Andy Mitchell & Anil Seth on Psychedelics, Philosophy & Consciousness | 5x15

5x15's new season kicks off in January with a special conversation about consciousness and the world of psychedelics with two highly acclaimed authors, neuropsychologist Andy Mitchell and neuroscientist Anil Seth.
The 'psychedelic renaissance' is upon us. While psychedelic drugs were once demonised, and are still largely illegal, they are now officially a 'breakthrough therapy' used to treat mental health disorders and enhance well-being. But there is a risk that making them safe or normal might ultimately destroy what makes them potent. What is at stake in normalising substances that alter our consciousness?
In his book Ten Trips, Andy Mitchell argues that we should embrace what is strange and valuable about these drugs, less as a prescribed antidote for certain conditions than as a way to rethink mental health itself, and re-enchant us with the world. The psychedelic experience is, after all, part of the rich tapestry of consciousness, which is also not as simple as it once seemed. In his 'exhilarating' book Being You, the neuroscientist Anil Seth shows that our conscious experience is made of billions of neurons working together, and offers a radical new theory of self and what it means to 'be you.'
Don't miss this eye-opening conversation with two pioneering thinkers, who will share unique insights about how we think, feel and experience the world.
Praise for Andy Mitchell, Ten Trips
"Original and thrilling" - MIKE JAY
"A dazzling, timely book, as deep and poignant as it is madcap and hilarious - exactly what you'd want from a book on psychedelics." - PROFESSOR MARK LYTHGOE
"Utterly compelling" MARK MIODOWNIK
Praise for Anil Seth, Being You
"Anil Seth thinks clearly and sharply on one of the hardest problems of science and philosophy, cutting through weedswith a scientist’s mind and a storyteller’s skill." - ADAM RUTHERFORD
"Being You is an exhilarating book: a vast-ranging, phenomenal achievement that will undoubtedly become a seminal text." - GAIA VINCE, Guardian
Speakers
Andy Mitchell is a neuropsychologist and therapist. He has specialized in treating patients with rare brain conditions, head injuries and epilepsy, and in the application of mindfulness for neurological patients. As a therapist he has worked with people with a range of mental health disorders. Before entering medicine, his first degree was in English Literature at Oxford University. He is originally from Leeds
Anil Seth is a leading British researcher in the field of consciousness science. He is Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, Co- Director of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) Program on Brain, Mind and Consciousness, and a European Research Council Advanced Investigator. His writing has appeared in the Guardian, New Scientist, Scientific American and Granta, and his 2017 TED talk has been viewed more than 13 million times.
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