Toast to the Spirits
Bluelighter
Has a passion for philosophy sparked in you as a result of your psychedelic use?
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Psychedelics and philosophy
- Thread starter Toast to the Spirits
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hmmmm... Id say psychedelic use has given my personal philosophy a much more positive feeling or vibe. And they did so by teaching me (or helped me to realize) three small but infinitely important lessons.
1.)Humility
2.)Empathy
3.)Love
I use to live with the worn out philosophy of a depressed man. "Life has no point, were just meaningless speck's on a blue ball in the sticks of a small galaxy in a universe thats either going to collapse in on itself or burn out"
See I use to resemble Penn and Teller's hardline attitude toward atheism, as in treating everything that came from every religious persons mouth as a steaming pile of horse shit, but now I'm much closer to Steve antinoffs or alan watts version of spiritual atheism. In general since I started using psychedelics and stopped questioning and worrying about things that were completely out of my control, my quality of mind has increased a ton. My outlook on life, well I'm still cynical as hell but I get through the day happy. For the most part I actually have hope in my fellow man (well maybe not the south...). Really its hard for me to describe how much happier I am now then several years ago... I almost never get the "life has no meaning" blues anymore, and when I do I can deal with it.
"Its just a game"
"so why play it"
"because its the only thing in the world to do"
So did psychedelics spark my interest in thought? Hell no, but it certainly did shake it to its foundation. Is continuing to shake I should say. One day I'll probably look back on how I think now and wonder what the hell is wrong with me, just as I currently do on myself 3 years ago.
1.)Humility
2.)Empathy
3.)Love
I use to live with the worn out philosophy of a depressed man. "Life has no point, were just meaningless speck's on a blue ball in the sticks of a small galaxy in a universe thats either going to collapse in on itself or burn out"
See I use to resemble Penn and Teller's hardline attitude toward atheism, as in treating everything that came from every religious persons mouth as a steaming pile of horse shit, but now I'm much closer to Steve antinoffs or alan watts version of spiritual atheism. In general since I started using psychedelics and stopped questioning and worrying about things that were completely out of my control, my quality of mind has increased a ton. My outlook on life, well I'm still cynical as hell but I get through the day happy. For the most part I actually have hope in my fellow man (well maybe not the south...). Really its hard for me to describe how much happier I am now then several years ago... I almost never get the "life has no meaning" blues anymore, and when I do I can deal with it.
"Its just a game"
"so why play it"
"because its the only thing in the world to do"
So did psychedelics spark my interest in thought? Hell no, but it certainly did shake it to its foundation. Is continuing to shake I should say. One day I'll probably look back on how I think now and wonder what the hell is wrong with me, just as I currently do on myself 3 years ago.
I have definitely noticed a shift in my thinking, now it seems to be a bit more about the framework and structural patterns instead of the actual content (i.e. languages and cultures). I think psychedelics have helped to take me out of my social and cultural corner. IMO I'm a bit more philosophical but a bit more stupid as a result of psychedelics and serotonergic drugs. I think I've gained some john lennon and lost some asian (those little speed machines) through my experience.
RhythmSpring
Bluelighter
Actually, a passion for psychedelics has sparked in me as a result of my philosophical thinking.
Jblazingphoenix100
Ex-Bluelighter
No.
I found philosophy way before I found psychedelic drugs...although ganja might have had a part to play in me wanting to do philosophy at college.
I found philosophy way before I found psychedelic drugs...although ganja might have had a part to play in me wanting to do philosophy at college.
IamMe90
Bluelighter
No, the two were somewhat coeval but disparate in motivation... but they did aid each other in a very synergistic sort of way.
Philosophy gave me a very new sort of respect for the power of psychedelia and disassociation, and psychedelia brought light to philosophy - originating in Kantian metaphysics.
I was always stuck in trying to choose between the Kantian constructivist view of metaphysics and the more empiricist positivist framework - the two both seemed viable but were at odds with each other. But, psychedelia confirmed the Kantian view for me - that cause and effect, time, space, etc, are human constructions, "filters of experience," so to speak, that we impose on reality. His conclusion, then, was that reality in itself was never accessible to humans - neither in an experiential or abstract manner. What Kant didn't reckon on was the use of psychedelia to remove the obstacles of human structural impositions.
