Progress Through Fear

1969

A talk on the impact of science and technology on man's role in the natural world.

Lecture
Added 6 hours ago
39:09 5,620 3

Reawakening our Connection to the Gaian Mind

1993

Presented at the fifth annual Seeds of Change conference, titled The Bioneers.

Lecture
Added 3 weeks ago
26:27 3,548 9

Why Socialism?

1949

An essay written for the first issue of Monthly Review. In it, Einstein addresses problems with capitalism, predatory economic competition, and growing wealth inequality. He highlights control of mass media by private capitalists making it difficult for citizens to arrive at objective conclusions, and political parties being influenced by wealthy financial backers resulting in an "oligarchy of private capital". Einstein concludes that these problems can only be corrected with planned economies to maintain a strong democracy and protect the rights of individuals.

Essay
Added 4 weeks ago
2,654

The Grand Option

1939

Published in Cahiers Du Monde Nouveau in 1945.

Essay
Added 4 weeks ago
7,893 9

I Have Had An Experience

2021

Immediately after landing on Earth, actor William Shatner recounts his experience seeing our planet from space for the first time during his trip on Blue Origin's NS-18 suborbital flight.

Speech
Added 6 weeks ago
10:37 1,135 1

The Psychedelic Explosion

Alan talks about the upcoming revolution in which Western society will have to come to grips with the existence of the psychedelic/mystical experience, and how to integrate it into our culture in a productive, fulfilling, and responsible manner. Included are personal recollections of DMT and LSD trips experienced by Watts himself, why the utilization of psychedelic drugs should be seen as a tool, his vision of a psychedelic campus for guided mystical experiences, and why prohibition is doomed to failure.

Lecture
Added 10 weeks ago
03:51:11 27,706 25

The Essence of the Democratic Idea

1949

“A biological approach to the problem.” Written in response to a questionnaire from UNESCO and later published in The Future of Man.

Essay
Added 11 weeks ago
1,686 2

Studio 2 Interview

1995

Discussion
Added 12 weeks ago
16:23 2,295 6

The Position of Man in Nature and the Significance of Human Socialization

1947

Is there in the universe a main axis of evolution? (An attempt to see clearly)

Essay
Added 12 weeks ago
4,175 10

Pursuit of Pleasure

Where does pleasure come from? What are we trying to achieve in our frantic day-to-day activities? Why are we in such a hurry? And why do all of our efforts to pin the universe down and bring it under our control dial up the misery?

Lecture
Added 12 weeks ago
03:26:23 22,887 32

Tao Te Ching

506 B.C.E.

Written more than two thousand years ago, the Tao Te Ching is one of the true classics of spiritual literature. It is a guide to cultivating a life of peace, serenity, and compassion. Through aphorisms and parable, it leads readers toward the Tao, or the “Way”: harmony with the life force of the universe. (This version was translated/interpreted by Stephen Mitchell in 1988.)

Classic Literature
6,523 1 84

Arcology: The City In The Image Of Man

1969

In what is considered his literary magnum opus, visionary architect Paolo Soleri challenges us to think of cities as biological entities, and introduces us to a philosophy for a new kind of urban living: the arcology, a city-sized organism designed to exist in harmony with nature. Split into two sections, the book first explains the moral and economic necessity for humanity’s transition to arcological urban landscapes, and proposes that the general purpose of life is aesthetogenesis: the universe progressively complexifying and interconnecting, consciously reshaping itself into compassionate structures. In the second section, Soleri showcases 30 potential arcologies (including one space habitat) through the use of incredibly detailed diagrams, and explains how each was carefully designed to integrate itself economically and ecologically into the world.

Book
42,122 15 21

Be Here Now

1971

This book is a classic text on Hindu spirituality that bloomed open like a lotus flower in the wake of the hippie movement. The seed for this book was planted in the mind of Harvard psychiatrist turned Indian mystic, Ram Dass, and was written—with the blessings of his guru Neem Karoli Baba—for a Western audience who were, for the most part, materially rich but spiritually poor. Be Here Now offers its readers and followers a drug-free alternative for attaining higher states of consciousness, while its simple message to live in the present encourages the pursuit and cultivation of inner peace.

Book
27,972 22 16

Mr. X

1969

Written under the pseudonym Mr. X to avoid the heavy social stigma associated with marijuana consumption at the time, Carl Sagan documented his personal experiences with cannabis in this essay in order to dispel common misconceptions about the drug. It was later published in the 1971 book Marihuana Reconsidered by Lester Grinspoon. Sagan enjoyed cannabis on a regular basis for the rest of his life, but never spoke of it publicly.

Essay
2,946 6 15

The Joker

One of Alan’s most popular seminars, and for good reason—in The Joker, listeners will find out why every society needs fools in order to remind itself not to take life so damn seriously.

Lecture
03:08:18 20,436 14 14

Out Of Your Mind 03: The Web Of Life (Part 1)

Lecture
56:16 6,308 6 12

Individual and the World

This seminar covers a variety of topics, from the illusion of our separation from the environment and the futility of trying to be genuine, all the way to the discipline required to handle mystical experiences in order to bring something back from them to share with the rest of the world. The presentation ends with his endorsement of insanity, saying a healthy amount of craziness in old age is necessary to prepare for a joyous death.

Lecture
03:21:12 24,344 15 10

Out Of Your Mind 05: The Inevitable Ecstasy (Part 1)

Lecture
01:18:20 8,750 11 9

Game Theory of Ethics

Alan Watts asks whether playing the game of life is worth the effort required. But by turning the argument around and investigating the alternative, he instills within the audience an appreciation for the gamble with fate that every life ultimately takes on.

Lecture
56:03 6,518 13 9

Who Is It That Knows There Is No Ego?

Alan explores the idea of separateness, and whether our language has tricked us into falsely believing that things are individual, independent, and comprehensible all on their own.

Lecture
50:41 5,487 5 8