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Comment by hkai | Hacker News Reader

>Blake thought that the doors on perception are artificially kept semi-closed for cultural reasons - i.e. the ability to focus and do work for the enrichment of the powers that be.

Statements like that sound a bit political and make me doubt what he is writing.

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There was an outpouring of scientific research into LSD and what it might be useful for in the years following its synthesis. Towards the 70s-80s, research efforts were quashed and its use became increasingly and negatively politicized. It is inexorably political.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_lysergic_acid_dieth...

I'd recommend Michael Pollan's recent book, "How to Change your Mind" if you'd like to read more.

Top researchers on psychedelics agree with the author - psychedelic use often causes users to question authority. Notable UK researcher Dr David Nutt says that psychedelics have a political impact.

Is it really political to stop and think about what you are doing for the pure gain of someone else? I should think that's just critical thinking at work.

Not necessarily, but saying that the "doors are kept shut artificially" is something straight out of r/conspiracy.

So is "the NSA can tap into almost any conversation or electronic communication they want in real time" and "the President(*) colluded with Russia to steal the election", but here we are.

So is "Bush did 9/11" and "Hillary Clinton is a child rapist." Just like a infinite monkeys on infinite typewriters would eventually write the complete works of Shakespeare, a bunch of people making up unsubstantiated conspiracy theories will eventually make one that happens to correspond with reality. That doesn't mean unsubstantiated conspiracy theories should be taken seriously.

Yes, it really is.

it's true though - society and culture collectively create taboos of various kinds to organize group behavior according to goals like wealth maximization, power and hierarchy conservation.

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