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Simulations of God: The Science of Belief
"What I wish to do in this book is give you enough samples to learn your own simulations of God, understand your own system of be!ief, and find out what is most important to you within yourself, here and now."
--John C. Lilly, M.D.
This book examines the sacred realms of self, religion, sex, science, philosophy, drugs, politics, money, crime, war, family & spiritual paths "with no holds barred, with courage & a sense of excitement." It provides readers with unique views of their own inner realities to help unfold new areas for growth & self-realization.
284 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
23 people are currently reading
850 people want to read
About the author
John C. Lilly
27 books211 followersJohn Cunningham Lilly was an American physician, neuroscientist, psychoanalyst, psychonaut, philosopher, writer and inventor.
He was a researcher of the nature of consciousness using mainly isolation tanks, dolphin communication, and psychedelic drugs, sometimes in combination.
He was a researcher of the nature of consciousness using mainly isolation tanks, dolphin communication, and psychedelic drugs, sometimes in combination.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 14, 2025
This is an examination of the sacred realms of self, religion, science, philosophy, sex, drugs, politics, money, crime, war, family, and spiritual paths.
The purpose of the book is to provide readers with a unique view of inner reality to help them unfold new areas for growth and self-realization.
He takes on so much with this book, I felt like he had trouble explaining what he meant, either that or he's a poor writer.
I've no doubt he's a great scientist, visionary, etc. He just fails to get his message across in this book, in my opinion.
The purpose of the book is to provide readers with a unique view of inner reality to help them unfold new areas for growth and self-realization.
He takes on so much with this book, I felt like he had trouble explaining what he meant, either that or he's a poor writer.
I've no doubt he's a great scientist, visionary, etc. He just fails to get his message across in this book, in my opinion.
February 3, 2013
Bizarre blend of psychoanalysis, psychonautics, and perennialism. Definitely a fun read; definitely worth a few dollars. Also, if you dig the film Altered States, then this book is for you - the film was based on Dr. Lilly's sensory deprivation experiments.
March 16, 2015
While I've enjoyed Lilly's books about dolphin intelligence, I've found some of his other, later books to be a bit too idiosyncratic. This, along with The Dyadic Cyclone, left me behind and I finished them just out of dogged persistence.
September 10, 2023
This is for fans of the Lilly models as employed in his other books with the systems being laid out mostly in "Programming and Metaprogramming in the Biocomputer" and the Satori system from "The Center of the Cyclone". Therefore if you like those systems you will enjoy this more, however, it is exactly because this is an extra piece of work to add to Lilly's belief system that makes it much less enjoyable.
The book itself projects a religious object into an assortment of subjects. In this it looks at the subject as if worshipped like a god, the "religion" (as in documents, symbols, rituals, etc.), and the usually pessimistic outline of what happens when the subject is seen as god. Unfortunately, most of the analysis closes off connections rather than opens up to them. One should be able to see the personality biases upon subject matters of the time, the palace of judgement that is erected from his own experiences and fit into previously disclosed models (ie: Satori system gives a value +/- in relation to experiences. Rather than a different experience certain experiences are treated as "better than" or "less than" in a specific model in relation to the perceived value of the subject), and the resurgence of different simulations of god in one chapter which begs the point of isolating and neutering the simulations rather than bringing them together in kaleidoscopic fashion. Ultimately, I find that this shaves off edges of the connective pieces of the jigsaw rather than connecting them to us and each other.
I have no problem with Lilly, I can recommend it to fans of Lilly's model, and I enjoyed some views in this book, but I will not be keeping it around. This is a product of a time and I do not believe will be timeless nor can I see myself giving this book to someone to help.
The book itself projects a religious object into an assortment of subjects. In this it looks at the subject as if worshipped like a god, the "religion" (as in documents, symbols, rituals, etc.), and the usually pessimistic outline of what happens when the subject is seen as god. Unfortunately, most of the analysis closes off connections rather than opens up to them. One should be able to see the personality biases upon subject matters of the time, the palace of judgement that is erected from his own experiences and fit into previously disclosed models (ie: Satori system gives a value +/- in relation to experiences. Rather than a different experience certain experiences are treated as "better than" or "less than" in a specific model in relation to the perceived value of the subject), and the resurgence of different simulations of god in one chapter which begs the point of isolating and neutering the simulations rather than bringing them together in kaleidoscopic fashion. Ultimately, I find that this shaves off edges of the connective pieces of the jigsaw rather than connecting them to us and each other.
I have no problem with Lilly, I can recommend it to fans of Lilly's model, and I enjoyed some views in this book, but I will not be keeping it around. This is a product of a time and I do not believe will be timeless nor can I see myself giving this book to someone to help.
September 7, 2020
Dazzling
I have to admit I found it to be just a blur/sludge of words to begin with of no apparent value. Then it settled down into a sane and penetrating analysis of all the false or at least limited gods we construct and worship. Sex, money, power, wrath, physical excellence, vanity, war. And finally a look at a few not so false gods. Going to have to reread the beginnings and whatever else he wrote. He is Asking all the right question with intensity and honesty. Maybe a few excesses and exaggerations here and there. Or maybe I’m wrong about that too.
I have to admit I found it to be just a blur/sludge of words to begin with of no apparent value. Then it settled down into a sane and penetrating analysis of all the false or at least limited gods we construct and worship. Sex, money, power, wrath, physical excellence, vanity, war. And finally a look at a few not so false gods. Going to have to reread the beginnings and whatever else he wrote. He is Asking all the right question with intensity and honesty. Maybe a few excesses and exaggerations here and there. Or maybe I’m wrong about that too.
October 5, 2022
Essential reading, I regret I didn't read it much sooner. Deep dive into human psýché, metaprograming of human biocomputer and explanation of to use it.
Sometimes autor leaves a neutral analysis and goes too deep into his own anecdotes. He also didn't believe that machines can be creative =D
Sometimes autor leaves a neutral analysis and goes too deep into his own anecdotes. He also didn't believe that machines can be creative =D
March 16, 2020
The author tried to grasp vast amount of things, drastically failed, mixed up and massed up.
July 24, 2019
Truth as a function of belief.
November 16, 2015
Fabulous! Love Lilly and his explorations. Very insightful. Cutting edge consciousness, that society still has not caught up with. The guru teaches and does not collect the student.
June 20, 2016
Great scientist and visionary does not equal great writer.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews