3 ms·

I was curious of this as well, but not surprised. For the skeptics, all I ask is that you self experiment. Its easy and cheap, requiring only a simple extractio

by cnp 11y ago

I was curious of this as well, but not surprised. For the skeptics, all I ask is that you self experiment. Its easy and cheap, requiring only a simple extraction performed on the Arcacia Confusa plant, which you can order online.

pavel_lishin 11y ago
But a sample size of one is worthless, especially when the person running the experiment is high :) On a more serious note, I have no idea how you'd actually test this. How would you prove or disprove that someone experimenting with hallucinogens is actually communicating with something else? The only thing I can think of is having two people under the influence being able to communicate with each other, with absolutely no other way of doing so. Subjects A and B have never met, and don't have any way of passing messages during their experience. Subject A is told to pass some randomly generated string to subject B, either directly or via some alien intermediary. If Subject B can guess Subject A's string, then that might be evidence of something interesting and objectively external happening.
- cnp 11y ago
  Self-experimentation as I suggest -- an age old tradition in the scientific sphere -- is simply meant to reorient the person towards a broader understanding of the dimensions possible within the tryptamine-consciousness experience. I would never claim that personal experience alone is enough to quantify anything beyond mere opinion; that's where a formal control-based study steps in. But what it can do is quite dramatically open the mind to possibilities that were previously thought impossible or inconceivable -- a valuable practice.
  - coldtea 11y ago
    >Self-experimentation as I suggest -- an age old tradition in the scientific sphere -- is simply meant to reorient the person towards a broader understanding of the dimensions possible within the tryptamine-consciousness experience. That's what some people call mumbo jumbo. Either you really contact some aliens while high or not. If you do, you can pass some message/knowledge that only they could know to prove it. Else it's just some experience you have.
  - gnaritas 11y ago
    Such drugs do open the mind; often too far. Drugs are subjective psychological experiences, you are not seeing reality when you are tripping, you are not learning anything about the physical universe when you are tripping. You are having an experience in your own head that has no connection to the physical universe.
    - igravious 11y ago
      The experience you are having in your head is your reality, reality is always (inter-)subjective. Of course you are learning something about the physical universe when you're tripping, you're learning how certain psycho-active interact with brain chemistry to alter your perception of the world. There is no `you' on the one hand and `objective observable reality' on the other. And, no, I'm not arguing for solipsism.
AJ007 11y ago
I would highly advise against taking anything which may have a long term impact on one's ability to discern between reality and fantasy.

by cnp 11y ago

pavel_lishin 11y ago

But a sample size of one is worthless, especially when the person running the experiment is high :) On a more serious note, I have no idea how you'd actually test this. How would you prove or disprove that someone experimenting with hallucinogens is actually communicating with something else? The only thing I can think of is having two people under the influence being able to communicate with each other, with absolutely no other way of doing so. Subjects A and B have never met, and don't have any way of passing messages during their experience. Subject A is told to pass some randomly generated string to subject B, either directly or via some alien intermediary. If Subject B can guess Subject A's string, then that might be evidence of something interesting and objectively external happening.

cnp 11y ago
Self-experimentation as I suggest -- an age old tradition in the scientific sphere -- is simply meant to reorient the person towards a broader understanding of the dimensions possible within the tryptamine-consciousness experience. I would never claim that personal experience alone is enough to quantify anything beyond mere opinion; that's where a formal control-based study steps in. But what it can do is quite dramatically open the mind to possibilities that were previously thought impossible or inconceivable -- a valuable practice.
- coldtea 11y ago
  >Self-experimentation as I suggest -- an age old tradition in the scientific sphere -- is simply meant to reorient the person towards a broader understanding of the dimensions possible within the tryptamine-consciousness experience. That's what some people call mumbo jumbo. Either you really contact some aliens while high or not. If you do, you can pass some message/knowledge that only they could know to prove it. Else it's just some experience you have.
- gnaritas 11y ago
  Such drugs do open the mind; often too far. Drugs are subjective psychological experiences, you are not seeing reality when you are tripping, you are not learning anything about the physical universe when you are tripping. You are having an experience in your own head that has no connection to the physical universe.
  - igravious 11y ago
    The experience you are having in your head is your reality, reality is always (inter-)subjective. Of course you are learning something about the physical universe when you're tripping, you're learning how certain psycho-active interact with brain chemistry to alter your perception of the world. There is no `you' on the one hand and `objective observable reality' on the other. And, no, I'm not arguing for solipsism.

AJ007 11y ago

I would highly advise against taking anything which may have a long term impact on one's ability to discern between reality and fantasy.