Philosophers on psychedelics - Many Minds
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- Title
- Philosophers on psychedelics
- Description
- <p class="p1">Some call it the "psychedelic renaissance." In the last decade or so, interest in psychedelic drugs has surged—and not just among Silicon Valley types and psychiatrists and neuroscientists. It's also surged among a stereotypically soberer crowd: academic philosophers. The reasons are clear. With their varied and sometimes transformative effects, psychedelics raise ethical questions, epistemological questions, metaphysical questions, questions about the nature of experience and the nature of the mind.</p> <p class="p1">My guest today is <a href= "https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/persons/chris-letheby"><span class="s1"> Dr. Chris Letheby</span></a>. Chris is a philosopher of cognitive science at the University of Western Australia and the author of the 2021 book, <a href= "https://global.oup.com/academic/product/philosophy-of-psychedelics-9780198843122"> <span class="s1"><em>Philosophy of Psychedelics</em></span></a>.</p> <p class="p1">Here, Chris and I talk about the so-called classic psychedelics—LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca, and others—and how interest in them has gone through three distinct waves. We discuss the effects that these substances seem to have, in particular their capacity to treat certain psychiatric conditions and their tendency to induce "mystical-like" experiences. We consider the idea that psychedelics might serve as agents of moral enhancement. And we dig into the psychological and neural mechanisms by which psychedelics seem to have their diverse—and often salutary—effects. Along the way, we talk about ontological shock, comforting delusions, brain plasticity, unselfing, microdosing, placebo effects and adverse effects, physicalism and idealism, the REBUS model, environmental virtues, plant consciousness, meditation, and much more.</p> <p class="p1">Maybe this is obvious but this episode is not just for the seasoned psychonauts out there. Whatever your personal experience with these substances, they offer a distinctive window into the mind—a new way of grappling with big questions. Perhaps this much is <em>also</em> obvious but we're not encouraging or endorsing the use of psychedelics here—just offering a little fuel for your intellectual fires!</p> <p class="p1">Alright friends, on to my conversation w/ Dr. Chris Letheby. Enjoy!</p> <p class="p2"> </p> <p class="p1">A transcript of this episode will be posted soon.</p> <p class="p3"> </p> <p class="p4"><span class="s2"><em>Notes and links</em></span></p> <p class="p4">4:00 – For a brief historical overview of research into psychedelics, see <a href= "https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02791072.2019.1606472"> <span class="s1">this paper.</span></a></p> <p class="p4">8:30 – For work by an early trailblazer in the philosophy of psychedelics, see Thomas Metzinger’s <a href= "https://direct.mit.edu/books/monograph/1991/Being-No-OneThe-Self-Model-Theory-of-Subjectivity"> <span class="s1"><em>Being No One</em></span></a><em>.</em></p> <p class="p4">12:30 – For our earlier episode on the psychology and philosophy of visual illusions, see <a href= "https://disi.org/the-borderlands-of-perception/"><span class= "s1">here</span></a>.<span class= "Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p class="p4">18:00 – For a history of the concept of “set and setting,” see <a href="http://www.apple.com"><span class= "s1">here</span></a>.</p> <p class="p4">19:00 – A <a href= "https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2822968#google_vignette"> <span class="s1">2024 review</span></a> of “adverse events” in classic psychedelics.</p> <p class="p4">26:00 – A <a href= "https://www.nyas.org/ideas-insights/blog/the-origin-of-the-term-psychedelic/"> <span class="s1">blog post</span></a> on the history of the term “psychedelic.”</p> <p class="p4">27:00 – A <a href= "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032722011818?casa_token=BQT4l58mu2cAAAAA:E6n9tgOaxnGmlVXuurfbxA9sMwJTLqAYrXJs6yebIw9MluzFHsMlKKHWUYtdszs5d9Byc4PLsH8"> <span class="s1">recent review and meta-anal
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-14T23:39:00+00:00
- Status
- completed
- Website
- https://manyminds.libsyn.com/philosophers-on-psychedelics
- Length
- 100:48
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- /podcasts/Many Minds/1747265940-5062.mp3
- Size
- 138.45 MB
- Bitrate
- 187-CBR
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- 1
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