Terrence McKenna

Rick Knight (rknight@platinum.com)
Fri, 18 Jul 97 10:04:37 CST

Mark Grant wrote:

I spent some time on his mailing list last year; he seems like a loon
to me, or at least to loudly ignore any evidence against his theories
(the few people who openly questioned the theories on the list soon
gave up and left). In fact the general list philosophy seemed to be
taking 'intution' over evidence and ranting against scientists.


Rick Knight responds:

I'm sure that's how a few of the less empirically-minded types on this
digest sometimes feel. In my mind (not quite as eccentric as
McKenna's I think due to far less transpersonal excursions), the
middle path of instinct/hunch/intuition that can be (but isn't
compelled to be) proven is preferable. The human brain is still a big
enigma and the whole question of consciousness, unless smugly reduced
to a well-honed succession of chemical and electrical interactions is
still a vast area due some serious study.

McKenna's life has been a very lengthy research experiment. The
cautious person may raise an eyebrow to some of his eccentric notions
but he is one of the few people whose words have so entranced me. Is
he just a wacky but adept spin doctor? Maybe. But doesn't that put
him on the same list with some of our great thinkers and inventors?

Rick