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PaperclipPerfector  8mo ago (text post)   2652 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for September 15, 2023

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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For those of you who have experimented with mescaline or whatever else, have these experiences changed you deeply and permanently? Would even taking small amounts grant you clarity or creativity without some terrible drawbacks?

Yes and yes. I'd recommend reading How to Change your Mind to get a better idea of the history and how these substances operate.

I would echo Jung's warning, and make sure you go into the psychedelic experience with the right mindset. You can absolutely 'see God' or 'experience the divine' while on these substances, but the conclusions you make about your experience are often wrong, and less important than the experience itself.

A good frame to think about psychedelics is that they increase the randomness or chaos of your mental states. This can be excellent if you are 'stuck' in a mindset that you do not like, such as depression or anxiety, and desperately need a new perspective. The most positive thing about the experience lies in the fact that these drugs can show you what it feels like to see the world in a new way.

For instance, if you've always been depressed, you can get a brief glimpse of what it's like to see the world without the grey cloud hanging over you. It won't fix your depression automatically, but it can give you hope and motivation to change your own mental state, and periodically help you course correct.

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A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

On The Motte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.


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