Editing Entheogen (section)

==Terminology and etymology ==
The term '''entheogen''' was coined in the late 20th century as a more neutral and respectful alternative to terms like "hallucinogen" or "psychedelic." According to Ruck, Wasson, and Hofmann in ''The Road to Eleusis'' (1978), the word is derived from the Greek words ἐν (en, "within"), θεός (theos, "god"), and γεννάω (gennao, "to generate"), meaning "generating the divine within." This term emphasizes the spiritual and religious contexts in which these substances have traditionally been used, distinguishing them from purely recreational or pharmacological classifications.<ref>Ruck, Carl A. P.; Wasson, R. Gordon; Hofmann, Albert. ''The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the Mysteries''. Harcourt, 1978.</ref> The Greeks used it as praise for poets and other artists. ''Genesthai'' means "to come into being". Together, the term ''entheogen'' refers to a substance that "generates the divine within," typically producing feelings of inspiration, religious ecstasy, or spiritual insight. 

The term ''entheogen'' was coined in 1979 by a group of [[ethnobotany|ethnobotanists]] and scholars of [[mythology]] ( including [[Carl A. P. Ruck]], Jeremy Bigwood, Danny Staples, [[Richard Evans Schultes]], [[Jonathan Ott]] and [[R. Gordon Wasson]]). Its is derived from two words of [[Ancient Greek]], {{lang|grc|ἔνθεος}} ({{lang|grc-Latn|éntheos}}), meaning "full of the god" or "inspired" and {{lang|grc|γενέσθαι}} ({{lang|grc-Latn|genésthai}}), meaning "to come into being". The adjective {{lang|grc-Latn|entheos}} translates to English as "full of the god, inspired, possessed", and is the root of the English word "[[enthusiasm]]". The Greeks used it as praise for poets and other artists. {{lang|grc-Latn|Genesthai}} means "to come into being". Together, the term ''entheogen'' refers to a substance that "generates the divine within," typically producing feelings of inspiration, religious ecstasy, or spiritual insight.

Ruck et al. argued that the term ''[[hallucinogen]]'' was inappropriate owing to its etymological relationship to words relating to delirium and [[insanity]]. The term ''[[psychedelic]]'' was also seen as problematic, owing to the similarity in sound to words about [[psychosis]] and also because it had become irreversibly associated with various connotations of the [[Counterculture of the 1960s|1960s pop culture]]. In modern usage, ''entheogen'' may be used synonymously with these terms, or it may be chosen to contrast with [[recreational drug use|recreational use]] of the same drugs. The meanings of the term ''entheogen'' was formally defined by Ruck et al.:

{{blockquote|In a strict sense, only those vision-producing drugs that can be shown to have figured in shamanic or religious rites would be designated entheogens, but in a looser sense, the term could also be applied to other drugs, both natural and artificial, that induce alterations of consciousness similar to those documented for ritual ingestion of traditional entheogens.|Ruck et al., 1979, ''Journal of Psychedelic Drugs''<ref>
{{Cite journal |author = Carl A. P. Ruck |author2 = Jeremy Bigwood |author3 = Danny Staples |author4 = Jonathan Ott |author5 = R. Gordon Wasson |title = Entheogens |journal = Journal of Psychedelic Drugs |url = http://jeremybigwood.net/JBsPUBS/JBScientific/Entheogens/index.htm#Entheogens |date = January–June 1979 |volume = 11 |issue = 1–2 |pages = 145–146 |pmid = 522165 |doi = 10.1080/02791072.1979.10472098 |url-status  = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120716231328/http://jeremybigwood.net/JBsPUBS/JBScientific/Entheogens/index.htm#Entheogens |archive-date = 16 July 2012 |df = dmy-all|url-access = subscription }}</ref>|}}

In 2004, [[David E. Nichols]] wrote the following:<ref name="Nichols, David 2004">{{cite journal | vauthors = Nichols DE | title = Hallucinogens | journal = Pharmacology & Therapeutics | volume = 101 | issue = 2 | pages = 131–181 | date = February 2004 | pmid = 14761703 | doi = 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2003.11.002 }}</ref>

{{Blockquote|Many different names have been proposed over the years for this drug class. The famous German toxicologist Louis Lewin used the name phantastica earlier in this century, and as we shall see later, such a descriptor is not so farfetched. The most popular names{{snd}}hallucinogen, psychotomimetic, and psychedelic ("mind manifesting"){{snd}}have often been used interchangeably. ''Hallucinogen'' is now, however, the most common designation in the scientific literature, although it is an inaccurate descriptor of the actual effects of these drugs. In the lay press, the term ''psychedelic'' is still the most popular and has held sway for nearly four decades. Most recently, there has been a movement in nonscientific circles to recognize the ability of these substances to provoke mystical experiences and evoke feelings of spiritual significance. Thus, the term ''entheogen'', derived from the Greek word {{lang|grc-Latn|entheos}}, which means "god within," was introduced by Ruck et al. and has seen increasing use. This term suggests that these substances reveal or allow a connection to the "divine within." Although it seems unlikely that this name will ever be accepted in formal scientific circles, its use has dramatically increased in popular media and internet sites. Indeed, in much of the counterculture that uses these substances, entheogen has replaced psychedelic as the name of choice, and we may expect to see this trend continue.}}