Robert Anton Wilson, originally born Robert Edward Wilson on January 18, 1932, and passing on January 11, 2007, was a prolific American author, novelist, essayist, editor, playwright, poet, futurist, psychologist, and a self-described agnostic mystic. Wilson's influence is deeply entrenched in the veins of Discordianism, where he is revered as an Episkopos, Pope, and saint, significantly contributing to the group's public awareness through his extensive writings and insightful interviews.

Wilson's literary oeuvre is best described as a valiant effort to dismantle conditioned associations and encourage a fresh perspective on the world, endorsing a multitude of models or maps while refraining from elevating any single model to the status of absolute truth. His ultimate ambition was to instigate a state of generalized agnosticism; a skepticism not limited to the divine but extending to all realms of knowledge and belief.

Among his contributions are several science-fiction novels, along with non-fiction works exploring extrasensory perception, mental telepathy, metaphysics, paranormal experiences, conspiracy theory, sex, drugs, and a unique domain he termed "quantum psychology". Following a career in journalism and editing, notably for Playboy, Wilson emerged as a formidable figure within the counterculture movement of the mid-1970s, standing shoulder to shoulder with contemporaries such as Timothy Leary and Terence McKenna.