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LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug? (2006)

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Re: LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug? (2006)

#201

Post by avodonosov »

codeshaman wrote: post #102

Some people assume that taking LSD gives you some kind of super abilities which would make one more competitive in this world, but it's not what the experience is about. Yes, while tripping, your mind can handle infinity or galactic-sized data sets, visualise abstract concepts and zoom in and out of matter or numbers, but I don't think that's the true power of this substance. The real power comes from the realisation…

Hm, it is too well articulated (people on LSD have trouble to explain even approximately their state of mind), and too precise match to Vedanta philosophy, that I have suspicion that you inherit this formulation either directly from Vedanta / Yoga / Sankhya or from people interested in eastern culture (as hippies and enthusiasts of "mind-expansion" in 60-ies), and then decided their drug experience was exactly this.

Re: LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug? (2006)

#202

Post by keane »

anonbanker wrote: post #160
h1karu wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> These chemicals will change your brain, and your brain is who you are. I suspect that your brain is who you think you are because you've learned to associate the concept of self with your thought processes, but I ask you if you are indeed your thinking then how is it that you're able to observe your own thought ? If you'll bear with me for a moment, doesn't it also make sense to think that you may be whatever is ob…

A reading of the Gospel of Judas shows that hallucinogens, and the exploration of the metaphysical self, were key (forgotten/censored) parts of the Christian biblical experience as well.

This book was rejected for good reasons: it is a late and unhistorical production of a fringe Gnostic sect featuring unbiblical beliefs. https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1266-is-the-gospel...

Re: LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug? (2006)

#203

Post by keane »

g0v wrote: post #123
eof wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

SSRIs are known to reduce the effects of hallucinogens. LSD, and hallucinogens in general are extremely useful in personal growth. The novelty of 'reality' literally breaking down can be quite a thrill; and for many people it will be the first time it has ever happened to them; though it can be incredibly frightening as well. I have been around several people on various SSRIs while they have taken mushrooms or lsd (a…

Thank you for the link, I think this will help a good deal.

It's not exactly a neutral source. I would neither trust drug proponents for the advice or take the risk, for that matter.

Re: LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug? (2006)

#204

Post by codeshaman »

avodonosov wrote: post #201
codeshaman wrote: post #102

Some people assume that taking LSD gives you some kind of super abilities which would make one more competitive in this world, but it's not what the experience is about. Yes, while tripping, your mind can handle infinity or galactic-sized data sets, visualise abstract concepts and zoom in and out of matter or numbers, but I don't think that's the true power of this substance. The real power comes from the realisation…

Hm, it is too well articulated (people on LSD have trouble to explain even approximately their state of mind), and too precise match to Vedanta philosophy, that I have suspicion that you inherit this formulation either directly from Vedanta / Yoga / Sankhya or from people interested in eastern culture (as hippies and enthusiasts of "mind-expansion" in 60-ies), and then decided their drug experience was exactly this.

I've never practiced eastern philosophy, but it's not surprising that people arrive at the same conclusions on psychedelics. See, psychedelic plants/fungi have been around since before humans and people who took them, say, 3000 years ago had the same trips and the same realisations that we have today. Then they came back and wrote about their conclusions, which has sometimes led to the creations of new philosophies or religions.

This is one other realisation that you have while tripping - "I have been in this state before, many times before, but not in this body, I was a yogi in India or a shaman in South America or a philosopher in ancient Greece and I've always remembered: I am. It's always been me."

Re: LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug? (2006)

#205

Post by DanBC »

anonbanker wrote: post #168
DanBC wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are being downvoted for your ridiculously hostile tone.

Yeah, but you know the drill, I'm inviting the down votes. When I have conclusive data on what I'm working on here, you and Dang will definitely be the first to know. Either way, thank you for the commentary. There have been times I actually didn't understand the downvotes, and your posts were rather enlightening.

Hang on: dang is an HN mod. I'm not. I'm just someone who comments too often.

Re: LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug? (2006)

#206

Post by bjourne »

MichaelGG wrote: post #181
bjourne wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only counter example I have is professional high-level chess players. In typical tournaments they play seven games each taking three hours each. While it's just as competitive a "sport" as football, they don't take any stimulants stronger than orange juice and green tea. This is why I don't think any performance enhancing drugs work for the average human. Because if there was, thousands of chess players would alr…

Chess orgs do have anti drug policies and test, although this mostly seems driven by nitwit ideas from the Olympics and Wada. If coffee works, it's likely amphetamines work too, although taking them during a game might be noticeable. Students widely use them for exams.

Yes there are very anachronistic drug enforcement rules in use in chess. My point is that no chess player has ever gotten caught using performance enhancers, nor has any chess player admitted to using any of the legal drugs. There are a lot of cheaters in chess (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borislav_Ivanov), and if there was any mind enhancing drugs that used for chess I'm pretty sure they would be used by a lot of players, legal or not.

Re: LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug? (2006)

#208

Post by anonbanker »

keane wrote: post #202
anonbanker wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A reading of the Gospel of Judas shows that hallucinogens, and the exploration of the metaphysical self, were key (forgotten/censored) parts of the Christian biblical experience as well.

This book was rejected for good reasons: it is a late and unhistorical production of a fringe Gnostic sect featuring unbiblical beliefs. https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1266-is-the-gospel...

It's a darn shame Revelations wasn't rejected for the same reasons.

Re: LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug? (2006)

#209

Post by krapp »

anonbanker wrote: post #208
keane wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This book was rejected for good reasons: it is a late and unhistorical production of a fringe Gnostic sect featuring unbiblical beliefs. https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1266-is-the-gospel...

It's a darn shame Revelations wasn't rejected for the same reasons.

Maybe the temptation to start the book with the creation of the world and end it with its destruction was too much to resist?

Re: LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug? (2006)

#210

Post by gwern »

sillysaurus3 wrote: post #174
gwern wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I read about a case of a girl taking ketamine and then going outside and succumbing to hypothermia. Turner and this woman's case are covered in _Ketamine: Dreams and Realities_ http://www.maps.org/books/K-DreamsKJansenMAPS.pdf , by Jansen; he argues that there are extenuating circumstances in those cases and it's not as simple as 'ketamine killed them'.

Thanks. I appreciate the book reference. Do you happen to remember what the circumstances were? Here's a working link: http://www.pdfarchive.info/pdf/J/Ja/Jansen_Karl_-_Ketamine.p...

You should be able to find her by searching the book's fulltext for, IIRC, 'Jungian' and 'woods' and 'suicide'/'accident'.
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