Just like architecture, the fine arts, and culinary studies, drug use and addiction have been huge parts of human culture for thousands of years. From adventurers to writers and from painters to political activists, everyone seems to have experimented with intoxicating and mind-warping substances for as long as we can remember. However, for each everyman who comes around the corner, we discover classic celebrities who were notorious for using drugs while creating some of their greatest works or changing the course of scientific thought. In that light, would you ever think that one of the most brilliant astronomers of all time and the father of modern psychology ever used mind-altering substances? Some of you might answer with a big “yes,” while some of you might be shocked. Let’s take a closer look at two brilliant scientists who became attached to mind-altering drugs.
Carl Sagan
We all remember this man for his amazing work on Cosmos and the interstellar adventure Contact (later adapted into the film of the same name), but astronomer and author Carl Sagan was also a celebrity in the pro-cannabis industry due to his support of the little green plant. In fact, recent research confirmed he was an avid pot smoker for his entire life and stood by the fact that this herb was a gift to humanity. During his time as an instructor, however, Sagan had to keep a lid on his love for marijuana due to the less than favorable environment for pot in the 60s and 70s. However, Sagan did touch upon his respect for the plant in his book Dragons of Eden (1977), which referenced pygmy hunters using cannabis as a single crop.
Sigmund Freud
Respected as the founder of modern psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud had a generally negative view about humanity. Based on his reports, the claims that man was at the center of the universe and was a creation of the muck (evolution) and not a higher power (God) imbued man with a bloated sense of grandiosity and egotism that must be shaken. Ultimately, he desired to peer into the minds of men to see what makes them tick (essentially), but Freud failed to realize his own problems, apparently. Sources indicate he had initially experimented with coca leaves (from the Amazon) before moving onto hardcore cocaine when the plant was hard to come by.
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