Well, you triggered a BIG box of memories for me. Rereading your piece I'm not clear that you are seeing Wilson in context for his time.

Wilson was a scientist, a writer, and a "Discordian".

The last one is important in understanding the zeitgeist of the sci-fi scene of that period. There was a faction in the sci-fi community that advocated "discordianism" as a method of assaulting a status quo they thought would lead to human extinction.

Remember, "The Club of Rome" report and "The Limits of Growth" were very much on people's minds. The future looked bleak to a lot of people in the sci-fi community. Part of the debate about "what to do about it" was expressed in the books of the time.

Are you familiar with John Brunner?

Here are some of his best, that relate to Wilson and the Discordian's.

The Sheep Look Up and Stand on Zanzibar.

Both Wilson and Brunner were advocates of "direct action" against the status quo.

"If you want things to change, you have to make people question their current reality."

Best sums up the Discordian position. In Brunner's novels rogue groups of engineers sabotage things and create disasters. In order to try and "wake people up" from their entertainment cocoons.

Wilson had a much better sense of humor than Brunner did. His books are funny most of the time, Brunner's are dystopian. They were both part of the same faction though in the community.

Both were very influential on the next generation of writers who came of age reading their stuff. Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club) has referenced Brunner as an influence for example.

Fight Club the book, not the almost neutered movie. The book is basically a Discordian Manifesto. This debate is an old one. It still continues.