Response to João Carlos Major’s Reflective Essay on Carl Jung and the Evolutionary Sciences: A New Vision for Analytical Psychology

Abstract In this essay I reply to João Carlos Major’s “Reflective Essay on Gary Clark’s book, Carl Jung and the Evolutionary Sciences: A New Vision for Analytical Psychology .” In his essay João offers a thoughtful appreciation of my attempt to ground analytical psychology in the evolutionary sciences. I explore areas of agreement such as a shared concern regarding the rejection of the scientific aspect of Jung’s thinking by numerous post-Jungian scholars. I then address João’s criticism of my advocacy of psychedelic neuroscience and its relevance to analytical psychology. While disagreeing with João on numerous points, I argue his critique provides important nuance as to how the scientific enterprise driven by consciousness can be strengthened and maintained while at the same time integrating unconscious material into conscious awareness.