The Philosopher’s Stone was published by Arthur Barker in 1969, two years after The Mind Parasites. Howard Lester, a neuroscientist, discovers that implanting a small device in the prefrontal cortex can amplify the brain’s capacity for sustained concentration, effectively defeating the “robot” — the automatic, low-energy mode of consciousness that Wilson regards as humanity’s fundamental problem. The enhanced consciousness enables Lester to perceive geological time directly (he can “see” the history embedded in rocks and landscapes) and eventually to apprehend cosmic realities that dwarf human experience.
The Lovecraftian element enters in the final third: Lester’s expanded perception reveals the existence of vast, ancient beings — the Old Ones — who have been monitoring humanity’s development. Unlike in Lovecraft, however, these entities are not hostile so much as indifferent, and the horror they inspire is existential rather than physical: the recognition that human consciousness, even in its expanded state, is infinitesimal against the scale of cosmic intelligence.
Wilson regarded this as his best novel, and it is certainly his most successful fusion of philosophical argument and narrative. The ideas — phenomenological, neuroscientific, cosmological — are genuinely interesting, and the plot, while still subordinate to the ideas, has enough momentum to carry the reader through.
Collecting The Philosopher’s Stone
First edition (Arthur Barker, London, 1969): Cloth binding, dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition, fine/fine: $100–$300
- Very good/very good: $40–$100