Sam Woolfe

Freelance writer and author of Altered Perspectives: Critical Essays on Psychedelic Consciousness (2024).

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[Sam Woolfe @samwoolfe]

My book in the wild. @HousmansBooks

#philosophy #books

[Sam Woolfe @samwoolfe]

Selling a ticket for Carbon Based Lifeforms this Saturday (3 October) in London. https://t.co/QEH030HT55

[Sam Woolfe @samwoolfe]

I wrote about the link between psychedelics and hylozoism, an ancient philosophical view that says all matter is alive.

I also look at scientific explanations of why objects look like they're breathing during psychedelic experiences. https://t.co/hH5nqsfhoF

[Sam Woolfe @samwoolfe]

Really enjoyed the new book by @daisyldixon, which looks at different ways art can be 'depraved'. Lots of interesting philosophical perspectives on controversial art and immoral artists.

[Sam Woolfe @samwoolfe]

@SicaGiulio That's true, the motivations of Amazonianism and Orientalism are different, but I think there are some interesting parallels between them, in the attitudes taken towards other cultures.

[Sam Woolfe @samwoolfe]

An excerpt from my book Altered Perspectives, where I discuss a Western tendency to romanticise Amazonian shamanism. I refer to this as 'Amazonianism', drawing on Edward Said's concept of 'Orientalism'. https://t.co/YCY9m06Ua0

[Sam Woolfe @samwoolfe]

Really interesting read.

Philosopher Justin Garson looks at the tension between two perspectives on madness throughout history: the view that all madness is a dysfunction and the view that it involves a kind of strategy – a function, purpose, or goal.

[Sam Woolfe @samwoolfe]

An article I wrote on the link between hot weather and challenging psychedelic experiences. https://t.co/FUB9CClXo9

[Sam Woolfe @samwoolfe]

New essay exploring Terence McKenna's Stoned Ape Theory, psychedelic theories of Christianity, and DMT-pineal gland theories – and how they may be examples of what I call 'psychedelic apophenia'. https://t.co/dYv3O7FBMY

[Sam Woolfe @samwoolfe]

I'm pleased to announce that I've signed a contract to publish my next book, Secular Ecstasy: Making Sense of Mystical Experiences Without the Supernatural.

More details on publication timing to come.

[Sam Woolfe @samwoolfe]

An article by writer and journalist Ed Prideaux that critically examines the claims made in Brian Muraresku's highly popular book, The Immortality Key. https://t.co/DeAvELXnLC

[Sam Woolfe @samwoolfe]

More info on the book here: https://t.co/wZRtYj40wl

[Sam Woolfe @samwoolfe]

My book in the wild. Seen at Word on the Water, a bookshop on a barge (definitely recommend checking it out if you're in London).

#philosophy #essays #books

[Marc Duggan @marcdugganwales]

Has AI Spoiled the Use of the Em Dash and Semicolon? https://t.co/XgrqK09SIx via @samwoolfe

[Sam Woolfe @samwoolfe]

I wrote about Mike Leigh's 'Home Sweet Home', his first collaboration with actor Timothy Spall and the last film he contributed to the BBC's Play for Today series. I discuss how it compares to the other bleak films he's more well-known for. https://t.co/u5xKrKGikQ

[Sam Woolfe @samwoolfe]

I wrote about psychedelic #horror, looking at films such as Midsommar, Mandy, Climax, and Altered States, how they depict bad trips and psychedelic cults, and what other aspects of the psychedelic experience could be portrayed through the lens of horror. https://t.co/SgB4DeCMJ4

[Sam Woolfe @samwoolfe]

An article I wrote about high ventilation breathwork, describing some experiences I had, as well as new research on the use of this technique to induce spiritual and therapeutic experiences. https://t.co/q9EWAOyCtW

[Sam Woolfe @samwoolfe]

Excited to share that Psychedelics Community is live – the new home for the Chemical Collective blog, which I've been managing for the past year.
https://t.co/qbFLOttWTp

[Sam Woolfe @samwoolfe]

My latest blog post is about how yoga nidra (or non-sleep deep rest) can induce hypnagogia: the trippy, transitional state between waking and sleeping. https://t.co/rXDf9lnN8c

[Sam Woolfe @samwoolfe]

I recently rewatched Arrival. Here, I explore the film's connection to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis in linguistics, the ontological turn in anthropology, Terence McKenna's DMT-inspired view of reality, and the tension between premonition and free will. https://t.co/tse8onVYJk

[Sam Woolfe @samwoolfe]

My latest blog post is on how cultural factors and cognitive biases may cause people to embellish memories of their psychedelic experiences.

I also explore the difficulty in knowing whether memory distortion has occurred. https://t.co/MgkmYPQxKa