I found myself pretty much in full agreement with Ham on this one, he asked many of the same questions I would have. Tao seems to base his whole worldview around what he wants to be true / what makes him feel happy and then convinces himself that he came to these conclusions through reason. It's also funny to me that his experience with DMT, putting a physical material into his brain to change his perception, made him think materialism is invalid. I also disagree with his stance that without a belief in a spiritual dimension all we have is nihilism. I actually feel that believing in a separate higher spiritual dimension that's somehow more meaningful and important is nihilistic because it robs this immediate and real world of meaning. I feel my life is deeply meaningful even though I don't believe in a god or afterlife or some grand plan. People complain, well then what's the point of life!? Life doesn't need a point!

Although I have thought of myself as a "spiritual" person but this episode had me rethink my choice of words. I am an Atheist and materialist although I do entertain the possibility of panpsychism. And like most of you I've taken a ton of psychedelic and dissociative drugs and experienced subjective phenomena that people usually consider supernatural or to contradict materialism. But I feel similarly suspicious to Ham of our tendency to anthropomorphize and project our own nature onto everything else. I don't believe in spirits or gods but I do derive an intense sense of awe and wonder from the mysterious nature of existence. So I've decided that the term mystical is better fitting, I'm a mystical Atheist haha!