Colin Wilson was known for writing about diverse subjects like crime, human consciousness, and existentialism in a way that was ambitious but also attracted harsh criticism. His first major work, The Outsider, analyzed philosophical and psychological alienation in the 20th century and won him fame, but subsequent works faced backlash. Wilson believed existentialism had gone wrong since Heidegger and sought to build a new, more optimistic type of existentialism focused on reaching higher states of consciousness through mental discipline rather than drugs or illusion. Though controversial, Wilson's works provide evidence that his revolutionary philosophical ideas deserve more appreciation and study.

1. The ForgottenExistentialist/ColinWilson
-
Matthew Conniam
https://oke.io/lnSci
Translation:Lotfi Al-Dulaimi
ColinWilsonhasalwaysrepresentedinthe popularimaginationthatwriterwhodealtwitha
numberof divergentsubjects - sometimeseven dissonant- inhismanywritings:crime and
behavioral perversion,phenomenaof normal humanconsciousness,fossilsof knowledge,
newexistentialismandthe psychologyof humanexistence ,,,andHowever,awide range of
olderreadersstill rememberhimin the formof thatambitioustwenty-six-year-oldauthorof
the book"The Non-Affiliate"publishedin1956 and whichwonwide acceptance among
philosophical circlesandothersandwaspraisedbymanyof the greatcritics andbook
reviewers.Theysawinthe bookan excellentanalysisof the philosophical,psychological,and
mental alienationprevailinginthe twentiethcentury,withacomprehensivereview of the
manytypesof importantfiguresthatWilsonconsideredasstandardmodelsof philosophical
alienationanddisassociation.Tossing"notbelonging"Wilson,withhisauthor,inthe
embrace of fame and the spotlightearlyon,hasbecome astandard iconfor the angry and
indignantyoungmanoverhissociety.Unfortunately,however,the resultof the broadfame
and the brightlightsthatshone uponWilson'swork,alongwiththe accompanyingcrude
superficialityindealingwithhisworkbythe journalisticcirclesthatseekimmediate gains,
constitutedanapostasythatmay have greatlyaffectedWilson'ssubsequentwork,which
appearedin1957 underthe title "Religion."Religionandthe Rebel“wastranslatedinour
Arab worldandappearedinthe marketwiththe title The Fall of Civilization,translated”:the
workwas metwithoutrageousandextremelyharshcriticismfromthe same criticswho
praisedWilson’sfirstwork,andsince thenitwasabandoned.Wilsoninthe wildernessto
raise hisoudand fightmonstershimself withoutahelper!!Positivism, linguisticanalysis,
empirical,andthe manarguedthat Descartesdidnotrepresentthe startingpointinthe
launchof modernphilosophy,butratherledittoa deadend,and he didnot holda high
appreciationforthe workof BertrandRussell andconsideredhimanoutstandingschool
studentwitharistocraticorigins!!!.Wilsonpartneredwiththe famousphilosopherI.C.AJ
Ayerfor a while playinganentertaininggame forbothof themrequiringeachof themto
write a harshcritical reviewwheneverone of thempublishedabookandcontinuedthis
game until Wilson stoppedwritingthese reviewssoAyerhadtostop writingthemtoo
.
The hallmarkcharacteristicof Wilson'sworkandideassince hisearliestworkswashis
steadfastaversiontothe existentialismof murderousnihilismthatbothSartre and Camus
were promotingonthe Francophone bankoff the Englishcoast,althoughhe was
sympathetictothe extreme withtheirphilosophical preoccupationsandtheirmethodsof
thoughtand Analysis.ExistentialismwasforWilsonthe mostimportantphilosophical
movementof the twentiethcentury,buthe saw thatit haddeviatedfromitscourse since
1927 at the handsof Martin Heideggerinhisbook,BeingandTime,whenhe departedfrom
itsinitial ideabasedonHusserl phenomena,Andhere Wilsonhadtoreturnto the
phenomenal originof Husserl'sthoughtand,accordingly,setouttobuilda new structure for

2. existentialism:anewexistentialismthatisqualitativelydifferentfromthatof Sartre and
Camus,thenthe man wentonto introduce thisnew structure of existentialisminhisbook
.
The secondfeature thatdefinesWilson'sworkishisfascinationandfascinationwiththe
rangesthat humanabilitycanreach, andthat is one of the earlymanifestationsthatwas
reflectedinhisapparentpassionforthe unusual phenomena prevalentinordinarylife,even
as if the man seemedtoalwaysbe touchedbythe ideathat ordinaryeveryday
consciousnessoperatesata muchlowerlevel.Whatiscreatedbyhismaturity,andthat the
originof the existential absurditythatsome advocate andpromote withenduringresidesin
the natural tendencyof the humanmindto slide intoastate of mental lazinessandlethargic
relaxationwhenitisnotalwaysinvokedbystimuli thatdifferqualitativelyfromthose
prevalentinourdailylife.The lazinessthatWilsonmasteredwhenhe describeditasbeing
akinto the autopilotinan airplane:astate of dullnessandboredomthatextendsendlessly.
Wilsonwrote aboutthe abilityof the humanmind,throughdisciplinedtraining,toreacha
state of complete consciousness:Thatawarenesssimilartothatof a childonthe night
before ChristmasEve whenhe isoverwhelmedwiththe feelingthatlife isrichandfull of the
bestof thingsandpromisessomanyjoyful hopesandexpectationsthatthe foundingfathers
of existentialismalongwiththe romanticistshave alwayscalledtoexpelitandthrow it into
the trash as a fake.Sincere andmental illusion.ButforWilson,the pessimisticview of the
worldisthe same thatdeservesinall meritandfairnessto be describedaspure falsehood,
and that the statesof complete consciousnessassociatedwithpeakexperiencesare the only
onesthat deserve tobe anhonestwitnessof the truthinthisworld,so he refusedWilson,
Sartre's worktitled"Nausea,"andCamus'sbook,"The Absurd."He consideredthemworks
that betraymental laziness,justaswriterslike Sartre andBeckettaccusedinone of hisrare
textsof hiswritingsthattheypoisonthe collectiveculture of societyinacynical and
abominable way,asif someone werepoisoningthe source of waterfromwhicheveryone
drinks!! Anditmust be pointedouthere thatWilsonwouldnothave calledforexpanding
the frontiersof humanconsciousnessthroughthe creationof psychotic,auditoryorvisual
illusionscausedbymental conditionersstartingwithalcohol anduptothe last listof
dangerousdrugsthat distortthe mental moodandpushthe individual intoanabyssafter
destroyinghismental activitiesAnd,ashe hasnevercalledonthe man to violate the
prevailingrespectable cultural traditions,onthe contrary,he ispushingusto plunge intothe
midstof a seriousmental processbasedonstrictmental discipline
.
Whetherwe agree or not,Wilson’s“non-affiliated”workandthe subsequentseriesof works
that he carved into,aswell asWilson’smonumental anddramaticworkentitled“A Criminal
Historyof Mankind,”publishedin1975, all provide sufficientevidence totake seriously
Wilson'stalkof hisrevolution.Smallinthe prevailingphilosophical context,becausehe was
able to impartan optimistichumancharactertothe prevailingnihilisticexistential
tendencies,andthe manwill prove withthe daysthathisworks - especiallythose thatwe
referredtoabove - deserve the full praise andthe deserved appreciationof mysingular
Englishpresence whohasbecome aniconworthyof the burdenof in-depthresearchand
readingAvenue
.

3. ***
ColinWilson:The ForgottenExistentialist
Matthew Coniam
https://oke.io/lnSci