must have waited in anticipation for the awful moment which would show whether their calculations were correct. Once the dust had settled however, the success of the experiment made it commonplace for men to expect confidently to prise open the secrets of one forbidden subject after another. For example, ballistic missiles and the freedom of movement in space; molecular biology and the possibility of tampering with genes and chromosomes, and the creation of life; and (dare I say it) the scientific manipulation of people. In the past this was largely the prerogative of the demagogue and the leader of men; but today every salesman and advertiser teaches us that these skills are now available to all for the learning. I am not suggesting manipulation, which usually takes the form of temptation. I am suggesting that one should use the confidence of the manipulator in order to create; in rather the same way that Luther used the pub drinking tunes for his hymns.
It may be objected that I still have not made clear what consciousness synthesis is like. This is unavoidable. It would be impossible to describe temptation convincingly to someone innocent of evil. It would be so completely outside his experience. The only way to teach him would be by practical demonstration; to tempt him, and show how vulnerable he was to falling. It is the same with consciousness synthesis. You are in effect asking someone to enter a world without sin; that is meaningless, except to someone who has an inkling of what a world without sin is like. It ought to be cautious, guarded, prudent; because it is very dangerous to risk too much at once. But this does not carry the matter much further. The most one can hope to do is to convince people that it is worth trying. There can be no standard technique. One person's experience will very likely differ from another's. I see it leading to freedom and diversity in human behaviour; not to a conventional uniformity. Its most limiting factor is that you have first to get rid of egotism; otherwise it is manipulation.