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Comment by Pxtl | Hacker News Reader

Yup. Not sure which particular stopped-clock struck right within the generally anti-science MAHA movement but I think everybody is happy to take the win.

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that feeling of a clock striking right is actually a momentary glint of light pouring through a crack in the cold stone shell that has become encrusted around the hearts of those soaking too often in the type of extreme rhetorical panic which broods a curated and embedded fear similar to the kind that makes children afraid of the bogey man, they feel safer to stay hidden with the fear than to venture out enough to discover it was just a chimney sweep on the distant rooftop and everything is fine outside after all where they soon discover some great adventure or purpose in the richness of the world

Burma Shave

> MAHA

Make America Hallucinogenic Again?

*Happy Again.

Ironically enough, the psychedelic field sort of defies some scientific analysis, so could be construed as "anti-science". I've seen some commentary that it's difficult to test. As an example, you can't really do a double blind study with a placebo because it's obvious to everybody who got the drug.

The same could be said for a lot of drugs that have strong side effects, just one difference here is the main "side effects" are something some people consider fun. Though you could still do double-blind for comparing the effectiveness of different psychedelics, e.g comparing LSD to Psilocybin.

just because it's not double blind doesn't mean it's not science though.

like idk, how do you do double blind studies of astronomical phenomena?

> just because it's not double blind doesn't mean it's not science though.

Shhh, non-scientists don't know that.

Yeah I know. I'm pulling that out as an example.

It's also true that people in the psychedelic world talk about non-reproducible aspects of the trip quite a bit. "Set and setting" and so forth.

Niacin works well as an 'active placebo'.

I’ve seen studies use methylphenidate as well for the “control” group. Relatively harmless, will have some effects and side effects on naive subjects.

Double blind studies became a requirement in order to protect the people from the greed of pharmaceutica companies and their natural desire to cut corners in research.

They only did it because it lets them beat the "big pharma is stealing from you (not us)" drum.

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