Summary

“A New Door.” Author Pollan introduces the idea that human consciousness of both itself and the world changed as a result of two events that occurred at roughly the same time: the discovery of what he ultimately calls “psychedelics” and the deployment of the atomic bomb. He then comments that examination of the power and action of psychedelics originally focused on what he identifies as two substances, or molecules: lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin (magic mushrooms). The former he describes as an accidental discovery; the latter he describes as having been used by indigenous communities in different parts of the world for decades, if not centuries. He also describes how initial experiments on the drugs focused on their potential healing benefits, but as a result of the 1960’s counter-culture movement, which prompted what he says was over-emphasis of the personal and social dangers...