Also, what was your reasoning for doubting that you exist? How was Descartes proof insufficient?

It's essentially circular. It assumes an "I" from the start. If you get rid of that assumption, you have to start with "something is thinking."

That's been acknowledged in philosophical circles for some time now, but I don't think many philosophers regard it as an important problem anymore. It's about as safe an assumption as you can possibly make.

Seconding your main request, I've heard more people than I care to recall claim inspiration from altered states of consciousness, but it would be a first to have anyone present one that's novel and demonstrably true.

Ahhh, apologies. I am used to parsing "These substances are sometimes abused" as being shorthand for "I disapprove of illegal drugs, because some people abuse them; therefore they should be shunned as being categorically evil."

My own personal stance is that drugs are a useful tool, as long as you're careful with the risk factors they involve. I feel quite a lot of illegal drugs have fairly high utility and low risks, at least compared to our social acceptance of risk in other areas.

You'll see me sipping water in a real ale pub. A deeply disturbing sight.

I am going to stick with downvoting them regardless.

What's so bad about writing that you know that you'll be downvoted? Many of your comments on the recent meta-ethics threads have been downvoted (at least initially, haven't checked again). So you know that another comment that criticizes the moral theory of someone else is likely to be downvoted as well (I think you even wrote something along those lines).

Saying that you are aware that what you are going to say will be downvoted provides valuable feedback.

That you know that you are going to be downvoted doesn't mean that you know that you are wrong and decided to voice your wrongness again.

On the note of self-testing vs. controlled experiment, has anyone here tried the polyphasic ("uberman") sleep cycle? Does anyone know of any controlled experiments, either self-administered or larger-scale, which I could look at? I was interested in trying it a few years ago, but dropped in in about 24 hours (before I could have really even been said to try it) due to microsleep in waking hours.

I was most amused to read this, as I've been doing it - or, rather, a somewhat sillier version - since I was a kid.

When I was in the first few years of secondary school, I had a marvellously flamboyant drama teacher who used to start off exercises by saying aloud "a-one, a-two, a-diddly-diddly-doo". And then we'd all start, immediately, no more faffing around.

And somehow the habit got lodged in my head, and I use it - usually only mentally rather than aloud! - for things like getting out of bed or making myself get up from my computer when I'm thirsty but have got stuck reading things online rather than going to the kitchen for a drink.

Like, er, right now, actually. A-one, a-two...

I presume that you have encountered liars in the real world as well. Do you, on that basis, habitually assume that a random stranger engaging in casual conversation with you is a liar?

My point is that pathological liars are a small minority. So if you're dealing with a person that you know absolutely nothing about, and who does not have any conceivable reason to lie to you, there is nothing unreasonable in assuming that he's telling you the truth, unless you have factual evidence (i.e. you have accurate, verifiable knowledge of ambulance policies) that contradicts what he's saying.

DP