Michael Silver on Sasha Shulgin’s Scientific Rigor | Sasha Centennial Sanctuary Talk

Sasha Shulgin is remembered for his scientific rigor, a fundamental trait often overshadowed by his more celebrated curiosity and passion. This commitment to critical, methodical inquiry formed the essential framework for his influential work on substances. Memory of an early interaction with Shulgin illustrates this scientific discipline. When presented with an experimental, yet ultimately flawed, proposal to administer Diisopropyltryptamine to songbirds to observe auditory changes, Shulgin was underwhelmed by the lack of rigor. Such experiences served as formative lessons in the importance of critical thinking and methodological precision.