Episode · Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-08-15
Books mentioned on #211 – Brian Muraresku: The Secret History of Psychedelics
Brian Muraresku is the author of The Immortality Key. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.
Brian Muraresku recommended Supernatural by Graham Hancock, The Dionysian Gospel by Dennis R. MacDonald, The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes, The Cosmic Serpent by Jeremy Narby, Breaking Open the Head by Daniel Pinchbeck, In the Dark Places of Wisdom by Peter Kingsley, and Reality by Peter Kingsley, and discussed The Road to Eleusis by R. Gordon Wasson and others and The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr. Lex Fridman discussed Ancient brews by Patrick E. McGovern, Immortality Key by Brian C. Muraresku, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Supernatural
Supernatural by Graham Hancock is a controversial non-fiction exploration of human evolution, ancient cave art, altered states of consciousness, and the historical use of psychedelic substances like ayahuasca.
Recommended“and graham hancock wrote a beautiful book about this called supernatural which in many ways like sent me down this rabbit hole back in 2007.”
Where to get it
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Ancient brews
Discussed“and he's the author of a bunch of books one of which is ancient bruise”
Where to get it
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Immortality Key
Why people recommend it: Brian C.
Discussed“can we step back and just kind of look at your work with the the book immortality key what is the story that you tell in this book”
Where to get it
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The Road to Eleusis
The Road to Eleusis by R.
Discussed“the road to ellucis by gordon watson who we talked about already albert hofmann who famously discovers lsd or synthesizes it from ergot”
Where to get it
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The Dionysian Gospel
The Dionysian Gospel by Dennis R.
Recommended“and in my book i rely a lot on the scholarship of dennis mcdonald who writes a fabulous book called the dionysian gospel”
Where to get it
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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Ken Kesey's classic novel "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" portrays institutional life and psychiatric practices through the experiences of patients in a mental asylum.
Discussed“what do you make of the idea of somebody like ken kizi who wrote one flew over the cuckoo's nest in part under the influence of lsd”
Where to get it
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The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes is a classic 1976 work that posits a provocative hypothesis about the historical development of human consciousness and psychological self-awareness.
Recommended“julian janes writes a great book um the origins of consciousness and the breakdown of the bicameral mind”
Where to get it
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The Cosmic Serpent
The Cosmic Serpent by Jeremy Narby explores the startling parallels between molecular biology, DNA, and traditional shamanic knowledge.
Recommended“it started with jeremy narby the cosmic serpent dna in the origins of knowledge”
Where to get it
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Breaking Open the Head
Breaking Open the Head by Daniel Pinchbeck is an exploration of contemporary shamanism, cultural sacraments, and psychedelic experiences.
Recommended“actually because it was after that that i discovered breaking open the head by daniel pinchback”
Where to get it
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In the Dark Places of Wisdom
In the Dark Places of Wisdom by Peter Kingsley is an exploration of the roots of Western thought, pre-Socratic philosophy, and the mystical origins of ancient Greek philosophy.
Recommended“uh one is in the dark places of wisdom and the other is reality”
Where to get it
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Reality
Reality by Peter Kingsley is a philosophical and historical examination of Parmenides and the sacred origins of truth and perception in the ancient Western world.
Recommended“uh one is in the dark places of wisdom and the other is reality”
Where to get it
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The Universal Christ
Discussed“richard rohr the franciscan friar i mentioned in the universal christ he writes a lot about how the divine for you is is often encountered in in the other”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“the following is a conversation with brian muirescu author of the immortality key the secret history of the religion with no name a book that reconstructs the forgotten history of psychedelics in the development of western civilization”
“that's what i explore in the immortality key that this notion of techniques archaic techniques in some cases of ecstasy that allow that experience of the eternal principle to actually rise up in our consciousness”