This book serves as a gentle primer on the philosophy of mind for those wishing to directly explore the strange subjective aspects of psychedelics, providing the means for novices to get to grips with the mind before disrupting it. The discussion includes both classic issues from philosophy of mind, as well as more recent developments in the science of mind. It is set across six key thematic areas: The Hard Problem of Consciousness; Problems of Measurement; Kinds of Minds; The Relation between Mind and World; Problems of Selfhood; and Making sense of Altered States. An introductory chapter orients readers in the basics of philosophical thinking concerning the nature of the mind. This text appeals to researchers and students in philosophy as well as to the general audience.

Dean Rickles is Professor of History and Philosophy of Modern Physics at the University of Sydney, where he is also Co-Director of the University's interdisciplinary Centre of Time. His recent books include: Quantum Gravity and Computation: Information, Pregeometry, and Digital Physics (co-edited with Xerxes Arsiwalla and Hatem Elshatlawy; Routledge, 2025), Varieties of Nothingness (co-edited with Leslie Stein; Chiron 2024); Dual-Aspect Monism and the Deep Structure of Meaning (co-authored with Harald Atmanspacher; Routledge 2022); and Life is Short (Princeton, 2022). He was awarded a Royal Society (NSW) Medal for his work on quantum gravity.