Graham Hancock on Whether Psychedelics Have a Future
Erik opened by pointing at where we are now, deep into a century that keeps outrunning what anyone grew up expecting from technology. He wanted Hancock's read on what comes next. Do psychedelics belong in that future, or are they something we'll have left behind?
Hancock's answer was that they do belong there, but only if people put in the work to make it so. He kept circling back to a point he thinks most of the conversation skips over. When a society forbids its own members from exploring their consciousness through psychedelics, it is trampling on something basic. For Hancock, nothing is more basic than the right of a grown adult to decide what happens inside their own mind, provided no one else gets hurt in the process. The state reaching into private consciousness, he said, is a serious violation. Recognizing that for what it is comes first. After that comes the fight, and then, slowly, public opinion shifts the rules that are already on the books.
Erik thanked him and, before closing, asked if there was anything Hancock wanted viewers to walk away with.
Hancock pointed anyone curious toward his own work. "Magicians of the Gods" picks up where "Fingerprints of the Gods" left off, pulling together the evidence for a lost civilization that has surfaced over the previous two decades. "Supernatural" takes on altered states of consciousness and what role they play in how modern humans behave. He also mentioned an anthology he had recently edited, "The Divine Spark," which gathers writing from a number of prominent voices working on psychedelics and consciousness. Rick Strassman was among the contributors. Hancock described it as a collection of the newest thinking in the area and a solid place to keep digging.
Erik thanked him again, both for joining and for spreading word of the conference to his audience. Hancock said it was his pleasure, they agreed to stay in touch, and the call wrapped up.