What if you could take a pill that let you see the world with the wonder of Adam on the morning of creation? Aldous Huxley tried it—and his experiment reveals profound truths about wonder, meaning, and what makes us human.
In 1953, Aldous Huxley ingested mescaline under supervision and sat back to experience the results. Colors became more intense, flaming out like precious stones. Ordinary things—chairs, tables, the folds of his trousers—took on miraculous aspect. Everything seemed charged with "isness," with what Huxley described as "the unfathomable mystery of pure being." He felt he was seeing "what Adam had seen on the morning of his creation."
Philosopher Sophia Vasalou explores what this experiment reveals about wonder as a mode of perception. Unlike emotions rooted in survival or practical interests, wonder arises before we've considered whether something benefits or harms us. Following Aristotle and Descartes, Vasalou suggests wonder reflects a uniquely human capacity to respond to the world in ways that transcend utility—the ability to ask "why?" purely for the sake of knowing.
But can wonder be found without pharmaceuticals? Vasalou argues yes—through the stories we tell each other and the ways we help each other think and see. If we had to be captive to one mood, we could do worse than make that mood wonder.
About the Author: Sophia Vasalou is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham, specializing in Islamic and ancient Greek philosophy, ethics, and the philosophy of emotion.
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