Philosophy and Psychedelics
| Module title | Philosophy and Psychedelics |
|---|---|
| Module code | PHLM013 |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Peter Sjostedt-Hughes (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 15 |
|---|
Module description
The renewed and increasingly intensified study of psychedelic substances over the past decade has suddenly presented us with a set of new, apparently positive pathways covering psychiatry, pharmacology, neuroscience, and so too global politics concerning prohibition and liberty, ideology generally, and thus ethics. Beyond practical medicalization and its wake, psychedelic substances and their associated phenomenology can be viewed through a multiplicity of perspectives, an overview that itself has implications for the whole cultural turn concerning these substances.
In this module we consider this multiplicity of perspectives and their implications, using the tools and insights that philosophy can provide. As well as the ethical considerations aforementioned, we shall look at the phenomenology and philosophy of mind of psychedelic experience, the aesthetics, the debate between perennial and contextual interpretations of experience, with concern to indigenous and historical epistemics. We shall also consider the relation of psychedelics to religion, ‘self’, mysticism, and classic metaphysics, as well as current clinical practices, nature connectedness and ecology, and the future of the psychedelic endeavour.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module aims to provide a critical, pluralistic understanding of psychedelic substance use past and present, as well as a deeper, focussed understanding of certain emerging concerns related to problems of the mind and of power relations. As such, pivotal issues in philosophy can be used and developed in this exponentially growing field, such as:— the relation of ‘mental health’ to metaphysical, phenomenological, and political analyses of the ‘self’. The unfathomable extent of consciousness, and thus the extention of aesthetics and the augmentation of the subject and object of philosophies of mind. Related thereto arise questions of cognitive liberty, indigenous epistemicide, environmentalism, and the potential of future theologies of mysticism.
Students will gain knowledge of this emerging field, and therewith new arenas in which philosophical knowledge can be fruitfully applied. Moreover, students will realize and benefit from the web of interconnections that psychedelic research allows philosophy to weave throughout cultural and social anthropology, political science, neuroscience, theology, in addition to psychology and psychiatry.
The writing of short review essays will advance your ability to summarize arguments succinctly and you will be guided to write one brief essay on a theme of your choice from the course.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. demonstrate solid knowledge and understanding of multiple perspectives on psychedelic narratives.
- 2. demonstrate understanding of the problems of mind highlighted by psychedelic experience.
- 3. present your own analyses of the implications of theories on pressing debates of our time.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. demonstrate a high level of knowledge about psychedelic theories and their application
- 5. demonstrate sound knowledge of past and current debates in philosophic psychedelia.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. demonstrate capacity to conduct research independently
- 7. demonstrate aptitude for succinct oral presentations to groups
- 8. write reflective academic review and research essays
Syllabus plan
Module content may vary annually as new developments take on new levels of importance, but generally the following content will apply. A number of guest lecturers are expected to participate in this module due to their relevant skill sets. The key text will be Philosophy and Psychedelics, eds. Hauskeller and Sjöstedt-Hughes (Bloomsbury, forthcoming).
- Overview of the relation of psychedelics to philosophy
- Psychedelics and the phenomenology and philosophy of mind
- Indigenous epistemologies and
- Biopiracy
- Psychedelic aesthetics: the sublime, the beautiful, the strange, and the ineffable
- Medicalization, inculcation, and global power relations
- Cognitive liberty: rights to exploration, recreation, and risk
- The metaphysics of psychedelics: Spinoza, Whitehead, Bergson, James
- Psychedelic nature connectedness and the ecological crisis
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | 124 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 22 | 11 x 2 hours per week comprising of lectures and seminars |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 4 | 2 x 2-hour facilitated tutorial with student presentations. |
| Guided Independent Study | 16 | Analyse one course reading and write a succinct summary of the key arguments of the text. |
| Guided Independent Study | 58 | Reading of the module texts for each week |
| Guided Independent Study | 50 | Writing independent research essay. Conduct guided and independent research on a theme from the course; write a brief scholarly essay to be submitted after the end of term. |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation of essay plan voluntary | 10 minutes | 1-4, 6, 7 | Oral |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 80 | 3,000 words | 1-6, 8 | Written |
| Reading Review | 20 | 1 x 800 words | 1-5, 8 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (3,000 words) | 1-5, 6, 8 | August/September reassessment period |
| Reading Review | Reading Summary (800 words) | 1-4, 6, 8 | August/September reassessment period |
Re-assessment notes
The forms of re-assessment have the same credit percentage as their original form of assessment.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Key text: Hauskeller, C., & Sjöstedt-Hughes, P. (2022) Philosophy and Psychedelics (London: Bloomsbury)
Benjamin, W. (1927–34) On Hashish
Boothroyd, D. (2006) Culture on Drugs: Narco-cultural Studies of High Modernity
De Quincey, T. (1821) Confession of an English Opium Eater
Hofmann, A. (1979) LSD: My Problem Child
Huxley, A. (1956) Heaven and Hell
James, W. (1902) The Varieties of Religious Experience
Jay, M. (2019) Mescaline: A Global History of the First Psychedelic
Kopenawa, A. (2019) The Falling Sky.
Lundborg, P. (2014) Note Towards a Definition of a Psychedelic Philosophy
O’Dowd, L.O. (2019), ‘De-essentializing the notion of the Feminine in Psychedelic Research: Western Women, Ayahuasca and Possibilities for Transformation’, in Papaspyrou, M., Baldini, C., and Luke, D., eds. Psychedelic Mysteries of the Feminine (Rochester: Park Street Press), pp. 182-194.
Partridge, C. (2018) High Culture: Drugs, Mysticism, and the Pursuit of Transcendence in the Modern World
Shanon, B. (2002) The Antipodes of the Mind
Shulgin, A. & Shulgin, A. (1990) Pihkal: A Chemical Love Story
Suzuki, D. T. (1971) Religion and Drugs
Thompson, S. J. (2014) From ‘Rausch’ to Rebellion: Walter Benjamin’s On Hashish and the Aesthetic Dimensions of Prohibitionist Realism
Zaehner, R. C. (1972) Zen, Drugs, and Mysticism
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/
Web-based and electronic resources:
- Philosophy of Psychedelics Exeter Research Group: http://sites.exeter.ac.uk/philosophyandpsychedelics/
- Philosophy and Psychedelics conference (Exeter): www.philosophyofpsychedelics.com
- Erowid: 60 000 pages of online information about psychoactive drugs, plants, chemicals, etc.:
- Breaking Convention, conference videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/BreakingConvention/videos
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | Yes |
| Origin date | 12/03/2021 |
| Last revision date | 04/05/2022 |
