Note Details
- Stage: seed 🌱
- Type: person
- Topics: psychedelics, consciousness, philosophy, culture
American philosopher, psychonaut, and writer known for his research on psychoactive substances, shamanism, and the evolution of human consciousness.
Terence McKenna
Terence McKenna (1946—2000) was an American philosopher, psychonaut, and writer. He is known for his research on the use of psychoactive substances, particularly psychedelics, and their effects on human consciousness. McKenna was a proponent of the importance of shamanism and the study of altered states of consciousness, and his ideas have had a significant influence on the field of psychedelic research. He wrote and lectured extensively on a wide range of topics, including language, culture, spirituality, and the future of humanity.
McKenna is perhaps best known for his “Stoned Ape” theory of human evolution, his development of Novelty Theory and the Timewave Zero concept, and his passionate advocacy for the responsible exploration of psychedelic states as tools for understanding the nature of mind and reality. His spoken-word recordings continue to circulate widely, admired for their eloquence, humor, and intellectual range.
Key Ideas
- Nanotechnology and matter compilers — the internalization of technology
- Expanding communication skills as the fundamental human project
- Indigenous knowledge and the “natural net” — nature as information network, technology as mirror of nature
- The “cult of curiosity” and the preciousness of the open mind
- “Truth does not require your belief”
- Nature conserves novelty — the universe tends toward increasing complexity
- “Culture is not your friend” — culture infantilizes and serves the system in place
- The world is being created by linguistic intent
- Aligning self-interest and community interest
- Science fiction as “permissioning of imagination”