Drugs are chemicals that alter your normal body functions. Nothing more. Everything dealing with these chemicals can be explained scientifically whether we have or not.
yes
and all the time, our body functions are regulated by chemicals
different metabolisms are regulated differently and react differently
many animals for instance can smell and hear things that we don't
because we don't notice these sound waves, does that mean that they are not here?
or just that we are extremely limited in our perception of "what is really here"?
is the screen in front of you real?
or is it in fact 99.999999999999% of empty space with some weird particles, existing through their wave functions, making you believe that the screen is full of matter?
i'm certainly not falling easily for the fancy theories
but you should not forget that everything we take for granted is only a very subjective interpretation of the little amount of "reality" we have access to
and that "our reality" is in no way more objective than any other interpretation of the universe ; even interpretations that no living beings actually experience, but could just potentially exist
in other words : we know nothing, so let's not be arrogant when rejecting far-fetched interpretations
science has taught us better than that
where would science be today if people hadn't brought forward ideas that others first considered absolutely ridiculous?
everything in science today is based on facts that we "know" are true, but can only explain to a certain degree, after which we just have to accept our ignorance
i also like the quote "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" a lot
it could settle the different between the "i want to believe" and the "scientific" arguers
i hardly understand how the word "paranormal" first appeared
there is no "paranormal"
if it exists, it's "normal"
just not understood yet
it would be like saying that homosexuality is unatural
well, look in the nature around you. what do you see? homosexuality. so pretty obviously it's natural. deviant or whatever if you want, but natural
an easy example of the "magic of advanced science" would be intertwined particles
can you think of many things more "magic" than that?
yet it's not magic. it is a fact of our universe
our understanding is just not advanced enough to explain it
i haven't given much thought to the case of the dmt elves (no pro a prioris, my usual sceptism ; but won't shut my ears either) and i'm too tired to do it now
but just for fun, think about this :
even if those elves are imagined, your brain has to change connections (and stuff..) in order to make them appear to your consciousness
that means that they have a physical reality in the form of a different arrangement of chemicals in your brain
-> they do have a physical reality, although on a different level than the one we think of in every days' life