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Leary–Lettvin debate

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addition, Leary made a plea for the equal importance of scientifically studying the "inner world" - the world of the mind - as well as the "outer world" of material reality. The U.S. government had made the use of these and some other drugs illegal. Lettvin was asked by the MIT organizers to respond to Leary.
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With humor and without losing the audience, Lettvin followed with an appeal on behalf of the "higher" mental functions using textbook and clinical observations as support material. He also accepted many of Leary's points, arguing against the prohibition of marijuana and other drugs. He argued instead
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Leary was scheduled to debate another MIT professor at Kresge Auditorium on the MIT campus. On the day of the debate, the scheduled professor bowed out, leaving the organizers scrambling to find another professor who would take his place. Lettvin was considered a poor candidate because of his lack of
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Timothy Leary focused on how the interpersonal process might be used to diagnose disorders and patterns found in human personalities. He proposed that psychedelic substances, used at proper dosages in an appropriate setting could, under the guidance of psychologists, alter behavior in beneficial ways
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Leary proposed the sacramental use of psychedelic drugs. Much of his presentation was devoted to arguing for the necessity of scientifically studying the effects of drugs such as LSD and marijuana in order to determine the contexts in which they might be useful, and those in which they would not. In
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Lettvin asserted that psilocybin causes cognitive impairment that persists long after the acute effects of the drug have passed, based on anecdotal evidence. Lettvin spoke subjectively, framing the decision to use drugs as a personal one, not a scientific one. He spoke of "good" and "evil" and the
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Channel 2 in 1967. Leary went first in "High Priest" mode, presenting barefoot with a multimedia projected visual backdrop. His presentation made the use of drugs appear very appealing to students in the audience, and they responded positively. Lettvin admitted that Leary's arguments were very
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Perhaps the most famous part of the debate was when Lettvin responded "bullshit!" to Leary's claim that he would diagnose the frank symptoms of temporal lobe epilepsy as those of a visionary mystic.
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that persuasion rather than coercion should be the focus of drug policy. Lettvin criticized the U.S. government for ill-conceived
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on behalf of students. The organizers exhausted all other candidates and then came to Lettvin's laboratory in
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that states a Knowledge (XXG) editor's personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic.
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More Data, More Noise: A Celebration of the 60th Birthday of Jerome Y. Lettvin
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to plead for a last minute appearance. From the middle of an experiment on a
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The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead
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philosophy which was commonly understood to suggest that taking
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with deep clinical experience and was a passionate advocate of
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personal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay
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Cf. pp.20-27. 696:You Can Be Anyone This Time Around 304:Denny Brown, Jerome Lettvin was a 292:) was valuable to average people. 14: 242:was a May 3, 1967 debate between 34:This article has multiple issues. 122: 64: 23: 133:needs additional citations for 42:or discuss these issues on the 643:League for Spiritual Discovery 1: 369:The debate was televised by 296:Jerome Lettvin's credentials 869:1967 in American television 849:Debates about social issues 328:, and their effectiveness. 