User talk:Dchimself

 Hello Dchimself, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. To get started, you may


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 Hi , I am Percy. Nice to meet you. I love the beach, swimming, fishing, and I am currently doing some research at Wikiversity on oceanography. I am also learning to play piano. What do you like? Can I be your mascot?

Motivation and emotion
Hi. Welcome to the unit and to Wikiversity! I look forward to learning with you and I hope you find the topic and the unit rewarding. Please feel free to let me know if you have any suggestions or would like help at any point along the way. Sincerely, James Neill, -- Jtneill - Talk - c 08:49, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

My opinion regarding your textbook chapter
Hi, just with regards to your textbook chapter on human spirituality, you wrote;

"Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) mentions Man’s inherent motivation to self-transcend in the preface to his book ‘The Devils of Loudon’ (Huxley, 1952). His Perennial Philosophy (Huxley, 1945) is in my view a correct statement of the fact that oneness with God is possible and has been experienced by mystics over the centuries. But his later endorsement of psychedelic substances as an aid to such experience (Huxley, 1954) is an evident mistake, indicated by there being no claim to this eventual experience in his writing.

That this was a mistake is also supported by the view put forward in Adams (2002) that there is a necessary moral component to spiritual development, with which Kohlberg (1984) would no doubt agree. There are in this context no shortcuts. Adams also points out that the contemporary writer Ken Wilber’s integral theory of transpersonal psychology is deficient in this respect. It is surely an illogical proposition that the immoral can realise oneness with the Divine. Charles Darwin would also disagree with such a proposition, as we shall see shortly."

While it may be true that there are no shortcuts on the path of God, I think that it is important not to dismiss the influence that psychedelic substances can have to aligning people on to the path of God. Whole generations of individuals were turned on by psychedelic substances during the 20th century, and a lot of those people stumbled on to, and proceeded with, a spiritual path, one that they might not have found had it not been for their contact with such substances. This is particular true of Timothy Leary and Ram Dass, former psychologists whose spiritual awakenings and subsequent teachings were born out of the psychedelic movement. So while it is true that yes, there are no shortcuts and psychedelics can't take you all the way, it is also important to recognise the potential that psychedelic substances hold to show people the spiritual possibilities at the end of the road, particularly in modern culture, which in some ways is devoid of a relevant spiritual context. What do you think?

-- Jtneill - Talk - c 22:50, 14 December 2010 (UTC)