Philosophy and Psychedelics
| Module title | Philosophy and Psychedelics |
|---|---|
| Module code | PHL3117 |
| Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Christine Hauskeller (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 20 |
|---|
Module description
Psychedelic drugs, long prohibited, are studied again as tools for psychological cure. They are also legalized in some countries and US states and discourses about these substances change rapidly. Philosophically psychedelics are a very good focus through which to explore theoretical and practical philosophical questions. We will apply this lens of the psychedelic revival to discuss philosophical questions relating to ethics, aesthetics and politics, discussing laws of prohibition and medicalization, decolonial power struggles and the tensions between personal safety and cognitive liberty. Theoretically, we will discuss how the experiences occasioned by psychedelic substances reflect on philosophical questions regarding the self in relation to nature and human nature, as well as issues of consciousness and epistemology, transcendence and religion.
We discuss these issues drawing on the collection of essays in Philosophy and Psychedelics, the first academic volume presenting how philosophers reflect on the psychedelic revival and consider the nature of such experiences. Apart from a good general understanding of the disciplinary order of philosophy, this module has no pre-requisites. We use psychedelic science as a lens through which various philosophic fields can be introduced and their correspondence or different perspectives more thoroughly understood.
Module aims - intentions of the module
By considering the multifaceted aspects of psychedelics, we will bridge across the major subareas of philosophy, exploring how they speak to one another and what we can understand about contested practices. Contested in this case are the effects of psychedelic substance use on individuals and society, as well as the practices to regulate/prohibit their production. Adopting different philosophic perspectives on psychedelic substances, experiences, and discourses concerning knowledge and science, including current clinical trials, will provide you with insight into a very topical debate. Furthermore, it will provide you with an understanding of the ways in which philosophy organizes knowledge, and how this separation of areas fosters and hinders integrative understandings of phenomena in our lifeworld.
The focus on psychedelics allows teaching core philosophical themes in some depth and clarity about their interconnectedness, i.e. aesthetics, ethics, metaphysics, philosophy of cognition, cultures, and mind, but also philosophy of nature, ecology, and the philosophy of psychiatry and medicine more generally.
This module aims to teach you about a very hot topic in contemporary society and how philosophers engage with it. It invites you to partake in exciting discussions, preparing and giving a joint presentation and writing a substantive essay on a topic of your choice in this subject area.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate strong participatory citizenship in class and comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the theories and texts (readings) for the course
- 2. Demonstrable understanding of the methodological and conceptual problems of a philosophy of psychedelics
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Demonstrate very good understanding of the structure of the discipline and the interrelation between its subdisciplines
- 4. Demonstrate deep knowledge of the philosophical inquiry and dimensions of a specific topic
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Demonstrate ability to critically analyse and present texts, and discuss complex problems
- 6. Demonstrate excellent the ability to research independently and write a critical philosophical essay on a module theme.
Syllabus plan
(Whilst the precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover all or some of the following topics.)
We begin with a couple of sessions introducing the History and Philosophy of Psychedelics
The Philosophy of Psychedelics is a new field, but its topic has strands dating back centuries We begin with an overview of thephilosophic facets of this subject, to gain a comprehensive perspective on the current societal changes regarding psychedelics.
Wediscuss in more detail:
- The medicalization of psychedelics
- The biopolitics psychedelics
- Ethical and Care contexts – safeguarding practices
- Creativity and aesthetics vis-à-vis psychedelics
- Western mysticism and Non-Western Indigenous approaches
- Philosophy of mind and consciousness
- Metaphysics and psychedelics: Interpreting psychedelic experience through metaphysical systems
- Transpersonal and environmental ethics and psychedelics
The module will close with an overall discussion about the cross-cutting nature of the topic across philosophical sub-disciplines and how a comprehensive philosophy of psychedelics might be possible.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching activities | 22 | Weekly 2-hour lectures/seminars or 1 hour lecture + 1 hour seminar |
| Guided independent studies | 60 | Reading and Research |
| Guided independent study | 68 | Preparation and Writing of Essay |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay outline | 400 words | 1-6 | Written or oral |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 90 | 2600 words | 1-6 | Written |
| Attendance | 10 | 1-6 | Oral |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay (2600 words) | Essay (2600 words) (100%) | 1-6 | August Referral/Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
We will read chapters from Christine Hauskeller and Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes, (eds.), Philosophy and Psychedelics, Bloomsbury 2022 – You are expected to buy this volume.
And supplement it with texts such as:
Baier, K. (2022) High Mysticism: On the interplay between the psychedelic movement and academic study of mysticism
Benjamin, W. (1927–34) On Hashish
Hofmann, A. (1979) LSD: My Problem Child
Huxley, A. (1954) The Doors of Perception
Jay, M. (2019) Mescaline: A Global History of the First Psychedelic
Kempner Joanna (2024) Psychedelic Outlaws
Labate and Cavnar (2022) Psychedelic Justice.
Lundborg, P. (2014) Note Towards a Definition of a Psychedelic Philosophy
Partridge, C. (2018) High Culture: Drugs, Mysticism, and the Pursuit of Transcendence in the Modern World
Richert, Lucas (2019) Break on Through. Radical Psychiatry and the American Coutnerculture.
Thompson, S. J. (2014) From ‘Rausch’ to Rebellion: Walter Benjamin’s On Hashish and the Aesthetic Dimensions of Prohibitionist Realism
Ward, R. H. (1957) A Drug-Taker's Notes
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Erowid: 60 000 pages of online information about psychoactive drugs, plants, chemicals, etc.:
Philosophy and Psychedelics conferences (Exeter) 2021, 2022,2024
(https://sites.exeter.ac.uk/psychedelics/interrogating-psychedelic-integration-conference/ )
Breaking Convention, conference videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/BreakingConvention/videos
Key words search
Philosophy, Self, Ethics, Consciousness, Perception, Prohibition, Cultures, Drugs, Ecology
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | Yes |
| Origin date | 15/01/2021 |
| Last revision date | 28/01/2025 |
