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A psychophysical analogy between psychoactive
tryptamines and radioactive isotopes
A prefatory statememt
June, 2019
Christopher B. Germann (Marie Curie Alumnus / PhD, MSc, BSc)
www.psilocybin-research.com
G
IVEN the significant wicked problems humanity is
forced to face in the 21
st
century Anthropocene,
systematic transdisciplinary scientific research on various
naturally-occurring “consciousness expanding” psychoactive
substances (specifically in the domain of psychology and
neuroscience) is, per analogiam, at least as important as
basic research on radioactive substances was for the progress
of the physical sciences in the 20
th
century. Research on
psychoactive tryptamines could potentially revolutionize our
understanding of psychology comparable to the way research
on radioactive isotopes revolutionized our understanding of
physics. Today’s existential problems are primarily caused
by a “mass-pathology of consciousness”. Therefore, “looking
inside” (introspection/psychology) is currently much more
important than “looking outside” (extrospection/physics).
Contrary to wide spread believe, technological solution
will not solve our problems which are clearly caused by
psychological corruption (a fact which is not easily admitted
due to unconscious psychological defense mechanism which
prevent an unbiased perception of the real causes of our
extremely pressing problems). A deeper understanding of
consciousness might simultaneously help to address external
problems as inside and outside might not be separable in
the Cartesian dualistic sense (viz., the dichotomy between
mind and matter, psyche and physis, subject and object,
might not be as clear-cut as mainstream science prima
facie assumes). Intrinsically motivated, authentic, and non-
conformist thinking à la Marie Curie is of crucial importance
in this context. Currently, we are utterly nescient about the
exact relationship between mind and matter (i.e., psyche
and physis; cf. the hitherto unresolved explanatory gap).
Ergo, intellectual/epistemological humility is a true scientific
virtue which forms the basis of genuine curiosity, and
hence creativity, innovation, evolution, and the urgently
needed radical Kuhnian paradigm-change. Specifically the
potential to induce transformative and enduring states of
unity consciousness (s.c., nonduality/Advaita) is of great
pertinence in the prevailing capitalistic neoliberal/social-
Darwinian climate which indoctrinates immoral/inhuman
hyper-competition, careerism, ego-centrism, and psychopathic
narcissism (this is then called “success”). Utilized in the right
way, minute quantities of a chemically well-defined small
class of psychoactive tryptamines (i.e., structural analogues
of psilocybin/serotonin) can change human consciousness
in profound ways and facilitate deep ontological insights
into the interconnectedness of humanity (beyond economic
competition) and all of nature (biophilia versus nécrophilia;
cf. hologenome theory of evolution). Given that converging
evidence from a variety of independent sources indicates
that humanity is currently destroying the ecosystem at an
exponential rate, a fundamental shift in the regnant cognitive
modus operandi is of pivotal importance for the survival of
the species homo sapi
¯
ens (currently more accurately classified
as homo consumens) on this planet which has been termed
spaceship earth. Contrary to widespread naiveté, the logical
interpretation of this proposal does not rest on the premise
that every individual has to partake in this mind-changing
endeavor. From a complex systems theory point of view, a
phase-shift in the collective unconscious of the species (à la
C.G. Jung) might be induced if a proportionally rather small
‘critical mass’ of participants is reached (cf. ‘snowball-effect’
in social psychology, i.e., in communication networks). We
simply do not know enough about consciousness (and de facto
physical matter; cf. recent empirical findings in experimental
quantum entanglement research, e.g., violations of Bell
inequalities; hypothetical dark matter & dark energy, extra
dimension/M-theory, etc. pp.) to precluded the possibility of
effecting the collective unconscious in hitherto unknown ways
prima facie (a close-minded and dogmatic attitude towards the
possibilities of science which is unfortunately very dominant
in indoctrinated mainstream academic circles). For instance,
we find similar models in developmental biology where a
small minority of so called ‘imaginal cells’ in the developing
chrysalis transform the whole organism beyond recognition
into a beautiful colorful butterfly which can fly! Who would
have predicted this unfoldment of inherent (dormant) potential
a priori? Open-mindedness is a condicio sine qua non for
creativity, cognitive innovation and, ergo, scientific progress
and and the theoretically infinite unfoldment of human
potential.
