The doors of perception
by Aldous Huxley · first published 1954
42% recommend56% neutral2% critical
Why HN recommends it
Lucid, accessible first-person essay on Huxley's mescaline experience, seen as a framework for thinking about consciousness and the brain as a filter; suits readers curious about psychedelics or meditation.
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This idea of reality being "passed through" multiple filters, and these filters being reduced or disabled on psychedelics, is developed (somewhat unscientifically) by Huxley in "The Doors of Perception"- it's a fairly good read. If I remember correctly, the main criticism against this is that if it were the case brain activity should be reduced, at least in some regions, when on psychedelics. However,…
on “Communicating with people on psychedelics” ↗…wrapping their head around what they are/do exactly but are curious about them, I recommend this article by Sam Harris, a great neuroscientist[0] For a slightly more in depth essay, Aldous Huxley's "Doors of Perception" [1] is a great book, albeit slightly dated. There are also some extremely interesting synergies between the origins of the computer industry and the psychedelics/California counter culture era. John…
on “LSD, Reconsidered for Therapy” ↗* The Doors of Perception, by Aldous Huxley. [0] So famous it became a bit of a cliche. I read it years ago and it didn't make any sense to me. But now that I've been studying Buddhism and practicing meditation for a while I…
on “Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?” ↗To date, the most lucid writing i’m aware of on psychedelics is Huxley’s 1954 essay The Doors of Perception.
on “An essay on the phenomenology of DMT (2016)” ↗…Industrial Society and its Future (Ted Kaczynski) - The Technological Society (Jaques Ellul) - Propaganda (Jaques Ellul) - McMafia - A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld (Misha Glenny) - The Doors Of Perception (Aldous Huxley) - The Manipulation of Human Behavior (Albert D. Biderman)
on “Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?” ↗Or the classic Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley. More of a long essay and available free! https://maps.org/images/pdf/books/HuxleyA1954TheDoorsOfPerce...
on “Single dose of psilocybin eased cancer patients' anxiety, depression for years” ↗…Huxley's Brave New World is a setting based on a very similar concept, it'll probably be an old hat to most here on HN but I strongly encourage everyone to read it if they haven't already (along with The Doors of Perception). Huxley makes a lot of very good objections to why this "technology to make people happy with their social status" is actually a deeply dystopian notion. Like the Savage, I don't want to live in perfectly…
on “Brain implant provided immediate relief to a severely depressed patient” ↗Couple of additional great reads around the subject: The Doors of Perception - Aldous Huxley Food of the Gods - Terrence McKenna. And honestly reading Erowid trip report is super interesting/fun (especially DMT! Heh).
on “‘Psychonauts’ by Mike Jay Review” ↗…traditions that use psychedelic substances in a religious capacity. If one doesn't think there's any meaning in such realms of human activity then I think that's their personal answer. Have you read the Doors of Perception [0]? It's a fairly lucid, but ultimately limited, account of psychedelic experience by Aldous Huxley. Perhaps they did send a poet :^) > They common quality is that the experiences sound disconnected…
on “We can no longer ignore the potential of psychedelic drugs to treat depression” ↗For those curious about mescaline (mentioned in the article) and how it supposedly removes mental filters to allow you to see the world "as it is", I recommend Aldus Huxley's Doors of Perception. http://mescaline.com/huxley.htm
on “I Became a Savant For a Day” ↗…Jacques Ellul "Propaganda The Formation of Mens Attitudes" - Mumford Lewis "The Culture of Cities" - Orwell "1984", "Down and Out in Paris and London", "Animal Farm" - Huxley "Brave New World", "The Doors Of Perception" - Michael Pollan "How to change your mind" - Jeff Hawkins "On Intelligence" - Fyodor Dostoevsky "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man", "Notes from the Underground", "The Brothers Kasamarov", "The Gambler",…
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗> Quite far from it. Have a read! I've read it, along with his entire bibliography as Aldous Huxley has been my favorite author since I read Doors of Perception as 16 year old boy, and I think that both are still highlighting the pitfalls of centralized planning of Society as in the case within Brave New World. To me both seem like a direct response to the perils…
on “Remembering Huxley's “Brave New World”” ↗"How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie. It really helps me to see my own issues and shortcomings. Then I read "The Doors of Perception" by Aldous Huxley which really push me towards psyche exploitation. And last big one was: "Freedom From the Known" by Jiddu Krishnamurti and it was a buddhist mind-bomb.
on “Ask HN: Life Changing Books?” ↗…the brain is such a weird thing, and now they think they can emulate it, commodify it, and sell it for a monthly subscription fee. The truth is, we have no idea how the brain _actually_ works. In "The Doors of Perception", Aldous Huxley describes it very well: it's like these drugs remove a sensory filter we normally have in place which makes the world feel like...well...reality. When you remove that filter, you're suddenly…
on “Will young Americans want to work in semiconductor manufacturing? [video]” ↗…never experienced any hallucinations, understood as believing that I perceive something which turned out to not be the case, on acid. The only text I know which describes the experience accurately is "The doors of perception" by Huxley and he as well notices how you really don't start seeing things out of nowhere. At best what happens is that you start to notice patters that look like something but you are aware that this…
on “Study hints at the promise of non-hallucinogenic LSD for treating mood disorders” ↗