Design for Dying

In May 1996, psychedelic guru and prankster Leary announced that he would make available his final performance--his dying--on his Web page. Although he later decided to die surrounded by his friends, with that decision Leary launched new questions about the process of dying. In this book, completed after Leary's death by Sirius, editor of Mondo 2000, Leary calls into question the Western method of separating a good death from the process of living. He first explores ""Living,"" and suggests that drugs and technology may be used in tandem to extend the self into the stream of all living things. He also ventures that the movement from pre-human to human may have been the result of the ""synergy of mind-altering plants and the human mind."" Leary then offers a ""design for dying"" that includes suggestions for overcoming society's taboos against a good death. He narrates the plan for his final performance, and provides some thoughts on a way to approach death, including practicing out-of-body experiences and setting the moment of dying. Finally, Leary offers alternatives for ""designer dying,"" including cryonics as a method of preserving the body and ""nanotech storage/direct brain-computer transfer."" An addendum contains interviews with Leary's friends about his dying performance. Leary was a great gamester who engaged hierarchies of Western thought in a battle until the end. Here he plays out the final moments of his own game with verve and vitality. (June)