On the ambiguity of psychedelic awe in China
Anthropology Today December 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1111/1467-8322.12849 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Argues that the ambiguity of psychedelic states, like the emotion of wonder, arises from existential vulnerability and can enable diverse social, moral, and psychological projects. |
Abstract
Psychology research frequently portrays the epistemic emotion of wonder as an intrinsic good. However, anthropologists highlight that social contexts shape its ambiguous political and moral potential. This concise article explores the awe‐inspiring DMT experience of a Chinese psychedelic user, which involves a humiliating encounter with a cosmic surveillance state. Analogous to the mood of wonder, the ambiguity inherent to psychedelic states originates from an existential vulnerability. This openness facilitates a wide range of potential social, moral, and psychological projects.
Citations in the library
Cites 6
- Awe: a putative mechanism underlying the effects of classic psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy International Review of Psychiatry July 4, 2018
- The socialization of hallucinations: Cultural priors, social interactions, and contextual factors in the use of psychedelics. Transcultural Psychiatry October 1, 2022
- Moral Psychopharmacology Needs Moral Inquiry: The Case of Psychedelics Frontiers in Psychiatry August 2, 2021
- American Trip The MIT Press eBooks July 14, 2020
- The making of a mushroom people: Toward a moral anthropology of psychedelics beyond hype and anti‐hype Anthropology Today May 31, 2023
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