Philip K. Dick and L. Ron Hubbard were both brilliant philosophical thinkers, but appreciation of their work has been marginalized by the fact that they were writers of pulp science fiction. Psychologically perceptive and metaphysically curious, both men had a keen eye for understanding and decoding the human condition. Occasionally couching their philosophies in cutting-edge futurist thought, they nevertheless managed to formulate groundbreaking theories on the nature of existence itself.

Their paths depart, however, as their bibliographies progress: Dick kept most of his ontological explorations firmly rooted within the context of his fiction, and later in life seemed to be on a Gnostic-influenced voyage with no definite answers. Hubbard, on the other hand, saved up his deepest insights for his latter-day nonfiction works, such as his breakthrough 1951 self-help manual, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.

Dianetics passionately refutes modern-day psychology and psychiatry as being ridiculously primitive--Hubbard is so determined to dispose of Freudian psychology, in fact, that he neurotically keeps the word unconsciousness in quotes throughout the entire 700-page work. He proposes a reactive mind instead--one filled with debilitating engrams.

Similar to the concept of humans having a reptilian mind left over as an evolutionary remnant, the idea of the reactive mind is fleshed out in astounding ways. The conclusions Hubbard ultimately reaches are debatable, and his research and experiments at times seem sketchy and dubious; but his thoughtful explorations have possibly influenced some of the most important theories of the last 30 years, although few would admit it.

For instance, the influential concept of selfish genes described by scientist Richard Dawkins in 1976 has a predecessor in Hubbard's proposal of evolution and man's need to survive. And the Dawkins-inspired meme, described in 1999 in Susan Blackmore's The Meme Machine, bears similarities to the Dianetics engram concept that language can have a virus-like power all its own.

The big problem with Dianetics: It can become mind numbingly repetitive, it has a musty smell of New Agey self-help neo-spiritualism, and it too often mistakes it's own philosophical theories for scientific fact.

But Hubbard does manage to liven things up by repeatedly referring to loose women, sexual perversions, and even prenatal rape. According to Hubbard, your dad having sex with your mom while you were still in her womb probably really fucked your preclear self up. But don't worry, Dianetics can help.

Regrettably, Dianetics never gets into the really fun Scientology stuff involving the alien Thetan spirits, the evil Galactic Leader Xenu, levitation, or any of the other smacked-out-awesome ideas rumored to be found in the Dianetics-based religion. Oh well, if Hubbard won't tell us his secrets, then who wants to help me found the Church of Philip K. Dick? Let Dick's semi-autobiographical, spiritual, sci-fi masterpiece--Valis--lead the way.

(Note: Dick's final three books--all ingenious--are commonly, but not officially, called The Valis Trilogy. The first book is Valis, and the final two volumes are: The Divine Invasion and The Transmigration of Timothy Archer.)

FROM: Celebrity Cola: A slipshod agnostic guide to the universe.

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