Book contents
- Altered Minds
- Altered Minds
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Introduction
- Overview of Existing Literature
- Part I The Deep History of Mind-Altering Substances
- Part II From Ritual to Regulation
- Part III The Future of Human Consciousness
- Chapter 7 Threshold 9
- Chapter 8 Regulating Digital and Chemical Consciousness
- Chapter 9 The Search for Meaning in an Altered World
- Summary
- Epilogue
- References
- Index
Chapter 7 - Threshold 9
The Next Stage of Human Adaptation
from Part III - The Future of Human Consciousness
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 February 2026
Book contents
- Altered Minds
- Altered Minds
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Introduction
- Overview of Existing Literature
- Part I The Deep History of Mind-Altering Substances
- Part II From Ritual to Regulation
- Part III The Future of Human Consciousness
- Chapter 7 Threshold 9
- Chapter 8 Regulating Digital and Chemical Consciousness
- Chapter 9 The Search for Meaning in an Altered World
- Summary
- Epilogue
- References
- Index
Summary
Building on the Big History framework, this chapter proposes that humanity is entering ’Threshold 9’, marked by the convergence of chemical, digital, and symbolic technologies that actively reshape consciousness. It theorises this as an inflection point where ancient drives toward transcendence are recoded through AI, genetic editing, and neuroenhancement. Through speculative but evidence-informed projections, the chapter imagines future societies in which identity, memory, and meaning are co-produced by intelligent systems. Drawing on theories of symbolic entropy, recursive myth, and experiential design, it frames this shift as both an opportunity and a risk — potentially enabling new collective mythologies or deepening crises of coherence and purpose. Threshold 9 represents not a destination but a volatile transitional space demanding new ethical frameworks and cognitive literacy.
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- Altered MindsThe Interface of Substances, Virtual Simulations and AI Consciousness, pp. 201 - 227Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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