The essay defends the Huxley/Osmond theory that psychedelic drugs can trigger a cross-cultural mystical experience of unity with ultimate reality, countering Constructivist critics who claim the Perennial Philosophy is obsolete. It refutes three specific charges against Aldous Huxley: that he saw his view as religion's core, that he claimed universally shared beliefs, and that his position requires pure consciousness. The essay shows these criticisms misrepresent Huxley and most Perennial Philosophy variants, which form a family of theories like Existentialism. It concludes by proposing new directions for testing the Huxley/Osmond hypothesis, including with psychedelics.
Similarities across religious traditions, particularly unitive mystical experiences, deserve scholarly attention despite decades of emphasis on differences. Aldous Huxley described such experiences as a thread running through traditions, not a core essence. Research studies with psychedelics like psilocybin regularly produce unitive experiences, offering contemporary experiential reports for mysticism scholars. Drawing on Huxley and researchers including Roland Griffiths, Jussi Jylkka, David Yaden, William Richards, and Julie Holland, the article speculates that psychedelic-induced unitive mystical experiences may benefit individuals and society.