PT499 – Osiris González Romero – Mesoamerican Psychedelics, Decolonization, and the Concept of an Ontological Turn

In this episode, David interviews Osiris González Romero: philosopher and Postdoctoral researcher on cognitive freedom and psychedelic humanities at the University of Saskatchewan.

Romero believes that our weakest point of research is our knowledge of Indigenous languages, and is focused on highlighting different cultural uses of psychedelics to better inform future drug policy. He's currently studying more than 100 documents (including one over 400 years old) to establish an honest understanding of why peyote was ever banned.

He discusses:

• Mesoamerican psychedelics and their relevance to cognitive liberty and decolonization
• How the War on Drugs is our main colonial legacy
• The concepts of an ontological turn and ontological pluralism
• The neocolonial, biomedical, and spiritual paradoxes found inside the 'psychedelic renaissance'
• How imagination is often viewed through a lens of illusion rather than problem solving or creativity

and more!

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