4 ms·
I'm thinking the banning was probably not a conspiracy to suppress "enlightenment" for the benefit of the status quo. The people who did the banning almost cert
by jqm 12y ago
I'm thinking the banning was probably not a conspiracy to suppress "enlightenment" for the benefit of the status quo. The people who did the banning almost certainly never tried psychedelics (which they very well may have if they really believed it would give them extra super powers and make them smarter... a view sometimes seen on HN which I believe may be a bit overblown).
I'm thinking the keyword is "unexpected". People who took psychedelics behaved in an unexpected and unpredictable fashion. When it was a few Native Americans and University researchers, no big deal. When it became a large percentage of America's young people dressing up funny and doing weird things (i.e. anti-social from the perspective at the time)... well, that's a different matter and steps _had_ to be taken! Western civilization hates and fears the unknown.
So as usual with these types of things (terrorism, communism etc). everything got all blown out of proportion and the person who screamed "Fire" the loudest got the most air time while anyone who dissented was highly suspect and had trouble staying employed. You know, the usual nonsense that seems to repeat throughout history.
There probably was a (very small) seed of reality at the base of the hysteria. Twisting everything around can on occasion produce undesired side effects along with whatever benefits are claimed. The idea of drugs for extra powers of perception is not new. Psychedelics have been used for thousands of years. While I am in full agreement that they may on occasion lead to individual realizations which can be useful, if psychedelics were a magic answer for creative thinking, then it would have been a tribe of jungle natives sailing over to greet the linear thinking palefaces rather than the other way around....
Should psychedelics be legal? To that I answer... what are laws when time and space are expanding? (real answer... I don't know. I guess I don't care either. But I don't think people should be criminally prosecuted for drug use. I believe I would be wary of mass commercial availability. Not for the masses I think.)
- dwiel 12y agoI agree with your initial sentiment that the unknown is frightening to the status quo and that is why it was out lawed. As to your later points though, in a magic mushroom study "Eighty per cent of the volunteers reported moderately or greatly increased well-being or life satisfaction." [1] Also in regard to european conquest of the americas, it seems to be more a sign of who was good at fighting and spreading than who was most creative or some other more universal measure (if there is such a thing). [1] http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/magic-mushrooms-can-induce-mystical-effects-study-finds-407475.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/...
- jqm 12y ago"Well being" and "life satisfaction" don't necessarily build boats... The idea of psychedelics for mind expansion is not new nor is it novel. But as civilization became complex, the idea was largely discarded or relegated to arcane corners (and on occasion persecuted). I'm saying I believe there is a reason this happened and in those societies in which it didn't, complexity didn't develop. There may be benefits for certain people at certain times and places. But I believe psychedelics are not a magic bullet for out of the box thinking and enlightenment which everyone should take. Not if we want to the trains to keep coming on time.