A historical review of Louis Lewin's book on psychoactive drugs, the text draws a parallel between human attempts to surpass ordinary consciousness through drugs and the myth of Lucifer's fall. It references early Christian theologians Tertullian, Origen, and Duns Scotus, who interpreted Lucifer's aspiration to transcend his created limits as the original sin of pride. The summary describes the book's subject matter—narcotic and stimulating drugs, their use and abuse—and situates it within a philosophical and theological framework about the risks of self-transcendence.
The reviewer critiques a chapter that argues detailed first-hand accounts of hallucinogenic experiences, collected under controlled conditions, could help decide whether such experiences should be available as an adjunct to life. The reviewer finds this claim to be a large inductive leap, questioning how accounts from just three students—each given psilocybin, LSD, and Sernyl at separate times—can resolve such a fundamental question, especially after the chapter invokes concepts like control and placebo. The reviewer also notes that only one student requested a drug, further undermining the argument's evidentiary basis.