Charismatogens: Anthropological observations of a neuroethical problem

Nicolas Langlitz (The New School for Social Research)

Please note that this talk is at 11am-12pm Australian Eastern Standard Time.

Description: Psychedelic culture has been a happy hunting ground for charismatics. Charismatics challenge traditional and bureaucratic forms of authority, Max Weber noted a century ago. They claim to lead their followers in and out of moments of crisis, reveal the breakdown of the cultural order while positioning themselves outside of that order, evading routine occupations and obligations, acting as if they were a law unto themselves. Moral transgressions abound. To maintain their charisma, the charismatic needs to constantly conjure the extraordinary (doing heroic deeds, working miracles). Psychedelics offer a highly efficient way to produce this effect and have proved the perfect tool for what Pierre Bourdieu called the “petty independent entrepreneurs of salvation”. From an anthropological and historical perspective, this talk examines the “charismatogenic” effects of psychedelics as a neuroethical challenge. Considering that the psychedelic renaissance has subjected key parts of psychedelic culture to bureaucratic authority, it also raises the question of whether anything valuable gets lost as the field rids itself of gurus and other proponents of heterodoxy.

Zoom link: https://monash.zoom.us/j/84663747139?pwd=OWZiajBnZHRVMS9SR2I3NVk5QkpkZz09