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zeibeat's review against another edition
4.0
Short & sweet bold essay accounting Huxley's own experience tripping with Mescaline way before psychedelics were a thing.
Now that we live in a psychedelic R&D renaissance, there are many thoughts about this medicine power that sound as contemporary in Huxley's words than in today's science and literature.
If you are interested in the topic, this book is a must-read
Now that we live in a psychedelic R&D renaissance, there are many thoughts about this medicine power that sound as contemporary in Huxley's words than in today's science and literature.
If you are interested in the topic, this book is a must-read
simonmartin's review against another edition
3.0
this is regarded as a classic, but i'm not too sure how well it holds up to modern scrutiny. i found the prose challenging and quite poor at points, none more so than in huxley's tedious digressions into art interpretation. to paraphrase the old saying, writing about art is like dancing about architecture, and huxley by his own admission is not particularly adept at using language to craft a detailed image in his reader's head, which poses significant problems if you are trying to describe, say, a painting.
the rest of this - that is, the stream-of-consciousness, mostly chronological reporting of a mescalin trip - is mesmerising and overwhelming in its discussion of different ideas, concepts and potential applications of psychedelics. the last few pages are particularly enlightening and begin to approach a call to arms of sorts; the prose mirrors the effects of the mescalin, becoming more urgent and focused as huxley engages with the politicisation of substance use, the role of intoxication in human society, and religion. the comparisions made between the use of psychedelics and religious practice are bold, and i'm fascinated (if not always convinced) by philosophical approaches such as huxley's to schizophrenia. a valuable, if not always engrossing read.
the rest of this - that is, the stream-of-consciousness, mostly chronological reporting of a mescalin trip - is mesmerising and overwhelming in its discussion of different ideas, concepts and potential applications of psychedelics. the last few pages are particularly enlightening and begin to approach a call to arms of sorts; the prose mirrors the effects of the mescalin, becoming more urgent and focused as huxley engages with the politicisation of substance use, the role of intoxication in human society, and religion. the comparisions made between the use of psychedelics and religious practice are bold, and i'm fascinated (if not always convinced) by philosophical approaches such as huxley's to schizophrenia. a valuable, if not always engrossing read.
annieharhar's review against another edition
This was not my jam. Maybe someone else talking about their drug trip would be more entertaining or informative. This was so much self satisfied rambling.
yegannam's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting book, but only if you're already familiar with Aldous Huxley and somewhat interested in the topic (the effects of psychedelics on human mind and perception). The writing is a bit hard to follow, more like an academic article. But I was intrigued by ideas and reflections of the author, so I kept reading with pleasure. The book is also rich with informative facts especially regarding art and literature. At some points, it was very eye-opening and led me to question some things that I have never considered before. Additionally, the connection that Huxley builds in the second part between psychedelics and spirituality was quite interesting and worth exploring with all its details even if you might not agree. Overall, it was quite enjoyable reading !
conner_knoll's review against another edition
3.5
Very good; I thought it'd be more pragmatic than it was, but who's fault is that lol