The first time I tripped, I took 2g of p. cyanascens - it blew me away. Time had no meaning, cause and effect was a foreign concept - I could vaguely recall it but at the time I had no experiential reference, and as such it was a hollow concept. Without these tools, the reality around me, though vastly beautiful and almost sacred in its outlandishness, was impossible for me to process. It was simply a large, tangled mass of sensory input, it simply was - and something about this was extremely liberating.
Who knows if what we actually experience under intense psychedelia is truly "reality" - although it certainly feels like it to me - but what is almost certain for me, at any rate, is that what we experience in everyday life is not. Psychedelia can teach us, in a powerful way, just how dubious what we take for granted as reality every day is. And that's a beautiful lesson to learn.
Philosophy gave me a very new sort of respect for the power of psychedelia and disassociation, and psychedelia brought light to philosophy - originating in Kantian metaphysics.
I was always stuck in trying to choose between the Kantian constructivist view of metaphysics and the more empiricist positivist framework - the two both seemed viable but were at odds with each other. But, psychedelia confirmed the Kantian view for me - that cause and effect, time, space, etc, are human constructions, "filters of experience," so to speak, that we impose on reality. His conclusion, then, was that reality in itself was never accessible to humans - neither in an experiential or abstract manner. What Kant didn't reckon on was the use of psychedelia to remove the obstacles of human structural impositions.
The first time I tripped, I took 2g of p. cyanascens - it blew me away. Time had no meaning, cause and effect was a foreign concept - I could vaguely recall it but at the time I had no experiential reference, and as such it was a hollow concept. Without these tools, the reality around me, though vastly beautiful and almost sacred in its outlandishness, was impossible for me to process. It was simply a large, tangled mass of sensory input, it simply was - and something about this was extremely liberating.
Who knows if what we actually experience under intense psychedelia is truly "reality" - although it certainly feels like it to me - but what is almost certain for me, at any rate, is that what we experience in everyday life is not. Psychedelia can teach us, in a powerful way, just how dubious what we take for granted as reality every day is. And that's a beautiful lesson to learn.
toocoolforschool
Bluelighter
yeah i used to live with a similar philosophy as the above ones and used to constantly debate with others about why they thought the way they did and what made them so hinged on emotions but after throughly destroying my brain and compromising my ability to engage in such debates, i find my self trying on the shoes of those i used to ridicule.
it does seem to help one look at the structure that we create by organising the brain in certain ways what ever good that does without having the ability to change one's actions in accordance to those thoughts.
Toast to the Spirits
Bluelighter
Psilocybin mushrooms showed me that I am a natural philosopher. It wasn't until I was put on drug testing and forced to quit marijuana that the mushrooms showed me that there was a strong philosophical aspect to my soul. The mushrooms taught me that its important to keep me feet on the ground and not get lost in idealism while exploring systems of reality. Every trip during that time seemed like I discovered some new universal truth, usually to be forgotten later. Still today I love philosophy, even when I am substance free which I am the vast majority of the time.
I dig it man. I'll have to look into Kantian metaphysics. That's a new one for me. Those cyanascens are intense man. The one time I had them I was knocked off my ass, lost and everything, and only off half an eighth. That's something that mushrooms have rarely ever done to me, even in higher dosages. Thanks to everyone for sharing.
I dig it man. I'll have to look into Kantian metaphysics. That's a new one for me. Those cyanascens are intense man. The one time I had them I was knocked off my ass, lost and everything, and only off half an eighth. That's something that mushrooms have rarely ever done to me, even in higher dosages. Thanks to everyone for sharing.
Definately! I'm glad I'm not the only one too 
It made me realize that all experiences boil down to individual perception. "Reality" is just OUR reality.
Before mushrooms, I was an atheist. Now that my mind has been de-conditioned I can see the errors in my before-mushrooms logic. Science is as much of a religion to me as Christian was to whoever back whenever. I'm open to all possibilities...
I also think anyone who undergoes an existential crisis needs to eat shrooms
It made me realize that all experiences boil down to individual perception. "Reality" is just OUR reality.
Before mushrooms, I was an atheist. Now that my mind has been de-conditioned I can see the errors in my before-mushrooms logic. Science is as much of a religion to me as Christian was to whoever back whenever. I'm open to all possibilities...
I also think anyone who undergoes an existential crisis needs to eat shrooms
acidhermione
Bluelighter
Exactly the same!
