“This discovery, oh king,” said the god, “will make the Egyptians wiser and improve their memories: it’s a magic supplement for memory and wisdom.”
—Plato, Phaedrus
The other day I found myself sitting across from a man at dinner while he advertised to me the therapeutic benefits of ketamine. Small doses, he explained, can help create a little distance between your feelings and your thoughts, leaving you free to consider your emotions more coolly and react to them less impulsively. Since the drug induces a heightened state of “neuroplasticity,” in which the brain becomes more supple and new behaviors settle quickly into new habits, your better choices last longer.
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