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Terence McKenna on Ideology
Terence McKenna on Ideology
“I think ideology is toxic, all ideology. It’s not that there are good ones and bad ones. All ideology is toxic, because ideology is a kind of insult to the gift of human free thinking.”
- Terence McKenna
Better known for his experiments and lectures on the value of hallucinogenics in expanding consciousness, McKenna also had more than a few things to say about philosophy. McKenna, in this quote about ideology, keeps with his theme of the importance of keeping your mind open. McKenna wasn’t a true conspiracy theorist, but he had a strong healthy skepticism about what the rich and powerful had to say. They act in their interests, not ours. Blindly following what the rich and powerful communicate to us will lead us astray.
Karl Marx explained how the power structure used ideologies to misinform and mislead people into serving the interests of the rich and powerful. McKenna was no Marxist, but McKenna heartily agreed with Marx’s idea that the propaganda products of the powerful, culture and ideology, are not your friends. By “culture,” McKenna means not the fine arts, but the mass media: television, radio, newspapers, music, movies, and now, the Internet. The powers-that-be use mass media to create culture and impose their interests on us. That is what an ideology is: a system of values and…