EarthBounded
Bluelighter
Yessssir
edit: Wow didn't realize how old this one was, lol.
edit: Wow didn't realize how old this one was, lol.
xx001
Ex-Bluelighter
I have always been passionate for science and philosophy, and even neuroscience and psychopharmacology, for years prior to my first experiences with drugs. I knew from a young age that I wanted to experiment with a lot of drugs when I got old enough. For me, I think my passion for philosophy influenced me to use psychedelics rather than the other way around. I wanted to get new perspectives and explore what possible states the mind can experience.
I started with cannabis, and, in the beginning, it was just a way to have fun and get high. I would use it for the same purposes that most people would use alcohol, to get messed up and have a good time, but it was just far better. It wasn't until a bit later that I gained an appreciation for the philosophical and artistic aspects of my mind that were enhanced by weed. I grasped certain concepts better and had a greater appreciation and empathy for other people's experiences and modes of thinking. Once I decided to venture out beyond cannabis, this effect intensified. Deliriants, empathogens, and dissociatives came next in rapid succession with some interesting, but still primarily recreational, effects. I was driven more by curiosity than purpose at this point.
Shortly thereafter, I came upon 2c-c, my first trip. This showed me more than anything else I had taken prior, that there is a hell of a lot more going on in the mind than I had previously imagined. I was largely prepared for the visuals as weed was very visual for me. What I did not expect was the incredible mental effects. The dramatic increase in associative thinking, the introspection, the euphoria, the conceptual distortions - all of these were things I had no clue the human mind was capable of. The beauty was astonishing. I didn't remember much from that trip compared to others. Perhaps this was because it was my first trip. Maybe it was due to the specific effects of 2c-c.(I haven't had the chance to take it again) What I did realize was that I had stumbled upon something extremely important. Since then, not a day has gone by that the psychedelic experience was absent from my thoughts.
Sense then, I went on to try a variety of additional psychedelics and delve much deeper into the world of neuroscience, organic chemistry, pharmacology, theory of mind, alternative philosophy, and art. Would this have happened without psychedelics? I am not entirely sure. I feel as though a lot of what has happened sense then was a natural process of maturation and philosophical exploration that would have continued without psychedelics. I certainly do feel that the drugs pointed me in a particular direction. I would have continued to intensely study science and philosophy anyway, it just would have been in different fields. So, in short, I would say that psychedelics did not make me more passionate about philosophy in general, but lead me to study areas of philosophy that I otherwise would have ignored and taught me values that would have been replaced by alternatives had I not gotten into drugs.
I started with cannabis, and, in the beginning, it was just a way to have fun and get high. I would use it for the same purposes that most people would use alcohol, to get messed up and have a good time, but it was just far better. It wasn't until a bit later that I gained an appreciation for the philosophical and artistic aspects of my mind that were enhanced by weed. I grasped certain concepts better and had a greater appreciation and empathy for other people's experiences and modes of thinking. Once I decided to venture out beyond cannabis, this effect intensified. Deliriants, empathogens, and dissociatives came next in rapid succession with some interesting, but still primarily recreational, effects. I was driven more by curiosity than purpose at this point.
Shortly thereafter, I came upon 2c-c, my first trip. This showed me more than anything else I had taken prior, that there is a hell of a lot more going on in the mind than I had previously imagined. I was largely prepared for the visuals as weed was very visual for me. What I did not expect was the incredible mental effects. The dramatic increase in associative thinking, the introspection, the euphoria, the conceptual distortions - all of these were things I had no clue the human mind was capable of. The beauty was astonishing. I didn't remember much from that trip compared to others. Perhaps this was because it was my first trip. Maybe it was due to the specific effects of 2c-c.(I haven't had the chance to take it again) What I did realize was that I had stumbled upon something extremely important. Since then, not a day has gone by that the psychedelic experience was absent from my thoughts.
Sense then, I went on to try a variety of additional psychedelics and delve much deeper into the world of neuroscience, organic chemistry, pharmacology, theory of mind, alternative philosophy, and art. Would this have happened without psychedelics? I am not entirely sure. I feel as though a lot of what has happened sense then was a natural process of maturation and philosophical exploration that would have continued without psychedelics. I certainly do feel that the drugs pointed me in a particular direction. I would have continued to intensely study science and philosophy anyway, it just would have been in different fields. So, in short, I would say that psychedelics did not make me more passionate about philosophy in general, but lead me to study areas of philosophy that I otherwise would have ignored and taught me values that would have been replaced by alternatives had I not gotten into drugs.