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For anybody interested in philosophy, religion, science fiction, or mental struggles, I highly recommend the 900+ page slog that is The Exegesis of Philip K. Di

For anybody interested in philosophy, religion, science fiction, or mental struggles, I highly recommend the 900+ page slog that is The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick. Mild warning: I read the introduction close to a decade ago and got bored before I even started the book itself. I picked it up again a few years ago and skipped to the actual content and was simultaneously hooked and blown away. Maybe it was just coincidence with my personal journey, but it felt a lot like the thoughts I had one day were found on the pages I read the next day. It is a little repetitive, because PKD is essentially iterating over possible explanations with slight changes each iteration, but if you've read any of his fiction you already know that! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exegesis_of_Philip_K._Dick https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exegesis_of_Philip_K._Dick

pmoriarty 5y ago
I'm a big PKD fan, having read pretty much every one of his scifi book (of which there are many), but even I wouldn't recommend The Exegesis to any but the most die-hard fan.. and even then I doubt most of them could make it through much of that book before shelving it and reading something else. It's basically a really, really, reaaaaaaly looong, barely coherent book of random ramblings. It's fine to dip in to now and then to see what PKD was thinking about on any random day, but really hard to stomach reading very much of, as unlike a fiction work it has no structure, no characters, no plot, and was not intended for anything but a private sounding-ground for the author to spitball ideas, many of them having to do with one event that PKD probably dearly wanted to be a mystical experience and that he just couldn't seem to drop and move past. To truly die-hard PKD fans this might be endlessly fascinating, but to me it's only worth peeking in for maybe a few pages every few years or so. I can't imagine reading the whole thing, even if it was the only book I had on a desert island.
- bsedlm 5y ago
  Here's a summary of sorts https://www.tekgnostics.com/PDK.HTM https://www.tekgnostics.com/PDK.HTM
- jimmygrapes 5y ago
  I don't disagree! I really do feel like the only reason I was able to get through it all is because I was in a mentally/emotionally/spiritually compatible state when I read it proper. I am quite positive that if I had tried to read it when I was sure of anything that I would reject it exactly as you describe. The only way I can see it being rewarding for someone (who isn't in the midst of the same affliction PKD suffered at the time of writing) is to treat it almost like archeology alongside his published works: read the fiction, then read his mindset about it, and abstractly note things like "ok this week he thinks it was because his spirit was memetically reincarnated"
- anyfoo 5y ago
  Sounds a bit like when I was young and trying to read “Also sprach Zarathustra” by Nietzsche (probably thinking that made me so smart or something).
  - ta988 5y ago
    It was my case as well. Did you try recently? Quite striking how experience changes you in ways you wouldn't believe when you're young.

pmoriarty 5y ago

I'm a big PKD fan, having read pretty much every one of his scifi book (of which there are many), but even I wouldn't recommend The Exegesis to any but the most die-hard fan.. and even then I doubt most of them could make it through much of that book before shelving it and reading something else. It's basically a really, really, reaaaaaaly looong, barely coherent book of random ramblings. It's fine to dip in to now and then to see what PKD was thinking about on any random day, but really hard to stomach reading very much of, as unlike a fiction work it has no structure, no characters, no plot, and was not intended for anything but a private sounding-ground for the author to spitball ideas, many of them having to do with one event that PKD probably dearly wanted to be a mystical experience and that he just couldn't seem to drop and move past. To truly die-hard PKD fans this might be endlessly fascinating, but to me it's only worth peeking in for maybe a few pages every few years or so. I can't imagine reading the whole thing, even if it was the only book I had on a desert island.

bsedlm 5y ago
Here's a summary of sorts https://www.tekgnostics.com/PDK.HTM https://www.tekgnostics.com/PDK.HTM
jimmygrapes 5y ago
I don't disagree! I really do feel like the only reason I was able to get through it all is because I was in a mentally/emotionally/spiritually compatible state when I read it proper. I am quite positive that if I had tried to read it when I was sure of anything that I would reject it exactly as you describe. The only way I can see it being rewarding for someone (who isn't in the midst of the same affliction PKD suffered at the time of writing) is to treat it almost like archeology alongside his published works: read the fiction, then read his mindset about it, and abstractly note things like "ok this week he thinks it was because his spirit was memetically reincarnated"
anyfoo 5y ago
Sounds a bit like when I was young and trying to read “Also sprach Zarathustra” by Nietzsche (probably thinking that made me so smart or something).
- ta988 5y ago
  It was my case as well. Did you try recently? Quite striking how experience changes you in ways you wouldn't believe when you're young.