his dreams and expanded them in a cogent way, and one can also pick up hints of his personal life aspects in his stories.
He also had an extensive knowledge of the occult to which he was learning about the Nazi psychology and trying to understand what motivated Nazi to do what they did, in preparation for a sequel to his The Man in the High Castle, which he couldn't finish.
Around late 1960s and early 1970s, he was studying the Christian Gnosticism. Then, the year 1974 became a turning point in his life when he endured a number of visions, strange experiences, and dreams to which he spent the rest of his life trying to understand and re-interpret in his exhaustive Exegesis.
There were two main questions that were driving him for many years and they were the most evident throughout his works to which he was trying to answer in many different aspects. They are "What is reality?" and "What constitutes the authentic human being?" He was never able to answer the first question, but he finally discovered the answer to the second:
[quote='How to Build a Universe That Doesn't Fall Apart Two Days Later,' 1978]
The authentic human being is one of us who instinctively knows what he should not do, and, in addition, he will balk at doing it. He will refuse to do it, even if this brings down dread consequences to him and to those whom he loves. This, to me, is the ultimately heroic trait of ordinary people; they say no to the tyrant and they calmly take the consequences of this resistance. Their deeds may be small and almost always unnoticed, unmarked by history. Their names are not remembered, nor did these authentic humans expect their names to be remembered. I see their authenticity in an odd way: not in their willingness to perform great heroic deeds but in their quiet refusals. In essence, they cannot be compelled to be what they are not.
[/quote]
This reminds me of what happens when we say "yes" to a tyrant, we would lose pieces of our essence/soul.
As for the "interaction" with aliens as pointed in the session above, Tessa B. Dick wrote an interesting perspective of PKD's last ten years of his life in her book as mentioned previously. She tells a number of strange events that were happening at their apartment, being approached by "government agents," seeing an blue orb called Firebright, and she was seeing her husband talking to someone who wasn't there on several occasions (that "someone" PKD had referred to "time-travelers").
She also talked about her husband's fears in regards to United States:
Well, we certainly are there as US being a Nazi Germany.
It's no doubt that PKD himself had mental problems. He was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic in the 1960s, then as a manic depressive in the early 1970s, and as a bipolar in the late 1970s. His wife once said that he may have had a multiple personality disorder where he was showing symptoms as such. Throughout his life, he was a poor man, limited to living in California, with a bad attitude, harboring a strong resentment toward the authority figures, and constantly seeking answers. He was considered to be "two-faced" by a number of people. It makes me wonder if he had discover and read Gurdjieff's works, would he be able to turn it around and try to better himself in some way, to be more balanced? I'm thinking here of an external consideration and networking. Maybe not. It would seem that many of the ideas that he was playing with over many years would have drove him mad.
He died of stroke in 1982, which interestingly enough, his aunt Marion died of a stroke. She was a spiritualist medium.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_K._Dick
The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick (2011).
John Huntington, "Philip K. Dick: Authenticity and Insincerity," Science-Fiction Studies, Vol. 15 (1988).
Laurence A. Rickels, "Endopsychic Allegories," Postmodern Culture, Vol. 18, no. 1 (Sept 2007).
Lawrence Sutin (ed.), The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick (1995).
Charles Platt, "The Voices in Philip K. Dick's Head," The New York Times (16 Dec 2011).
Robert M. Philmus, "The Two Faces of Philip K. Dick," Science-Fiction Studies, Vol. 18 (1991).
Tessa B. Dick, Philip K. Dick: Remembering Firebright (2010).
(There's another, however brief, discussion about him here)
In the last year and a half, I read close to 40 short stories and 20 novels by PKD, with the latest being Deus Irae (1976), which is based on his short story ("The Great C"). This is the first novel to which a collaboration was done with the author. PKD experienced a writer's block (due to his lack of a religion understanding) during this project and couldn't finish it sololy, and Roger Zelazny eventually worked on it with him. It's fairly a good story, focusing on a conflict of faith and has a large religious tone. The book itself felt "rushed," though. The very first novel of his that I ever read was VALIS and then the rest of the trilogy before heading to the rest of his earlier books.
A lot of his books came across as "good stories" with many mind-bending/reality-altering ideas. And, many of these ideas became "inspirations" for future films/books, such as The Matrix. Needless to say, I enjoyed reading them.
