Psychedelics and the Experience of the Sublime

The connection between psychedelics and philosophy isn’t made too often, despite the fact that there are myriad ways in which the psychedelic experience can relate to, challenge, contextualise, and add weight to various philosophical ideas and theories. There is, however, a definite history to the philosophy of psychedelics, with writers such as William James and…

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Consoling Through Comparison: A Case Against the Phrase ‘It Could Be Worse’

Consolation generally means the comfort that someone receives after a loss or disappointment, or while experiencing misery, distress, or anxiety. To console someone is to try to offer support, encouragement, relief, and a more cheerful attitude. Interestingly, consolation is not a uniquely human behaviour. Scientists have discovered that a range of non-human animals have the…

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How Neoliberalism Has Shaped the Pursuit of Knowledge

In his highly influential book Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? (2009), the late Mark Fisher expounded the concept of ‘capitalist realism’, which refers to “the widespread sense that not only is capitalism the only viable political and economic system, but also that it is now impossible even to imagine a coherent alternative to it.”…

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Book Review: Two Lessons on Animal and Man by Gilbert Simondon

Gilbert Simondon (1924 – 1989) was arguably one of the most original and innovative thinkers in contemporary French philosophy. A student of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Simondon’s work has had an influence on various disciplines ranging from philosophy and anthropology to media and cybernetics. As Aislinn O’Donnell describes: ‘On one page, he may describe an electrical field,…

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DMT and the Simulation Hypothesis

The simulation hypothesis (also known as the simulation argument or simulation theory) proposes that reality as we know it is a simulation – and most likely a computer simulation. If this argument is true, it means that everything – ourselves, everyone on the planet, and the universe at large – is not what we think…

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