Entheogens, Society & Law:Towards a Politics of Consciousness, Autonomy & Responsibility

The tripartite name of Entheogens, Society & Law refers to three intersecting dimensions of human life that are of fundamental importance to our understanding of society and ourselves. The term, entheogen, is a neologism derived from ancient Greek, originally adopted to identify religious use of psychoactive plants and substances. As the authors suggest, however, entheogen carries implicit connotations of the "sacred" or "divine" as an aspect of human nature itself, as something that is "generated" (gen) from within, rather than as a metaphor for a supernatural realm or cause.

Taking this concept of the divine or sacred as an aspect of human "nature" as their point of departure, the authors explore how concepts of the divine shape ideas and thinking about human nature. Expanding on this theme, and on the idea that culture and society emerge as expressions of ideas about human nature (and the nature of reality itself) the authors posit that injustices promoted by social and political institutions can be directly correlated to errors in our understanding of human nature.

This train of thought also permeates another major concern, namely with concepts of justice and their interpretation in legal discourse and law. 

Throughout this book, interpretations of psychoactive substances their use(s), users, effects and outcomes serve as examples and evidence of the ways in which beliefs and ideologies impact ethical thinking and interfere with pragmatic measures to minimize or eliminate drug use related harm. 

The authors concern with ethics forces them to draw conclusions concerning the more extensive "systemic" or "structural" injustices following from the way authority and power appeal to erroneous ideas about human nature.

Ultimately, the appeal of this book rests not merely in the insights it provides concerning the potential of "entheogens" as technologies of consciousness but in its incisive critique of Western culture and thought. The arguments presented here have far-reaching implications in many different areas of culture and society -- ethics, law, medicine, politics, spirituality, philosophy etc.