I do think we will find a way to fold these powerful substances into our society. Do I think they could help change consciousness at scale? In my hopeful moments, yes—they do seem to nudge people in the direction of altruism, ego-lessness, connection to nature, and to valuing nature, interconnectedness and love. Is this inevitable? Probably not—some people emerge from their experiences of ego death with a worrying ego inflation. There is also the question of how do you administer a drug to a whole society? You can’t put psychedelics in the water like flouride. We have no other precedents, so we’re really in uncharted territory here. But good research could help us decide if our hopes and aspirations for psychedelics are grounded in reality or dreams.
I do think we will find a way to fold these powerful substances into our society. Do I think they could help change consciousness at scale? In my hopeful moments, yes—they do seem to nudge people in the direction of altruism, ego-lessness, connection to nature, and to valuing nature, interconnectedness and love. Is this inevitable? Probably not—some people emerge from their experiences of ego death with a worrying ego inflation. There is also the question of how do you administer a drug to a whole society? You can’t put psychedelics in the water like flouride. We have no other precedents, so we’re really in uncharted territory here. But good research could help us decide if our hopes and aspirations for psychedelics are grounded in reality or dreams.