If I have to pick one book as my "favorite," it would have to be the first part of The Cosmic Puppets (written in 1953), which takes place in a "small town" and starts with Ted Barton, a main character, arriving on scene in a hope to re-visit his childhood town. Upon arriving, it immediately dawn on him that the very details of the town were not right - not even close. He felt sure of its location, of its similar landmarks, but he knew that something wasn't right: his memories do not agree with the town's physicality. But, he soon finds himself in the middle of the battleground between good and evil, light and dark, real and illusion. The first part of the book is mainly Ted's confusion and shock as he stays in the town and trying to discover the truth of it all and the latter part shifts to the battle between ancient gods with Ted's sudden involvement. I am more inclined to be interested in the first part of the book as it is very much like an The Twilight Zone episode (the show that I actually loved to watch) than the latter part. The idea of a town so different, so unreal, that doesn't match with the memories of a man who returns after so many years is intriguing on psychological levels. Then, there is an idea of the Wanderers, sort of spectral entities who "wander" through the walls and doors of the town reminds me of forgotten ghosts who are earth-bound and unwilling to leave their place of memories. But, there is an attitude of the town who accept the Wanderers as a natural way of life and they were confused when Ted didn't think that it was natural at all. I felt that Ted has stumbled into an alternate reality of the same town where everything has changed and goes by different rules. This part felt so surreal and fascinating to me that it sure can stimulate a food for thoughts. However, the novel went on to the later part which seems to be just awkward to read.
It's no doubt that many of the themes in PKD's works are alternate realities, human vs. machine, entropy, the nature of God, and social control. And, he often draws on his own experiences to be incorporated into his stories (i.e., drug abuse, alter states, etc.). He once mentioned that just talking to someone, however ordinary, gave him ideas for new novels. He believed that science fiction differs from fantasy in that it deals with possibilities (which are "simulating" and sets off a chain reaction in readers' minds) while fantasy deals with impossibilities, which is why he felt a great love for SF. Nothing to do with "messages or morals," either.
I think it was mentioned elsewhere on the forum that it could be possible that PKD read or at least aware of Gurdjieff's works or the Forth Way materials. After reading a number of biographical/autobiographical materials and Tessa Dick's Philip K. Dick: Remembering Firebright, I don't think he did (but Ouspensky was mentioned in a letter in Exegesis yet he didn't seem to pursue that direction). Although, he did read Castaneda's works in the 1970s. The way I see it, PKD's works dealt with "out of reality" while Gurdjieff focused on reality. I would be careful with reading his novels because of the fact that his "fans" had gravitated towards his works in order to "escape."
The ideas that he had utilized in his works came from elsewhere (his later years, ideas derived from his study of Gnosticism). His own mother had some literary skills, and even encouraged his son on writing while growing up. He discovered, at the age of 11-12, the Wizard of Oz books. At this time, he was discouraged by the librarians from reading such books of fantasy, which would lead a child into a dreamworld, making it difficult for him to adjust to the "real life." PKD once said that he "recognized the magic" in science fiction that he found in the Oz books (PKD, "Self Portrait," 1968). He started writing the science fiction short stories at the encouragement of Tony Boucher, and as a result of being in a photograph with A.E. van Vogt, he began writing novels in early 1950s. He had had extensive knowledge of the literature (including James Joyce) and philosophy (mainly Platonism) as well as depth psychology, etc. (he was aware of Jung, etc.). He was also aware of J.W. Dunne's works, among others. Not only he was able to know these things, he at times wrote that some of the novels that he had written seemed to have derived from his dreams and expanded them in a cogent way, and one can also pick up hints of his personal life aspects in his stories.
He also had an extensive knowledge of the occult to which he was learning about the Nazi psychology and trying to understand what motivated Nazi to do what they did, in preparation for a sequel to his The Man in the High Castle, which he couldn't finish.
Around late 1960s and early 1970s, he was studying the Christian Gnosticism. Then, the year 1974 became a turning point in his life when he endured a number of visions, strange experiences, and dreams to which he spent the rest of his life trying to understand and re-interpret in his exhaustive Exegesis.
There were two main questions that were driving him for many years and they were the most evident throughout his works to which he was trying to answer in many different aspects. They are "What is reality?" and "What constitutes the authentic human being?" He was never able to answer the first question, but he finally discovered the answer to the second:
[quote='How to Build a Universe That Doesn't Fall Apart Two Days Later,' 1978]
The authentic human being is one of us who instinctively knows what he should not do, and, in addition, he will balk at doing it. He will refuse to do it, even if this brings down dread consequences to him and to those whom he loves. This, to me, is the ultimately heroic trait of ordinary people; they say no to the tyrant and they calmly take the consequences of this resistance. Their deeds may be small and almost always unnoticed, unmarked by history. Their names are not remembered, nor did these authentic humans expect their names to be remembered. I see their authenticity in an odd way: not in their willingness to perform great heroic deeds but in their quiet refusals. In essence, they cannot be compelled to be what they are not.
[/quote]
This reminds me of what happens when we say "yes" to a tyrant, we would lose pieces of our essence/soul.
