The Fugitive Philosopher

by Timothy Leary

Busted for pot in 1965, Timothy Leary was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He escaped, and thus began an almost farcical the former West Point student and Harvard professor was now an acid-tripping fugitive. In this delightfully irreverent account, Leary describes his time in Algeria; how he was sheltered by an arms dealer in Switzerland; his exploits with the Weathermen and Eldridge Cleaver, who tried to hold him hostage; and his eventual capture and return to the United States. The book includes black and white illustrations throughout.

144 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2007

About the author

Timothy Francis Leary was an American writer, psychologist, futurist, modern pioneer and advocate of psychedelic drug research and use, and one of the first people whose remains have been sent into space. An icon of 1960s counterculture, Leary is most famous as a proponent of the therapeutic and spiritual benefits of LSD. He coined and popularized the catch phrase "Turn on, tune in, drop out."

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

all in all, this book is an excellent quick read. it didn't only explain the reasoning behind spiritualism and drug use, but it also helps the reader understand the correlation between hallucinations and miracles. timothy leary is a great source for understanding the subconscious through a wide set of tools that will enable the individual to see within.

the personal experiences described by leary are very relevant to society because there is a current shift towards the expansion of consciousness and the search for new systems that can work with the 99% of the population living as the not-so-fortunate ones. the government experiments with psychology and drugs were so shady and mysterious that most people believe them to be hoaxes or just plain idiotic research; however, there is plenty of evidence to show that our beloved cia used a good amount of research done by leary and other psychologists utilizing drugs including lsd as tools to enhance their results.

great writing. great explanations for the novice psychologyst and good tips for the astro-psychedelic-naut.

[Shea Mastison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent enough little book; packed with 80% hippy bullshit, and maybe 10% interesting thought. The narrative is essentially patched together from a variety of Leary's previously written material.

The eight circuits of development are fascinating. I was first introduced to them via Robert Anton Wilson's "Prometheus Rising" (a much better book, for anyone interested).

Maybe if you were from the era, or something, this would have some time utility value. Overall, it was okay.