Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas 267 | Benjamin Breen on Margaret Mead, Psychedelics, and Utopia
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Feb 26, 2024 Benjamin Breen, an associate professor of history at UC Santa Cruz and author of "Tripping on Utopia," dives into the intriguing connections between Margaret Mead, psychedelic drugs, and concepts of utopia. He discusses Mead's pioneering work in social anthropology, her collaborations with Gregory Bateson, and how their ideas shaped societal views on psychedelics. Breen also explores the moral complexities faced by scientists during the Cold War and examines the potential of psychedelics for enhancing creativity and consciousness.
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Hypnotic Transcription
- Margaret Mead claimed to have been hypnotized by Milton Erickson.
- Her secretary was supposedly hypnotized while transcribing the session.
Peyote as Social Tool
- Mead viewed peyote use among the Omaha people as a beneficial adaptation to modern disruption.
- She believed it could help damaged cultures rebuild cohesion, not as a primitive holdover.
Propaganda as Hypnosis
- During World War II, there was a concern about propaganda as psychological warfare.
- American scientists studied Hitler's influence, describing him as a stage hypnotist.
