Psychedelics and the Coming Singularity

Leading minds discuss psychedelics, shamanism, human evolution, and the ecological crisis The precariousness of our global situation has never been clearer. Between war, inequality, destabilizing advances in technology like AI, and biosphere collapse and climate change, humankind is confronted with an almost insurmountable array of challenges. Yet many brilliant experts are working on outside-the-box solutions, looking to challenges of the past, current ground-breaking research, and psychedelic-inspired visions of the future to lead humanity through these crises. In a series of conversations with leading minds in consciousness studies, psychedelic culture, anthropology, chemistry, and other disciplines, author David Jay Brown elicits answers to some of the most thought-provoking questions about our origins, our present situation, and the future of humanity and the Earth. Brown and these luminaries explore topics as diverse as the possibility of human extinction, the relationship between psychedelics and ecological consciousness, Simulation Theory, Virtual Reality and lucid dreaming, the consciousness-­altering effects of the pandemic, space migration and contact with alien intelligence, and DMT research and advanced robotics. Whether he’s speaking to podcaster Duncan Trussell about the Singularity, comic book author Grant Morrison about magick and the occult, or neuroscientist Julia Mossbridge about psychic phenomena, Brown’s spirited interview approach helps draw profound insights from these cutting-edge thinkers. What, he asks, are the implications of our understanding of consciousness, particularly altered states—and how might entheogens help raise ecological awareness to impact the future of our species? In this curated collection of interviews, Brown seeks to find out.

David Jay Brown holds a master’s degree in psychobiology from New York University. A former neuroscience researcher at the University of Southern California, he has written for Wired, Discover, and Scientific American, and his news stories have appeared on The Huffington Post and CBS News. A frequent guest editor of the MAPS Bulletin, he is the author of more than a dozen books, including The New Science of Psychedelics and Frontiers of Psychedelic Consciousness. He lives in Ben Lomond, California.

Acknowledgments Introduction 1 Singing the Midnight Gospel An Interview with Duncan Trussell 2 Superheroes, Supergods, and Superminds An Interview with Grant Morrison 3 Exploring the Mind on the Frontiers of Chemistry An Interview with Hamilton Morris 4 Exploring the Interface between Technological Evolution, Mythopoetic Perspectives, and High Weirdness An Interview with Erik Davis 5 Transcending Minds and Unconditionally Loving Robots An Interview with Julia Mossbridge 6 The Quest for the Origin of Life and a Way Forward into Our Collective Future An Interview with Bruce Damer 7 Neuroscience, Comedy, and Psychonautic Adventures An Interview with Shane Mauss 8 Radical Creativity, Immersive Art Environments, and Meow Wolf An Interview with Vince Kadlubek 9 Underground Cultural Forces in the Mainstream An Interview with George DiCaprio 10 Radical Mysticism and the Secret History of Religions An Interview with Jeffrey Kripal 11 Exploring What Is Real in Virtual Worlds An Interview with David Chalmers 12 Going Beyond An Interview with Rupert Sheldrake 13 Exploring Ancient Civilizations and Supernatural Beings An Interview with Graham Hancock 14 Psychedelics, Psychic Phenomena, and Encounters with Non-human Entities An Interview with David Luke 15 Extended State DMT and Alien Information Theory An Interview with Andrew Gallimore 16 Delving into DMTx An Interview with Carl Hayden Smith About the Author