Lifetide: The Biology of the Unconscious was published by Hodder & Stoughton in 1979, Watson’s continuation of the project begun in Supernature — the attempt to construct a biology adequate to phenomena that orthodox science ignores or dismisses. Where Supernature surveyed the field broadly, Lifetide focuses more specifically on consciousness, on the boundaries between life and death, and on the possibility that biological fields organize development in ways not reducible to DNA.
The book is most famous (or infamous) for introducing the “hundredth monkey” concept: the claim that when a critical number of individuals in a population learn a new behavior, the behavior spontaneously appears in the rest of the population without direct transmission — as if knowledge can spread through nonphysical channels. Watson attributed this to observations of Japanese macaques learning to wash sweet potatoes, claiming that once a certain threshold was reached, monkeys on other islands began washing potatoes without being taught.
The hundredth monkey story entered popular culture as a metaphor for social tipping points and collective consciousness — but it has been thoroughly debunked: Watson’s account of the research was inaccurate, the original scientists denied that the effect occurred, and Watson himself later acknowledged that he had “made up” certain details. The controversy damaged his scientific credibility permanently.
Beyond this, the book explores near-death experiences, biological clocks, the immune system’s apparent intelligence, and the relationship between consciousness and physical reality — topics that remain on the boundary between science and speculation.
Collecting Lifetide
First edition (Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1979): Cloth binding, dust jacket.
Market values:
- First UK edition in dust jacket: $10–$25
- US first (Simon & Schuster, 1979): $8–$20