In this thought-provoking conversation, Prof. Dr. Thomas Metzinger, a leading philosopher of mind and consciousness, examines the profound potential — and serious risks — of psychedelics.
Consciousness is like a tunnel – at least according to Thomas Metzinger. It gives us access to only a narrow slice of reality. What we “see” is not the world, but it is a representation of reality created by our brains. If you are in a well-lit room, you feel bathed in light but it is pitch dark inside your skull. In ordinary state of consciousness, the tunnel is stable and its walls are transparent, that is: we don’t even recognise them. When you consume psychedelics, the tunnel expands, dissolves or warps. The constructed nature of reality, that is not conceivable for us most of the time, becomes noticeable. You see your reality as it is: a constructed reality. How can psychedelics transform our understanding of the human mind? What are the potentials for scientific research and what are the risks of what his calls the lack of intellectual honesty in psychedelic culture? How can we develop what he call Bewusstseinkultur (consciousness culture)? Watch the video interview we filmed at the International Conference on Psychedelic Research in Haarlem, the Netherlands!
Also available in podcast format:
Reporter: Péter Sárosi
Video: István Gábor Takács
Filmed at the Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research (ICPR) 2024 in Haarlem, The Netherlands.
