Philosophy Series: Psychedelics and Epistemology

Given by the series curator himself, Dr. Chris Letheby, this lecture on “Psychedelics and Epistemology” will give an overview of epistemological issues concerning psychedelic experience.

According to some traditional views, psychedelic use can be a way to acquire metaphysical knowledge of non-physical levels of reality, or paranormal knowledge of various forms, but many academic philosophers are sceptical about such claims. However, even if such claims are false, psychedelic use may still have other benefits for knowledge acquisition. This talk will describe the main epistemic benefits that have been attributed to psychedelic experience in recent philosophy, and also discuss the possibility of indirect epistemic benefits resulting not from the psychedelic experience itself, but from its lasting psychological effects, as well as the possibility of epistemic risks or harms resulting from psychedelic use.