“Like the best psychedelic experiences, On Drugs estranges the familiar, familiarizes the strange, and returns us to reality (whatever that is) with a broadened sense of the possible. Justin Smith-Ruiu is simply one of the most interesting thinkers alive, and he has found an ideal subject for his peculiar brand of brilliance.” —Christopher Beha, author of The Index of Self-Destructive Acts
In the late, post-lockdown days of the pandemic, grappling with personal loss and existential uncertainty, Justin Smith-Ruiu found himself standing in a California cannabis dispensary, pondering a question his tribe of fellow philosophers have often dismissed as too simple: How did I get here? That moment marked a transition for him—it was the start of a journey Smith-Ruiu would take to experience his own mind and the world around him in a new, clarifying way.
On Drugs blends autobiography, intellectual history, and philosophical inquiry to explore the transformative impact of psychedelics on human consciousness and thought. Drawing on his personal experiences as ‘an articulate guinea pig,’ Smith-Ruiu argues that psychedelics upend our assumptions about the nature of reality—and thus force a reckoning with the very foundations of Western philosophy.
Provocative, profound, and deeply personal, On Drugs points toward a radically new way of thinking about the world and our capacity to understand it.
About the Author
Justin Smith-Ruiu is a professor of history and philosophy of science at the Université Paris Cité. He is the author, most recently, of The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is. He writes regularly for Harper’s, WIRED, the New York Times, and other publications. He lives in Paris.
Praise For…
Propelled by lofty ideas, Smith-Ruiu’s book lands with a dignified rustle amid a growing din. Enthusiasm for drug-induced mind expansion has lately reached a fever pitch . . . ‘On Drugs’ is a searching, philosophical meditation, not a brief for recreational or therapeutic drug use. Its aim is to destabilize certainties, not provide answers. — Emily Eakin - New York Times Book Review
There’s more in Smith-Ruiu’s psychedelic experience, one might say, than is dreamt of in strait-laced colleagues’ philosophies . . . you don’t even need to take magic mushrooms from some geezer in a Dutch head shop (as Smith-Ruiu did) to melt your mind . . . you could try reading this extraordinary book, whose riches I can only hint at in this review. — Stuart Jeffries - The Guardian
A layered philosophical investigation of drugs and their complexities . . . Smith-Ruiu is interested in how we perceive reality and whether drugs distort that perception or, conversely, reveal to us dimensions that we do not otherwise grok . . . An innovative application of philosophy to matters ineffable, intoxicating, and altogether interesting. — Kirkus Reviews
A winding, ambitious rumination on what the use of psychedelics might reveal ‘about the relationship between mind and the world.’ . . . profound . . . Open-minded readers will find much to chew on. — Publishers Weekly
Offers a philosophical look at psychedelic drugs . . . Smith-Ruiu skillfully threads his way between explaining the benefits of their use while not advocating for it . . . A perceptive and thought-provoking book. — Library Journal
The best book on psychedelics since Huxley's Doors of Perception. — David Nutt, author of Psychedelics: The Revolutionary Drugs That Could Change Your Life
Is the ‘psychedelic renaissance’ a flowering of human potential, a throughway to mystical experience, offering deep insights into the nature of mind and reality, or a quick fix for mental disorders? In this wide-ranging reflection, philosopher and historian of science Justin Smith-Ruiu explores these questions with his characteristic verve and erudition, enlivened with a searching account of his own journey. Anyone who wonders what to make of the shifting landscape of psychedelics will be richly rewarded by this book. — Laurence J. Kirmayer, Distinguished James McGill Professor and director of the Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, McGill University
It makes perfect sense to me that Justin Smith-Ruiu has written a book about being on drugs, because his intellectually psychedelic writing always makes me feel like I'm on drugs myself. So it is here. Disparate domains of mind are brought together. Strange, compelling entities appear. The world feels altered yet uncannily familiar. Something groovy happens to your brain. It all adds up to a higher lucidity that leaves you feeling permanently wiser. — William Deresiewicz, author of The End of Solitude
An insightful work of philosophy supported by a surprisingly powerful memoiristic arc, Justin Smith-Ruiu’s new book works better than any psychedelic could to reopen the doors of perception and cast humanity’s long-standing hunger for mind-altering experiences in a new and thrilling light. — Kristen Roupenian, author of Cat Person and Other Stories
