Epistemology

Summary

Controlled psychedelic administration can lead to significant epistemic benefits, including insights into previously unknown mental states and enhanced modes of attention and cognition. While these insights are often accurate, they require sober scrutiny. Psychedelics also facilitate the acquisition of new knowledge about old facts, making existing beliefs more vivid and motivating. Additionally, the psychological benefits of psychedelics may indirectly contribute to these epistemic advantages.

Study at a glance

Abstract

‘Epistemology’ argues that controlled psychedelic administration can have significant epistemic benefits consistent with a naturalistic worldview. The most obvious candidate for propositional knowledge, or knowledge that, is psychodynamic insight into one’s previously unknown mental states. This chapter argues that such insights are probably often accurate, but cannot be trusted uncritically: sober scrutiny is essential. It further argues that psychedelics offer knowledge by acquaintance with various aspects of the human mind, including its potential for diverse and beneficial modes of attention and cognition. At later times, subjects can re-evoke these beneficial modes. Therefore, psychedelics also make available ability knowledge, or knowledge how. The chapter argues that psychedelic experiences also facilitate the acquisition of new knowledge of old facts, allowing subjects to experience existing beliefs in more vivid and motivating ways. Finally, the chapter argues that psychedelic experiences can cause epistemic benefits indirectly, via their psychological benefits. In Lisa Bortolotti’s terminology, therapeutic psychedelic experiences are epistemically innocent.