--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What the psychedelics are for us as a…" description: "\"What the psychedelics are for us as a species, rather than for each one of us as an individual, what they are for us as a species is an enzyme that cat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/309/terence-mckenna-287_capacity_what-the-psychedelics-are-for-us-as-a-sp_823729.png" --- # What the psychedelics are for us as a species, rather than… ![“What the psychedelics are for us as a species, rather than for each one of us as an individual, what they are for us as a species is an enzyme that catalyzes the language-making capacity.” quote by Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/309/terence-mckenna-287_capacity_what-the-psychedelics-are-for-us-as-a-sp_823729.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/309/terence-mckenna-287_capacity_what-the-psychedelics-are-for-us-as-a-sp_823729.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/309/terence-mckenna-287_capacity_what-the-psychedelics-are-for-us-as-a-sp_823729.png) > “What the psychedelics are for us as a species, rather than for each one of us as an individual, what they are for us as a species is an enzyme that catalyzes the language-making capacity.” [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Psychedelics act as catalysts for collective language development, enhancing humanity’s ability to create and share meaning beyond individual use. **In simple terms:** Psychedelics boost humanity’s shared language growth. Key Takeaway Explore psychedelics responsibly for collective insight. Themes creativity language collective evolution psychedelics human potential Mood thoughtful curious cautious Type philosophical scientific cultural When to use this quote - artistic collaboration - scientific research - spiritual gatherings - policy debates Key Concepts neuroscience anthropology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What ethical frameworks should guide psychedelic research? - How can societies balance individual and collective benefits? A Different Perspective Effects vary widely and can be risky without guidance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Psychedelic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychedelic/) ## Related quotes > [It was obvious-to me at any rate-that the answer was to why an enzyme is able to speed up a chemical reaction by as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/it-was-obvious-to-me-at-any-rate-that-the-answer-was-to-why-an-enzyme/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [Be an enzyme - a catalyst for change. 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Psilocybin may have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/at-still-higher-doses-psilocybin-triggers-this-activity-in-the/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [You could almost describe psychedelics as enzymes for the activity of the imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/you-could-almost-describe-psychedelics-as-enzymes-for-the-activity-of/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [If psychedelics are exopheromones that dissolve the dominant ego, then they are also enzymes that synergize the human imagination and empower language. They cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/if-psychedelics-are-exopheromones-that-dissolve-the-dominant-ego-then/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [No human can design a good enzyme, yet we are surrounded by them after 3.5 billion years of work by evolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-arnold/no-human-can-design-a-good-enzyme-yet-we-are-surrounded-by-them-after/) [Frances Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-arnold/) > [“They also knew that there was a string of DNA at the end of each chromosome called a telomere, which shortened a tiny bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/they-also-knew-that-there-was-a-string-of-dna-at-the-end-of-each/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Enzyme production is often disturbed by COVID-19 infection.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/enzyme-production-is-often-disturbed-by-covid-19-infection/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [My favorite thing is Tracie Martyn's Enzyme Exfoliant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-martin/my-favorite-thing-is-tracie-martyn-s-enzyme-exfoliant/) [Stacy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-martin/) > [“Pineapples are one of nature’s medicines.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/pineapples-are-one-of-nature-s-medicines/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Anyone who calls it "sexual intercourse" can't possibly be interested in actually doing it. 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The result was white slough which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-arthur-harris-1st-baronet/the-enzyme-beta-glucoronidase-is-necessary-to-trigger-off-laetrile/) [Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-arthur-harris-1st-baronet/) > [When my friends have a health concern, they call me. Ive always been a vitamin taker. I also take digestive enzymes and antioxidants, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-gugino/when-my-friends-have-a-health-concern-they-call-me-ive-always-been-a/) [Carla Gugino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-gugino/) ## More by Terence McKenna > [History was an incredibly damaging experience, and now it's over . . . in a sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/history-was-an-incredibly-damaging-experience-and-now-it-s-over-in-a/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [The history of man that you don't know is what your unconscious is made out of. 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We may not always be monkeys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-consciousness-we-may-not-always-be-monkeys/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [What is happening here is we are living past the age, by the millions, living past the age where cultural values make any sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/what-is-happening-here-is-we-are-living-past-the-age-by-the-millions/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [What history is, essentially, is a careening, out-of-control effort to find our way back to this state of primordial balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/what-history-is-essentially-is-a-careening-out-of-control-effort-to/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [And what is the primary datum? It's the felt presence of immediate experience. 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All flows, nothing lasts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/this-is-the-message-of-your-life-and-my-life-it-s-that-nothing-lasts/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [I often like to think that our map of the world is wrong, that where we have centered physics, we should actually place literature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/i-often-like-to-think-that-our-map-of-the-world-is-wrong-that-where/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Knowledge, or verbal facility, is no proof that you know what you're talking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/knowledge-or-verbal-facility-is-no-proof-that-you-know-what-you-re/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [No culture on earth is as heavily narcotized as the industrial West in terms of being inured to the consequences of maladaptive behavior. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/no-culture-on-earth-is-as-heavily-narcotized-as-the-industrial-west/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Man was not put on this planet to toil in the mud. 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