In this intellectually bracing work, John C. Lilly, whose groundbreaking research inspired "Day of the Dolphins" and "Altered States, " likens humans to biochemical robots without an operating manual. By learning to program the robot, he argues, humans gain spiritual independence. Knowing one's core beliefs and understanding how they direct one's actions are critical steps towards such independence. But for many people, spiritual beliefs are like clothes, put on and taken off for various occasions — and like clothes, become a kind of confining uniform, rendering one person virtually identical to the next. In "The Steersman, " Lilly shows readers how to identify their guiding beliefs and, most importantly, how to change them in ways that they choose, making it possible to break out of the confines of beliefs accepted without consideration and navigate a new path of self-discovery.