Psychedelics and Religious Insight: A Precedent in American Psycho-Spirituality from William James to Timothy Leary

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorOgren, Brian
dc.contributor.advisorParsons, Bill
dc.contributor.advisorKripal, Jeffrey
dc.creatorStorck, Connor J.
dc.date.accessioned2021-05-03T22:02:27Z
dc.date.available2021-05-03T22:02:27Z
dc.date.created2021-05
dc.date.issued2021-04-26
dc.date.submittedMay 2021
dc.date.updated2021-05-03T22:02:27Z
dc.description.abstractThe primary purpose of this thesis is to stress that there is a relationship between the texts one reads and the psychedelic experiences one may have. Reading texts has an effect on set and setting with respect to psychedelic experiences. Further, texts read—by figures like Timothy Leary—in the afterglow of a psychedelic experience can influence later integration of said experiences into one’s worldview. This thesis tracks this through the influence of mind-altering substances in the works of both William James (1842-1910) and Timothy Leary (1920-1996) in order to display James’ influence on Leary. James’ impact of Leary intellectually is critical because recent scholarship and changes in cultural and societal perspectives have led to a Psychedelic Renaissance in many disciplines from the clinical-therapeutic to the religious-spiritual. The paper covers select and relevant historical information relating to periods of the Anesthetic Revolution and the Long Sixties. I show how James came to experiment with various mind-altering substances and the results of those experiments. For this reason, the thesis also interacts with Benjamin Paul Blood, a figure whose work guided James’ thought towards the use of mind-altering substances. These mind-altering substances include nitrous oxide, diethyl ether, alcohol, chloroform, and peyote. I apply Leary’s theory of set and setting to better understand James’ Hegelian insights while on nitrous oxide. The thesis explicitly shows how James’ mystical hallmarks of noetic quality and ineffability were influential in Leary’s early psychedelic research. Further, I argue for the thesis that James set a precedent for the use of mind-altering substances for religio-mystical insight that was later expanded upon and entrusted to the masses in the form of Leary’s psychedelic projects. Evidence suggests that these theorists used psychedelics for insights akin to an anagogic interpretation of various works from Hegel to the Tao Te Ching. The conclusion of this thesis briefly ties in contemporary examples and suggests these trends will continue today in the wake of the current Psychedelic Renaissance.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.citationStorck, Connor J.. "Psychedelics and Religious Insight: A Precedent in American Psycho-Spirituality from William James to Timothy Leary." (2021) Master’s Thesis, Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/110459">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/110459</a>.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/110459
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.
dc.subjectWilliam James
dc.subjectPsychedelics
dc.subjectPeyote
dc.subjectNitrous Oxide
dc.subjectHegel
dc.subjectPsychology
dc.subjectReligion
dc.subjectMysticism
dc.subject1960s
dc.subjectTimothy Leary
dc.subjectPoetry
dc.subjectHegel
dc.subjectAldous Huxley
dc.subjectLSD-25
dc.subjectMagic Mushrooms
dc.subjectAmerican Studies
dc.subjectSpiritual But Not Religious
dc.subjectEntheogens
dc.subjectPsychedelic Renaissance
dc.subjectBardo Thodol
dc.subjectBenjamin Paul Blood
dc.subjectAllen Ginsberg
dc.subjectRam Dass
dc.subjectGerald Heard
dc.subjectHuston Smith
dc.subjectHarvard
dc.subjectThe War on Drugs
dc.subjectRichard Nixon
dc.subjectNew Age
dc.subjectAmerican Spirituality
dc.subjectTao Te Ching
dc.subjectRichard Alpert
dc.titlePsychedelics and Religious Insight: A Precedent in American Psycho-Spirituality from William James to Timothy Leary
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.materialText
thesis.degree.departmentReligious Studies
thesis.degree.disciplineHumanities
thesis.degree.grantorRice University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
STORCK-DOCUMENT-2021.pdf
Size:
954.46 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
PROQUEST_LICENSE.txt
Size:
5.84 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
LICENSE.txt
Size:
2.61 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download
Collections
Rice University Electronic Theses and Dissertations