Alan Watts

Who is Alan Watts? And why does he matter? Alan Watts (1915 – 1973) was an English philosopher and teacher emigrated to America who taught eastern philosophy to a western society.

Alan Watts deepened his knowledge of Buddhism and Zen and eastern understanding, writing many books on the matter, attending conferences as a speaker and he was a center figure on the field.

In his last years of his life he was known as the cardinal figures of the controcultura (against-culture) movement. His style of life, divided between a houseboat in Sausalito and a mountain cabin on Mount Tamalpais, was absolutely in line with his believes and teachings.

divided between a houseboat in Sausalito and a mountain cabin on Mount Tamalpais

Controcultura is a term used in sociology, and it refers to that movement or groups of people who values and behaviors are really different, and sometimes opposite, to the rest of society. Sometimes this term is used to define those rebellious groups like the students movements or the hippies in the 60s.

His son Mark Watts is still carrying on his father work.