Psychedelics and the Coming Singularity

David Jay Brown is the author of over a dozen books, including an earlier volume of conversations entitled Conversations on the Edge of the Apocalypse from 2005. Since that time, the trends identified have continued to intensify, but the psychedelic renaissance in the therapeutic field introduces a new factor to the evolution of consciousness, along with potential UAP disclosure and the appropriate ethical development of AI. Some interlocutors are much better now than others, and it is notable that only one woman – Julia Mossbridge on the potential of ‘loving’ robots - appears in the 16 interviews. There are very interesting exchanges with Jeff Kripal, David Chalmers, Rupert Sheldrake and Graham Hancock among others. The perspectives are interdisciplinary and interlocking, while topics explored include the relationship between psychedelics and ecological consciousness simulation theory, virtual reality and lucid dreams – all in the further reaches of consciousness research. The conversations evolve organically, while some questions – like belief in survival of consciousness – are posed to all participants, with responses from their various perspectives.

The rise of interest in psychedelics is paralleled by a rising awareness of the ecosystemic principles of indigenous cultures in which entheogens are embedded in sacred contexts and rituals, also for healing purposes. One major theme is that the study of DMT (dimethyl tryptamine) may provide us with the technology that allows us to visit other realms of reality and communicate with advanced non-human entities. One study found that 94% of DMT users had entity encounters. The author’s own default position is the panpsychic one that everything – including computers in some sense – is conscious, so there is no such thing as an entirely inanimate object. In this sense, one should probably distinguish awareness from feelings. A further question is whether our reality is itself a simulation (not a computer simulation), and in this respect it is interesting that the ostensibly discarnate Bertrand Russell (Rosemary Brown) states that ‘it is completely understandable that the state in which man exists, however temporary, constitutes the passing reality which is no longer reality when it has passed’ (quoted in my book Survival). It is also worth reflecting that never before have so many human minds been interconnected at such a speed. Reading these stimulating conversations is both illuminating and encouraging.