295: 271:Timothy Leary's credentials 270: 885: 745:Turn on, tune in, drop out 681:Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out 626:Harvard Psilocybin Project 282:turn on, tune in, drop out 864:1967 in the United States 631:Concord Prison Experiment 518: 610:Interpersonal circumplex 425:"Jerome Lettvin Stories" 254:. It took place in the 636:Marsh Chapel Experiment 412:, Thursday, May 4, 1967 332:Venue and preliminaries 802:The Sekhmet Hypothesis 766:Leary v. United States 322:Manteno State Hospital 157:"Leary–Lettvin debate" 86:by rewriting it in an 817:Joanna Harcourt-Smith 454:, Friday, May 5, 1967 773:Tomorrow Never Knows 760:Leary–Lettvin debate 341:and for his regular 240:Leary–Lettvin debate 142:improve this article 724:Robert Anton Wilson 689:Give Peace a Chance 659:Zihuatanejo Project 410:The Harvard Crimson 813:(2014 documentary) 797:(1983 documentary) 750:Question authority 470:2012-02-20 at the 430:2011-07-21 at the 88:encyclopedic style 75:is written like a 859:1967 in education 854:Psychedelic drugs 831: 830: 794:Return Engagement 318:individual rights 286:psychedelic drugs 256:Kresge Auditorium 236: 235: 228: 218: 217: 210: 192: 116: 115: 108: 57: 876: 780:Legend of a Mind 691:" (1969, vocals) 505: 498: 491: 482: 475: 461: 455: 445: 439: 422: 413: 403: 361:Issue and debate 231: 224: 213: 206: 202: 199: 193: 191: 150: 126: 118: 111: 104: 100: 97: 91: 68: 67: 60: 49: 27: 26: 19: 884: 883: 879: 878: 877: 875: 874: 873: 834: 833: 832: 827: 740:Set and setting 728: 702: 668: 647: 614: 598: 582: 566: 523: 514: 509: 479: 478: 472:Wayback Machine 462: 458: 446: 442: 432:Wayback Machine 423: 416: 404: 400: 395: 363: 339:conventionality 334: 308:, neurologist, 298: 288:(in particular 273: 268: 232: 221: 220: 219: 214: 203: 197: 194: 151: 149: 139: 127: 112: 101: 95: 92: 84:help improve it 81: 69: 65: 28: 24: 17: 12: 11: 5: 882: 880: 872: 871: 866: 861: 856: 851: 846: 836: 835: 829: 828: 826: 825: 819: 814: 806: 798: 790: 783: 776: 769: 762: 757: 752: 747: 742: 736: 734: 730: 729: 727: 726: 721: 716: 710: 708: 704: 703: 701: 700: 692: 685: 676: 674: 670: 669: 667: 666: 661: 655: 653: 649: 648: 646: 645: 640: 639: 638: 633: 622: 620: 616: 615: 613: 612: 606: 604: 600: 599: 597: 596: 590: 588: 584: 583: 581: 580: 578:Reality tunnel 574: 572: 568: 567: 565: 564: 556: 548: 540: 531: 529: 525: 524: 519: 516: 515: 510: 508: 507: 500: 493: 485: 477: 476: 456: 440: 414: 397: 396: 394: 391: 362: 359: 333: 330: 314:neuroscientist 297: 294: 272: 269: 267: 264: 244:Jerome Lettvin 234: 233: 216: 215: 130: 128: 121: 114: 113: 72: 70: 63: 58: 32: 31: 29: 22: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 881: 870: 867: 865: 862: 860: 857: 855: 852: 850: 847: 845: 844:Timothy Leary 842: 841: 839: 824:(goddaughter) 823: 820: 818: 815: 812: 811: 807: 804: 803: 799: 796: 795: 791: 789:" (1969 song) 788: 787:Come Together 784: 782:" (1968 song) 781: 777: 775:" (1966 song) 774: 770: 768: 767: 763: 761: 758: 756: 753: 751: 748: 746: 743: 741: 738: 737: 735: 731: 725: 722: 720: 719:Ralph Metzner 717: 715: 712: 711: 709: 707:Collaborators 705: 698: 697: 693: 690: 686: 683: 682: 678: 677: 675: 671: 665: 662: 660: 657: 656: 654: 650: 644: 641: 637: 634: 632: 629: 628: 627: 624: 623: 621: 617: 611: 608: 607: 605: 601: 595: 592: 591: 589: 585: 579: 576: 575: 573: 569: 562: 561: 557: 554: 553: 549: 546: 545: 541: 538: 537: 533: 532: 530: 526: 522: 517: 513: 512:Timothy Leary 506: 501: 499: 494: 492: 487: 486: 483: 473: 469: 465: 460: 457: 453: 449: 444: 441: 437: 433: 429: 426: 421: 419: 415: 411: 407: 402: 399: 392: 390: 387: 383: 382:legislation. 381: 375: 372: 367: 360: 358: 356: 352: 348: 344: 340: 331: 329: 327: 323: 319: 315: 311: 307: 303: 293: 291: 287: 283: 279: 265: 263: 261: 257: 253: 249: 248:Timothy Leary 245: 241: 230: 227: 212: 209: 201: 190: 187: 183: 180: 176: 173: 169: 166: 162: 159: –  158: 154: 153:Find sources: 147: 143: 137: 136: 131:This article 129: 125: 120: 119: 110: 107: 99: 89: 85: 79: 78: 73:This article 71: 62: 61: 56: 54: 47: 46: 41: 40: 35: 30: 21: 20: 822:Winona Ryder 808: 800: 792: 764: 759: 699:(1970 album) 694: 684:(1967 album) 679: 558: 550: 542: 534: 521:Bibliography 459: 451: 443: 435: 409: 401: 388: 384: 376: 368: 364: 335: 310:neurosurgeon 306:psychiatrist 299: 274: 266:Participants 239: 237: 222: 204: 195: 185: 178: 171: 164: 152: 140:Please help 135:verification 132: 102: 93: 74: 50: 43: 37: 36:Please help 33: 805:(1995 book) 652:Communities 544:High Priest 374:seductive. 355:optic nerve 347:Building 20 302:neurologist 300:Trained by 838:Categories 587:Philosophy 560:Flashbacks 552:Neurologic 393:References 168:newspapers 39:improve it 755:Ego death 664:Millbrook 380:anti-drug 198:June 2020 96:June 2020 45:talk page 714:Ram Dass 619:Research 571:Theories 468:Archived 452:The Tech 428:Archived 343:advocacy 733:Related 371:WGBH-TV 278:therapy 258:at the 182:scholar 82:Please 603:Models 563:(1983) 555:(1973) 547:(1968) 539:(1964) 312:, and 184:  177:  170:  163:  155:  673:Music 528:Books 326:drugs 189:JSTOR 175:books 351:frog 238:The 161:news 353:'s 290:LSD 252:LSD 144:by 840:: 450:, 434:, 417:^ 408:, 262:. 48:. 785:" 778:" 771:" 687:" 504:e 497:t 490:v 466:( 229:) 223:( 211:) 205:( 200:) 196:( 186:· 179:· 172:· 165:· 138:. 109:) 103:( 98:) 94:( 90:. 55:) 51:(

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"Leary–Lettvin debate"
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Jerome Lettvin
Timothy Leary
LSD
Kresge Auditorium
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
therapy
turn on, tune in, drop out
psychedelic drugs
LSD
neurologist
psychiatrist

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