Alan Watts's 1951 book, published by Pantheon Books, arguing that the modern search for psychological and material security is itself the source of anxiety, and that peace comes from accepting impermanence and living fully in direct present experience rather than from any belief system or possession that promises safety. Written before his American Academy of Asian Studies years reshaped his vocabulary, it draws on Zen, Taoism and contemporary psychotherapy alike and reads as a work of practical philosophy rather than as an account of any one tradition's doctrine.
Facts
Assessment
Reliability TierTier two: Alan Watts's own 1951 primary text of practical philosophy, drawing on Zen, Taoism and contemporary psychotherapy alike rather than expounding any one tradition's own doctrine. Cited here as Watts's own argument, not as a scholarly or doctrinal account of the traditions it draws on. NotesWatts's own popular-philosophy argument, not a scholarly or clinical text; reliable as a primary statement of his early thought and unreliable as evidence for how any named tradition itself resolves anxiety. 1 Citation
Publication Year Cross-Tradition Connections
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- Historical Figures, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
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