Alan Watts

1915–1973 · British-American · 20th Century (Counterculture)

Known for: The British philosopher who made Eastern mysticism accessible to the West — Zen Buddhism's greatest salesman

Alan Watts was a British-born philosopher, writer, and speaker who became the leading interpreter of Eastern philosophy for Western audiences. His books — including The Way of Zen, The Wisdom of Insecurity, and The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are — made Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism accessible to millions of Americans during the counterculture era.

He was an Episcopal priest who left the clergy, moved to California, and became a fixture of San Francisco's philosophical scene. His lectures (widely available on YouTube) remain enormously popular decades after his death. He died at 58, probably from alcoholism — a painful irony for a man who taught the release of attachment.

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