Philosophy Series: The Concept of Psychedelic Experience

This lecture will analyse the concept of psychedelic experience as introduced by Humphry Osmond in 1957 and compare this with how the concept is used today. The discussion will argue that there is scientific value in returning to Osmond’s intended meaning of the term — as a mind-revealing experience — and present a conceptual framework that makes this idea more philosophically precise. This framework will also help us understand the other effects that psychedelics may have on the mind (besides revealing it) and how they interact with other interventions on the mind, such as meditation and changes to set and setting. Finally, the discussion will consider how the concept of psychedelic experience is deeply related to historical conceptions of wisdom and outline a methodology for doing philosophy that is rooted in psychedelic experience.