Pharmaco-Analysis of Psychedelics—Philo-Fictions about New Materialism, Quantum Mechanics, Information Science, and the Philosophy of Immanence
Philosophies December 30, 2023 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.3390/philosophies9010007 via OpenAlex
Summary
The article explores how current drug effect theories often focus on cause-and-effect narratives, neglecting the subjective experiences of users. It argues that when these experiences are prioritized, they connect to mystical and transcendental narratives, leading to epistemological challenges. By analyzing psychedelic experiences through a non-philosophical lens and integrating concepts from various fields, the work aims to synthesize these ideas and encourage further reflection on agency, immanence, and the wholeness of matter.
Study at a glance
| Population | psychedelic drug users |
|---|---|
| Key finding | The article emphasizes the need to prioritize subjective experiences in understanding drug effects, linking them to broader philosophical and scientific frameworks. |
Abstract
Recent developments regarding the pharmacology of psychoactive substances are significant for treating depressions or opioid addictions. Current theories, hypotheses, and models of drug effects assume a cause–effect narrative, which is based on a stimulus/response mechanism. These narratives prioritize effects rather than conscious experiences. In this sense, drug experiences are quickly subsumed into common categories and codes of biological determinism. If subjective experiences are in the focus of the research, it quickly becomes a link to mystical, spiritual, or transcendental narratives. These classifications lead to epistemological doublets (Gadamer). In this article, psychedelic experiences of drug users are analyzed in the frame of the pharmaco-analysis by Deleuze/Guattari. These framed psychedelic experiences are interpreted by means of a non-philosophical approach through philo-fictions (Laruelle), i.e., contradictory assumptions and hyperspeculations. In this respect, the aim of this article is to bring philo-fictions in relation to psychedelic experiences and to discuss them with models of information science, quantum mechanics, new materialism, and the philosophy of immanence. The result will be an open synthesis, with the assumption of further reflections on the agency, immanence, and the wholeness of matter.