Jay... believes that drug experimentation facilitated the birth of “the modern mind”. But there’s no rigorous analysis of what this might mean ... Nevertheless, the author’s central point, that the history of experimentation is more venerable and complex than many assume, is clearly right and not something you get taught at school.
Psychonauts largely ignores the mass stupefaction of the present ... Instead, Mr. Jay compounds five grains of Victorian nostalgia with one grain of psychedelic futurism ... Mr. Jay makes the libertarian case for blowing your mind.