Okay, I’ll ask a hard question: would you still give this advice if it turns out that hallucinogens, given properly, cure depression?
I’m not predicting anything quite so august, but there’s reason to think that they might be a potent tool for combatting depression, and evidence supporting it. Moreover, the theory I know as to why they work is intertwined with the screwy things they make you experience (see Scott Alexander for one explanation: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/11/26/mental-mountains/ )
Yeah, I mean, clearly the point of this piece wasn’t “psychedelics bad,” or at least that wasn’t *my* point. If there’s actual good evidence for their medical usage, and they’re given under the supervision of a doctor, I have no reason to object.
That said, “good evidence” is key here, and the medical and psychological establishments have given all of us a lot of reasons to be skeptical of their claims in recent years. I’m not really qualified to the judge the evidence, but it does seem that with claims like this (“Did you know [recreational drug] can be used to treat [real disease]???”), the loudest voices making them are always the people positioned to make bank and/or mind-altering substance fans looking for any excuse to legitimize their habit.
So I guess I’d have to see some really rigorous research before I’d give my full-throated support, but I also have no principled reason to object.
Darnit, Luke, you've got to quit recommending books. You know my pile is already 60 feet high. 😂
On the bright side, you've got a couple months to get caught up before Ashley's book comes out
Okay, I’ll ask a hard question: would you still give this advice if it turns out that hallucinogens, given properly, cure depression?
I’m not predicting anything quite so august, but there’s reason to think that they might be a potent tool for combatting depression, and evidence supporting it. Moreover, the theory I know as to why they work is intertwined with the screwy things they make you experience (see Scott Alexander for one explanation: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/11/26/mental-mountains/ )
Yeah, I mean, clearly the point of this piece wasn’t “psychedelics bad,” or at least that wasn’t *my* point. If there’s actual good evidence for their medical usage, and they’re given under the supervision of a doctor, I have no reason to object.
That said, “good evidence” is key here, and the medical and psychological establishments have given all of us a lot of reasons to be skeptical of their claims in recent years. I’m not really qualified to the judge the evidence, but it does seem that with claims like this (“Did you know [recreational drug] can be used to treat [real disease]???”), the loudest voices making them are always the people positioned to make bank and/or mind-altering substance fans looking for any excuse to legitimize their habit.
So I guess I’d have to see some really rigorous research before I’d give my full-throated support, but I also have no principled reason to object.