Pragmatism and Peyote: Psychedelic Pioneers and Supernatural Specters
From psychology pioneer William James to Navajo shamans — psychoactivity, consciousness, and the spirit world
This is an excerpt from Sky Gods and the Recipe for Immortality: The secret influence of psychoactivity over science, society, and the supernatural.
The psychoactive, supernatural, and psychological are closely linked. Like shamans and priests, psychologists seek to dispel demons from the inner mind. Forefathers of modern psychology Sigmund Freud and William James were avid psychonauts.
William James’ experiments with psychoactivity helped map the human mind, consciousness, and religious experience. James’ psychonautic pursuits even inspired the development of pragmatism. OpenAI’s GPT-4 further explains:
“In philosophy, James is best known for his development of pragmatism, which he detailed in various works, including Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking. Pragmatism suggests that the truth or value of an idea should be evaluated based on its practical consequences and usefulness, rather than any abstract or metaphysical criteria.”
The heretical Harvard psychologist experimented with several psychoactive substances during his…
