This article attempts to reconsider the "hard problem of consciousness" (D.Chalmers, S. Harnad), a long-standing problem in analytical philosophy, which concerns the inability to explain the origin of subjective experience (qualia) from the physical processes of the brain.The author does not deny the reality of qualia, but rejects the very formulation of the question of the brain as the...
This essay explores the profound parallels between the Talmudic concept of the talmid chacham who is nokem v'noter "like a snake," the dual nature of venom as both poison and medicine, and the Torah's characterization as either sam chayim (elixir of life) or sam mavet (deadly poison).Drawing from classical Jewish sources, particularly the Degel Machaneh Ephraim's mystical interpretation, we...
Psilocybin, a psychedelic compound in certain mushrooms, has been used for centuries in spiritual ceremonies and neuropsychiatric therapy.Despite its stigmatization as a Schedule I substance in 1970, research into psilocybin has resurged since the early 2000s, particularly in psychiatry and palliative care.This review examines psilocybins potential to improve the quality of life in palliative...