Philosophy of Psychedelics

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Dr Chris Letheby (Lecturer in Philosophy, Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Western Australia)

Philosophy of Psychedelics

Dr Chris Letheby (Lecturer in Philosophy, Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Western Australia)

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English

Oxford University Press
26 August 2021

Philosophy of mind; Drug-induced states; Psychopharmacology; Psychiatry; Neurosciences

Series: International Perspectives in Philosophy and Psychiatry

"Recent clinical trials show that psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin can be given safely in controlled conditions, and can cause lasting psychological benefits with one or two administrations. Supervised psychedelic sessions can reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and addiction, and improve well-being in healthy volunteers, for months or even years. But these benefits seem to be mediated by ""mystical"" experiences of cosmic consciousness, which prompts a philosophical concern: do psychedelics cause psychological benefits by inducing false or implausible beliefs about the metaphysical nature of reality?

This book is the first scholarly monograph in English devoted to the philosophical analysis of psychedelic drugs. Its central focus is the apparent conflict between the growing use of psychedelics in psychiatry and the philosophical worldview of naturalism.

Within the book, Letheby integrates empirical evidence and philosophical considerations in the service of a simple conclusion: this ""Comforting Delusion Objection"" to psychedelic therapy fails. While exotic metaphysical ideas do sometimes come up, they are not, on closer inspection, the central driver of change in psychedelic therapy. Psychedelics lead to lasting benefits by altering the sense of self, and changing how people relate to their own minds and lives-not by changing their beliefs about the ultimate nature of reality. The upshot is that a traditional conception of psychedelics as agents of insight and spirituality can be reconciled with naturalism (the philosophical position that the natural world is all there is). Controlled psychedelic use can lead to genuine forms of knowledge gain and spiritual growth-even if no Cosmic Consciousness or transcendent divine Reality exists.

Philosophy of Psychedelics is an indispensable guide to the literature for researchers already engaged in the field of psychedelic psychiatry, and for researchers-especially philosophers-who want to become acquainted with this increasingly topical field."

By: Dr Chris Letheby (Lecturer in Philosophy Lecturer in Philosophy University of Western Australia)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 241mm, Width: 163mm, Spine: 19mm
Weight: 1g
ISBN: 9780198843122
ISBN 10: 0198843127
Series: International Perspectives in Philosophy and Psychiatry
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 26 August 2021
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction Introduction On the need for a natural philosophy of psychedelics Introduction The psychedelic renaissance Evidence for safety and efficacy An existential medicine? The Comforting Delusion Objection Naturalizing the entheogenic conception The phenomenology of psychedelic therapy Introduction Perception The sense of self The transformative process Conclusion The mechanisms of psychedelic therapy Introduction Neuroplasticity theories The Metaphysical Belief Theory The Metaphysical Alief Theory Conclusion The role of self-representation Introduction Psychological factors Neural correlates Neurocognitive explanation Conclusion Resetting the brain Introduction The Reset Theory Predictive processing Relaxed beliefs under psychedelics Resetting beliefs under psychedelics Unbinding the self Introduction Predictive self-binding Selfhood embodied and (temporally) extended A centre of representational gravity The self unbound Opacity and mystical epiphanies Psychedelic therapy: a two-factor theory Self and self-consciousness Conclusion Epistemology Introduction Psychopharmacology and epistemology Knowledge that Knowledge how Knowledge by acquaintance New knowledge of old facts Indirect epistemic benefits Epistemic innocence Spirituality Introduction Naturalizing spirituality Spirituality as unselfing Conclusion Testable predictions Future directions Naturalistic entheogenics

Dr Chris Letheby is a philosopher working on issues related to the therapeutic and transformative potential of classic psychedelic drugs. His doctoral research, conducted at the University of Adelaide, presented the first systematic analysis of psychedelic experience within the framework of 21st century philosophy of cognitive science. He is currently Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Western Australia and Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Adelaide on the Australian government-funded project 'Philosophical Perspectives on Psychedelic Psychiatry'. He was awarded an Early Career Researcher Prize in 2022 from the School of Humanities, University of Adelaide for this book. In addition he received the Faculty of Arts Prize for Outstanding Research by an Early Career Researcher, from the University of Adelaide.

Reviews for Philosophy of Psychedelics

`This excellent, well-argued, book is required reading for anyone with interests in philosophy of mind, philosophy of psychology, and philosophy of psychiatry. It presents the first book-length argument for the effectiveness of psychedelic therapy and provides an account of how this effectiveness may be understood from within of cognitive neuroscience. Everyone should read this book! ' Richard Brown, Humanities Department, LaGuardia Community College, CUNY & M.S. program in Cognitive Neuroscience at the Graduate Center, CUNY `Philosophy of Psychedelics is really two books in one. It provides an easily understood, scholarly and detailed review of psychedelic science, spanning phenomenology, psychology, neuroscience, and medical therapeutics. But setting this book apart from other recent books in this rapidly emerging field of inquiry, Chris Letheby takes his philosopher's scalpel to addressing intriguing philosophical implications of psychedelic research including the unsettling question of whether the claimed benefits from psychedelic experiences require the induction of delusional beliefs. This very readable volume should be of interest to scientists, philosophers, as well as those simply curious about recent renaissance in psychedelic science and therapeutics. ' Roland R. Griffiths, Ph.D. Director, Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine