Hello all I'm doing research for a fictional book where the MC is an existential psychonaut. The genre will be that of magical realism. There will be a couple of thematic elements, one of which would be the apparent (to the MC) subjective definitions of sanity and/or morality in Western culture. The problem is that psychonautica is a very introspective and a very underground activity. How would a psychonaut translate and use subjective proofs for the greater good of his/her community? What is a psychonaut's definition of sanity and morality? I won't be overtly advocating drug use. Instead, a lot of emphasis would be put on different methods of investigation. On a side note, I do intend on asking similar questions on more properly themed forums.
For many, the simple need to know experientially what is true overrides any desire to benefit the community, and even for those who delve within for the greater good of all there is the quote by one of the greatest psychonauts of all time, Sri Ramana Maharshi, that "Your own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world." People like yours truly who pursue this stuff are generally disinterested in any approach apart from their own personal experience. So "definitions" of sanity or morality would be of no use, as they are objective labels for a subjective truth yet to be fully explored on a personal level. "The search for Reality is the most dangerous of all undertakings, for it destroys the world in which you live." -Nisargadatta Maharaj EDIT: Now that I think about it, are you certain this is something you want to write? Seems like it would be a really interesting read if it were autobiographical, or at least partly so. Have you explored your own consciousness sufficiently? Can you accurately describe the journey?
It would be based on my own experiances, but not autobiographical. Some of the more fictional elements would be similar to the game "Psychonaut" that was released a few years ago. As for my myself, I was an avid practitioner a few years ago. However, I had an incredibly bad experiance, and am just getting back into it using Jewish mystical methods. Also, alot of my own research (and methodology) is based on existential and Jungian philosophy. The book would hopefully start out with the MC (a computer scientist) discovering a link between AI and psycho-social behavior during on of his experiments. The problem I have is how he would go about proving his theories.
That sounds like a really cool start. Just, of course, be careful about subtlety, and about trying to "teach" your readers. This is serious meaning-of-life stuff you're dealing with here, so it seems like it'd be easy to inadvertently beat them over the head with any message you may be trying to convey. I doubt there's much that would put me off more thoroughly than a writer who presumes to impart wisdom upon me, unless they've been much deeper than I have.
That last peice of advice is very important ForkFoot, and I'll keep it in mind. To be honest, the only major lesson will be that each person must live as best as they could, regardless of what others say/think/do - true to existentialism. Would you think that that is acceptable?
It's all in the subtlety. Any message can be unbearably abrasive if said outright. The ol' "show don't tell" idea. I don't think I'd at all mind a well handled tale of a man living as best he can regardless of what others say/think/do and drawing some inspiration therefrom, though.
