The Psychedelic Delusion

The essay responds to the question of what the anthropological theories of René Girard and his Christian apologetics reveal about the "Psychedelic Renaissance," the contemporary reemergence of scientific, medical, philosophical, and cultural interest in psychedelic drugs such as magic mushrooms (psilocybin), ayahuasca (DMT), acid (LSD), and others. Part 1 critiques Terence McKenna's "Stoned Aped Theory" of the biological origin of the human species (hominization) in light of the competing theory of René Girard on the same topic. Part 2 proposes where and how psychedelic drugs fit, historically, in Girard's anthropological scheme: as psychological aids in ritual. Part 3 investigates the transcendental vision behind contemporary advocacy of psychedelic drugs, presenting it as a quintessentially modern revision of the historical role of altering the states of consciousness. Part 4 elaborates on the nature of transcendental or sacred or divine visions as they arise out of archaic and pagan ritual, drawing parallels between it and the psychedelic transcendental. Finally, Part 5 investigates the several motivations and consequences observable within the Psychedelic Renaissance movement and judges them from the viewpoint of Girard's Christian anthropology and Christian theology in general.