The making of a mushroom people: Toward a moral anthropology of psychedelics beyond hype and anti‐hype
Anthropology Today May 31, 2023 DOI: 10.1111/1467-8322.12813 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mysticism Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Ethnography Anthropology The renaissance Environmental ethics Aesthetics Law Art history |
| Citations | 13 |
| Key points | Proposes that anthropology should extend ethnographic studies of the psychedelic renaissance from medical to moral anthropology, because psychedelic-induced mystical experiences can challenge strict moral orders. |
Abstract
As regulatory agencies have put psychedelics on an expedited path to market approval, North Americans and Europeans might turn away from their repression and join the subset of cultures that have institutionalized the use of hallucinogenic drugs. What is the place of anthropology in this psychedelic renaissance? More specifically, how should anthropology relate to the cycles of hype and anti‐hype, which have been identified as a recurrent pattern in the careers of new drugs as psychedelics have entered a second round of cultural enthusiasm and critique? This article suggests extending ethnographic studies of the psychedelic renaissance from medical to moral anthropology. The case of psychedelics is especially interesting for moral anthropology because these drugs frequently induce mystical‐type experiences, which can play an ethically irritating role as mysticism challenges a strict moral order enforced through disciplinary practices. What cultural consequences would the spread of mystical experiences have for contemporary European and North American societies?
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on mysticism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The mystical mind: probing the biology of religious experience | 2000 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Religious and Mystical Experiences as Artifacts of Temporal Lobe Function: A General Hypothesis | 1983 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Problem of Pure Consciousness: Mysticism and Philosophy | 1993 | Edited collection of essays | |
| Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mysticism and schizophrenia: A phenomenological exploration of the structure of consciousness in the schizophrenia spectrum disorders. | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 11
- Psychedelic Therapy as Form of Life Neuroethics March 16, 2024
- TESCREAL hallucinations: Psychedelic and AI hype as inequality engines Journal of Psychedelic Studies September 25, 2023
- Anthropology of Psychedelics Anthropology of Consciousness April 20, 2025
- Editorial: Psychedelic humanities. Frontiers in Psychology August 21, 2024
- Psychedelics beyond medicine: Treatment, enhancement, hype, consent, and the limits of medicalization Philosophical Psychology September 8, 2025
and 6 more in the library
Cites 14
- Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance Psychopharmacology July 7, 2006
- Trial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for Depression New England Journal of Medicine April 14, 2021
- Single-Dose Psilocybin for a Treatment-Resistant Episode of Major Depression. New England Journal of Medicine November 3, 2022
- Psychedelics, Personality and Political Perspectives. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs April 26, 2017
- Preparing for the Bursting of the Psychedelic Hype Bubble. JAMA Psychiatry October 1, 2022
and 9 more in the library