As for the "interaction" with aliens as pointed in the session above, Tessa B. Dick wrote an interesting perspective of PKD's last ten years of his life in her book as mentioned previously. She tells a number of strange events that were happening at their apartment, being approached by "government agents," seeing an blue orb called Firebright, and she was seeing her husband talking to someone who wasn't there on several occasions (that "someone" PKD had referred to "time-travelers").
She also talked about her husband's fears in regards to United States:
Philip K. Dick: Remembering Firebright said:
Well, we certainly are there as US being a Nazi Germany.
It's no doubt that PKD himself had mental problems. He was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic in the 1960s, then as a manic depressive in the early 1970s, and as a bipolar in the late 1970s. His wife once said that he may have had a multiple personality disorder where he was showing symptoms as such. Throughout his life, he was a poor man, limited to living in California, with a bad attitude, harboring a strong resentment toward the authority figures, and constantly seeking answers. He was considered to be "two-faced" by a number of people. It makes me wonder if he had discover and read Gurdjieff's works, would he be able to turn it around and try to better himself in some way, to be more balanced? I'm thinking here of an external consideration and networking. Maybe not. It would seem that many of the ideas that he was playing with over many years would have drove him mad.
He died of stroke in 1982, which interestingly enough, his aunt Marion died of a stroke. She was a spiritualist medium.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_K._Dick
The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick (2011).
John Huntington, "Philip K. Dick: Authenticity and Insincerity," Science-Fiction Studies, Vol. 15 (1988).
Laurence A. Rickels, "Endopsychic Allegories," Postmodern Culture, Vol. 18, no. 1 (Sept 2007).
Lawrence Sutin (ed.), The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick (1995).
Charles Platt, "The Voices in Philip K. Dick's Head," The New York Times (16 Dec 2011).
Robert M. Philmus, "The Two Faces of Philip K. Dick," Science-Fiction Studies, Vol. 18 (1991).
Tessa B. Dick, Philip K. Dick: Remembering Firebright (2010).
FWIW, Keel wrote a paper about PKD : Was PKD a flake ? that you can find here _http://fr.scribd.com/doc/18424092/Was-PKD-A-Flake-By-John-A-Keel
I find it interesting and it gives another perspective than the mundane "psychiatric" one.
Me too, I always saw him as a fascinating man (see my signature ;) ) for all the thoughts his work can trigger.
I find it interesting and it gives another perspective than the mundane "psychiatric" one.
Me too, I always saw him as a fascinating man (see my signature ;) ) for all the thoughts his work can trigger.
mada85
The Cosmic Force
I've read most of Dick's books and short stories over the years. There is one scene of his his that impressed me most deeply. I can't remember which book it's in, but I believe the plot concerns a totalitarian American society where the president is Ferris F Freemont. In this scene, the narrator is visited by two 'Fappers' - fanatical young people who believe completely in the totalitarian state. For me, this encounter, recounted in simple language and without ornament, was uniquely horrifying.
Zadius Sky
The Living Force
Endymion said:
I think that's Radio Free Albemuth. :)
Thanks for that paper by Keel, Maat. Very interesting.
There is a thread on PKD's Exegesis, which is a voluminous mass of writings in which he tries to interpret an unusual experience he had in 1974, here:
http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,27503.0.html
"VALIS", one of his last novels, is also one in which he explores that experience, and in which two of the characters are based on PKD.
This passage from William C. Chittick's The Sufi Path of Knowledge (Introduction, page xiii) also seems of interest in relation to PKD's 1974 "opening" or "inrush":
http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,27503.0.html
"VALIS", one of his last novels, is also one in which he explores that experience, and in which two of the characters are based on PKD.
This passage from William C. Chittick's The Sufi Path of Knowledge (Introduction, page xiii) also seems of interest in relation to PKD's 1974 "opening" or "inrush":
SocietyoftheSpectacle
Jedi Master
Ive got 57 Philip K dick books in a single file if anyone wants them , drop me a pm,
SocietyoftheSpectacle said:
Hi SocietyoftheSpectacle, as sending private messages is discouraged on this forum I think it would be best if you communicated with fellow forumites directly on forum boards :)
It may also be useful to read the thread on private messages: https://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=11216.0
SocietyoftheSpectacle
Jedi Master
Ant22 said:
OK thanks, Forget the PM's then.
I first thought to look up the Copyright Status and was Put off by the difficulty,
However,
Not too hard to find after all,
Some or all works by this author are in the public domain in the United States because they are legally published within the United States (or the United Nations Headquarters in New York subject to Section 7 of the United States Headquarters Agreement) before 1964, and copyright was not renewed."
SO, 57 Books by Philip K Dick
( I hate amazon and their criminal take down of public domain material )
[Moderator edit: Link removed. Out of consideration for the forum and its owners, please do not post links to free downloads of what may be copyrighted material. Unless it can be demonstrably proven that ALL the works in question are no longer under copyright in ALL domains. Thank you.]
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