“What is reality?”. Here, philosophy’s $64 000 question gets the West
Coast wild ‘n’ crazy treatment from Robert Anton Wilson. In My Life After Death,
the third volume of Cosmic Trigger (New Falcon Publications,
£11.99/$14.95, ISBN 1 56184 112 9), Wilson merrily delves into “the
counterfeits of reality and the reality of counterfeits”, starting with his own
premature obituary. Secret societies, UFOs, Orson Welles, quantum physics,
hollow-Earth theories— all are thrown in to bolster his view that reality
is in the eye of the beholder. Funny in parts, the book falters when this former
Playboy editor tackles the men’s and women’s movements.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features

Environment
Evocative photos of Canadian Arctic win New Scientist Editors Award
Regulars

Environment
June heatwave may have killed around 20,000 people in Europe
News

Physics
Random wobbles in time could finally solve gravity’s greatest mystery
News

Life
Synthetic biology may finally be ready to solve life's biggest mystery
Leader
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
The world's fastest spider tops 3.5 metres per second
2
Humans sleep the least of all apes – is it the secret to our success?
3
Random wobbles in time could finally solve gravity’s greatest mystery
4
A type of fibre that stimulates GLP-1 release approved for use in food
5
The 4 must-watch science-fiction films of the year so far
6
What is 'SpudCell'? Arguably the greatest bioengineering feat yet
7
The weirdness of neutrinos could completely rewrite particle physics
8
The best new science-fiction novels published in July 2026
9
Babies are born with the neural foundations for maths
10
The surprising ways your brain changes from your 20s to your 40s