Psychedelic Delusion

The essay responds to the question of what the anthropological theories of René Girard and his Christian apologetics reveal about the "e;Psychedelic Renaissance,"e; the contemporary reemergence of scientific, medical, philosophical, and cultural interest in psychedelic drugs such as magic mushrooms (psilocybin), ayahuasca (DMT), acid (LSD), and others. Part 1 critiques Terence McKenna's "e;Stoned Aped Theory"e; of the biological origin of the human species (hominization) in light of the competing theory of René Girard on the same topic.Part 2 proposes where and how psychedelic drugs fit, historically, in Girard's anthropological scheme: as psychological aids in ritual.Part 3 investigates the transcendental vision behind contemporary advocacy of psychedelic drugs, presenting it as a quintessentially modern revision of the historical role of altering the states of consciousness.Part 4 elaborates on the nature of transcendental or sacred or divine visions as they arise out of archaic and pagan ritual, drawing parallels between it and the psychedelic transcendental.Finally, Part 5 investigates the several motivations and consequences observable within the Psychedelic Renaissance movement and judges them from the viewpoint of Girard's Christian anthropology and Christian theology in general.