From Altered States to Metaphysics: The Epistemic Status of Psychedelic-induced Metaphysical Beliefs

Psychedelic substances can produce powerful, strange conscious experiences that often change people's metaphysical beliefs about reality, including beliefs that seem bizarre from a naturalistic perspective. This paper argues that such altered states can be rationally integrated into a person's epistemic life, meaning that updating metaphysical beliefs based on these experiences does not necessarily involve epistemic irrationality.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract Psychedelic substances elicit powerful, uncanny conscious experiences that are thought to possess therapeutic value. In those who undergo them, these altered states of consciousness often induce shifts in metaphysical beliefs about the fundamental structure of reality. The contents of those beliefs range from contentious to bizarre, especially when considered from the point of view of naturalism. Can chemically induced, radically altered states of consciousness provide reasons for or play some positive epistemic role with respect to metaphysical beliefs? In this paper, I discuss a view that has been underexplored in recent literature. I argue that psychedelic states can be rationally integrated into one’s epistemic life. Consequently, updating one’s metaphysical beliefs based on altered states of consciousness does not have to constitute an instance of epistemic irrationality.