Psychonauts: Drugs and the Making of the Modern Mind

A fascinating and original history of the scientists, writers, artists, and philosophers who used drugs to explore the hidden regions of the mind, from Sigmund Freud's experiments with cocaine to William James' epiphany on nitrous oxide, reveals the deep influence of mind-altering drugs on Western science, philosophy, and culture.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 27 February 2024
Publisher: Yale University Press

A fascinating and original exploration of the scientists, writers, artists, and philosophers who used drugs to explore the hidden regions of the mind, "The Psychonauts" offers a provocative and thought-provoking history. Until the twentieth century, scientists investigating the effects of drugs on the mind conducted their experiments on themselves, using vivid descriptions of their drug experiences to spark insights across various mind sciences, pharmacology, medicine, and philosophy. These accounts, found in journals and literary fiction, inspired a fascinated public to engage in their own experiments, whether through scientific demonstrations, exotic travels, literary salons, or occult rituals.

However, after 1900, drugs began to be viewed as a social problem, leading to a decline in self-experimentation. "The Psychonauts" by Mike Jay brilliantly reclaims this lost intellectual tradition, tracing the influence of drug-taking on the birth of psychology, the discovery of the unconscious, and the emergence of modernism. From Sigmund Freud's experiments with cocaine to William James' epiphany on nitrous oxide, Jay highlights the profound impact of mind-altering drugs on Western science, philosophy, and culture.

As we continue to explore novel cognitive enhancers and psychedelics, the experiments of the original psychonauts shed light on the enduring legacy of drug use on our understanding of the human mind and its potential for transformation.

Weight: 332g
Dimension: 200 x 130 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780300276091