The body as a biochemical instrument.
Leary’s academic perspective supported the notion that all conscious reality was mediated by elaborate biochemical events which could be affected by the use of psychoactive drugs. Leary proposed exploring this biochemistry of consciousness as a means of discovering one’s genetic potential and harmonizing interpersonal relationships. He called this hedonic engineering.
Sound bite: Disc 1 of 1, Track 1, 4:22-4:38
...we have based our definitions of the level of pleasure or the level of consciousness on organs of the body and biochemical systems within the body; and you move from level to level as a result of biochemical conversations within your body.
Sound bite: Disc 1 of 1, Track 1, 4:50-5:05
...that each of these levels of consciousness can be attained by the use of exogenous agents that is a chemical or a drug and there are specific drugs which can get you to these different levels of consciousness or bring you down.
Sound bite: Disc 1 of 1, Track 1, 6:56-7:28
There is another ominous but also promising fact that every second of your life or my life we are either getting higher or coming down. And the science of hedonic engineering is that precise application of hedonic theory would allow you to control the movement up and down and in particular to reduce the ominous consequences of severe hedonic gaps between you and other people.