MAPS: Masters thesis abstract

[Ken Tupper <ktupper@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all

Tomorrow I am submitting my thesis to SFU and have a defense scheduled for
April 11th. I'll keep you posted as to how it goes. I've been invited to
present about my research on Tuesday out at UBC to the "Cognitive Liberty
and Psychoactive Perspectives" course.

Cheers
Ken Tupper


Masters of Arts, Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia

Thesis title: 
Entheogenic Education: An Interdisciplinary Investigation into the Educational
Potential of Plant Teachers

Abstract:

This thesis investigates the educational possibilities of entheogens (i.e.
psychoactive plants and chemicals used as spiritual sacraments). Contemporary
educational practices in modern (post)industrial societies privilege modes
of thinking that perpetuate a status quo of materialism while neglecting those
that stimulate existential or cosmological understanding and experiences of
wonder and awe. Such an imbalance in educational practice becomes particularly
problematic in light of present ecological concerns and the lack of any deep-rooted
connection to the Earth and its ecosystems.

 The use of entheogens as cognitive or spiritual tools to provide a richer
cosmological understanding of the world has a long tradition in human history.
Indigenous American cultures have revered “plant teachers” such as psilocybin
mushrooms, peyote, and ayahuasca, which are used in shamanic practices of
deep cultural significance. Similarly, in the history of Eurasia, entheogens
such as the mythical Soma of the Indo-Aryans, kykeon of the Eleusinian mysteries
of Hellenistic Greece, the hexing herbs of Medieval “witches,” and the psychedelics
of the modern era have offered many a deeper understanding of the cosmos.

 I explore the educational potential of entheogenic practices in light of
contemporary theories such as Howard Gardner’s suggestion of an “existential”
intelligence, Kieran Egan’s conception of forms of understanding based on
our facility with cognitive tools, and Richard Shusterman’s proposed cognitive
discipline of somaesthetics. I offer Aldous Huxley’s vision of an educational
practice using entheogens in his novel Island as an artistic representation
of what a contemporary practice might look like and the experiential educational
program of Outward Bound as a potential practical model. Finally, I recount
a personal experience participating in a modern entheogenic spiritual ceremony
with a Santo Daime community in Brazil.