A new paper exploring the role of psilocybin mushrooms in the evolution of human consciousness says the psychedelic has the “potential to trigger significant neurological and psychological effects” that could have influenced the development of our species over time. The literature review, which authors said draws on “a multidisciplinary approach spanning biology, ethnobotany and neuroscience,” […]
It is human consciousness and self-awareness that is being talked about. While some animals express signs of self-awareness, none do it to our degree.
i don’t think eating a mushroom gave anyone a “soul”
Not immediately, of course. Psychedelics essentially put the brain into overdrive and open connections in the brain that normally aren’t active. If psilocybin use was able to enable even a little higher intelligence in primitive humans (that also happened to have larger brains), it seems that evolution would favor creatures with larger brains. It’s not that psilocybin immediately gave humans a soul, it’s that it enabled us to use our brains more creatively which improved survivability.
it does feel like that nuance was lost in the article. i’m personally a fan of panpsychism, which posits that everything is conscious but to degrees. i think with our current scientific understanding it doesn’t make sense to try and define a line between conscious vs primitive or “soulless” or whatever when we don’t even have a good definition of consciousness to begin with.
It is human consciousness and self-awareness that is being talked about. While some animals express signs of self-awareness, none do it to our degree.
Not immediately, of course. Psychedelics essentially put the brain into overdrive and open connections in the brain that normally aren’t active. If psilocybin use was able to enable even a little higher intelligence in primitive humans (that also happened to have larger brains), it seems that evolution would favor creatures with larger brains. It’s not that psilocybin immediately gave humans a soul, it’s that it enabled us to use our brains more creatively which improved survivability.
it does feel like that nuance was lost in the article. i’m personally a fan of panpsychism, which posits that everything is conscious but to degrees. i think with our current scientific understanding it doesn’t make sense to try and define a line between conscious vs primitive or “soulless” or whatever when we don’t even have a good definition of consciousness to begin with.