You hear about a lot of music artists and or famous people who have vouched that they thought of an idea/product/service with the assistance of drugs. Do you guys believe that drugs (used carefully) are a pathway to higher learning?
WittyHandle
If the right people get the right drugs. No question.
ziptnf
In some cases. Lots of music from the 70's. In science, Carl Sagan, Albert Hoffman, Francis Crick all come to mind.
Kylle
V.S. Ramachandran Answers a question about this 51:05 into the video. Very interesting
ripped
in the beginning drugs (and it very much depends which ones) can give interesting results, but eventually they're screwing anybody's brains
WittyHandle
quote:
Originally posted by ziptnf
Lots of music from every point in history
Fx'd
Vector A
Maybe, maybe not. I doubt that there is any real way of testing it, because "creativity" is not a measurable quantity and is so highly individualized, and we have no way of setting up a "control" to see what the same person would have created at that particular time in the absence of drugs.
I do think many creative people are strongly drawn to mind-altering substances, since exploring and manipulating perception, emotion, and imagination comes naturally to them, and drugs provide one means to do that. So the causation may be the other way round; not "drugs --> creative" but "creative --> drugs." And this would still create the same association in popular culture.
jupiterone
yes
/endthread
Halcyon+On+On
Drugs have the power to decimate the years of social indoctrination piled upon people throughout their upbringing. This sometimes has the effect of penetrating peoples' learned inhibitions and makes them seem more "creative". Just the same, dissolving this indoctrination can pose a hazard, as people can easily unlearn how to cope in society; For better, or for worse.
As far as the will to create, however, that is a different thing entirely. Drugs cannot bestow it, they can merely allow for the ideas to flow. Most everyone has outlandish thoughts and experiences to express and share, but to communicate them is a language all its own, and not an insignificant part of art and the human experience.
dj_alfi
yes
Kylle
There are patients with Temporal Lobe seizures suddenly writing poetry which they could not do before.
There are experiments done by Alan Snyder, where he zaps portions of the brain with TMS. Temporarily Silencing a part of the brain and during that period, the person starts drawing beautifully or does other tasks much more effectively.
Some drugs can have similar effects.
Zharen
quote:
Originally posted by WittyHandle
If the right people get the right drugs. No question.
This. Some people can handle their well and create some ing magic with their talents. Others, not so much.
