What psychedelics can’t explain | Matthew Johnson

Can psychedelics solve the ‘hard problem’ of consciousness? Johns Hopkins professor Matthew Johnson explains.

Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1
Watch our playlist on consciousness ► https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5uULy4b0kV5joiLUkxq2Lr1SHuSr5rQ1
Further reading: ‘Consciousness, Religion, and Gurus: Pitfalls of Psychedelic Medicine’ by Matthew Johnson ► https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsptsci.0c00198

It seems safe to say that you have subjective experiences of what it’s like to exist. But things get complicated when you try to prove that phenomenal experiences, or qualia, extend to every human being that you see around you. And things get even more complicated when you try to scientifically explain how the physical matter in your brain gives rise to consciousness, and why such experiences exist in the first place.

This is known as the hard problem of consciousness. It has yet to be solved.

Could the mind-altering power of psychedelics offer a solution to this longstanding problem? Dr. Matthew W. Johnson is leaving open the possibility. As a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Johnson is one of the world’s most published scientists when it comes to the effects of psychedelics on the human brain.

In this Big Think interview, Dr. Johnson explains why we should be both open and careful about the prospect of psychedelics helping us crack the hard problem of consciousness, which remains one of the world’s most puzzling questions.

Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/great-question/psychedelics-and-consciousness

0:00 Defining consciousness
0:47 The ‘hard problem’ of consciousness
1:44 Psychedelics & consciousness

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About Matthew Johnson:
Matthew W. Johnson, Ph.D., is The Susan Hill Ward Endowed Professor of Psychedelics and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins. Working with psychedelics since 2004, he is one of the world’s most widely published experts on psychedelics. He has published research on psychedelics and mystical experience, personality change, tobacco smoking cessation, cancer distress treatment, and depression treatment. In 2021 he received as principal investigator the first grant in 50 years from the US government for a treatment study with a classic psychedelic, specifically psilocybin in treatment of tobacco addiction. He is also known for his expertise in behavioral economics, addiction, sexual risk behavior, and research with a wide variety of drug classes. He’s been Interviewed by Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, NPR, Fox News, Fox Business News, BBC and in Michael Pollan’s book How to Change Your Mind.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read more of our stories on consciousness:
Is your mind just a parasite on your physical body?
► https://bigthink.com/13-8/is-consciousness-necessary/
Will we ever define the conscious mind?
► https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/consciousness-defining-conscious-mind/
Does consciousness change the rules of quantum mechanics?
► https://bigthink.com/hard-science/quantum-entanglement-consciousness/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About Big Think | Smarter Faster™
► Big Think
The leading source of expert-driven, educational content. With thousands of videos, featuring experts ranging from Bill Clinton to Bill Nye, Big Think helps you get smarter, faster by exploring the big ideas and core skills that define knowledge in the 21st century.
► Big Think+
Make your business smarter, faster: https://bigthink.com/plus/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Want more Big Think?
► Daily editorial features: https://bigthink.com/popular/
► Get the best of Big Think right to your inbox: https://bigthink.com/st/newsletter
► Facebook: https://bigth.ink/facebook
► Instagram: https://bigth.ink/Instagram
► Twitter: https://bigth.ink/twitter