Robert Thomas
Philosopher

A philosopher is someone who practices philosophy, which involves rational inquiry into areas that are outside either theology or science. The term “philosopher” comes from the Ancient Greek meaning “lover of wisdom.”
– Wikipedia

The Fifties: Alan Watts & Zen. The Beached Sausalito Ferry Boat. The Beats. Abstract Art. Corbusier and Mies. As both witness and participant, RT was there during the turbulent emergence of what was to become a worldwide wrinkle in the staid fabric of the wisdom tradition called The Human Potential Movement.

Born in 1932 in Middletown, N.Y., he found himself drawn closer to the big city as a student of Art at State University of New York and later of Philosophy at Columbia. As a Commercial Art Director in Manhattan he found himself caught up in the moment, attending classes at the Art Students League and joining friends to attend lectures by Krishnamurti and other visiting luminaries. His early influences; Vedanta, Jung and The Red Book, Judo (Kodakan brown belt), Reich and Whitehead.

That’s the Prologue.

Thomas and a friend joined forces to create a Manhattan communication consultancy, and got to work at building a successful business. It was heady! They landed a substantial client list in the first few years while spawning a host of knock-offs. Business was a challenge, but the joy of the sea also called him to a regular sojourn in the cockpit of not one, but many sailing yachts, an Atlantic crossing, and in time, a “Commodore” designation in the Seven Seas Cruising Association. But all that was the day job. Though he hadn’t named it, the nucleus of a philosophical platform which resolved the apparent differences between classical philosophy, the “cognitive clearing discipline” and the emergent horizons of particle physics and human potential was steadily taking shape.

It was researched, tested and matured through a long term series of counseling relationships and eventually, was named Holosophy. Though his life was filled with a series of adventures: blue water sailing, a home in a Spanish villa, a love for special cars and special women; his primary joy was this maturing philosophy. With a young side-kick, he dedicated the remainder of his life to describing his discoveries and developing a body of work which is still expanding.

Unusually for a man of such prodigious gifts, Mr. Thomas did not seek to occupy center stage. He has lived out his years in a quiet beach apartment in Florida, still working, still counseling, still pushing the boundaries of philosophy and researching the farther shores of consciousness and the human condition.

Holosophy. A life work. And a gift.