You are an explorer, and you represent our species, and the greatest good you can do is to bring back a new idea, because our world is endangered by the absence of good ideas. Our world is in crisis because of the absence of consciousness.

When he later discovered that the end of the 13th baktun in the Maya Calendar had been correlated by Western Maya scholars with December 21 not far from his own hypothesized end date he decided that the Maya were more likely to be right on this subject and he adopted their end date. All these factors according to McKenna were the most important factors that promoted evolution towards the Homo sapiens species. He was introduced to geology through his uncle and developed a hobby of solitary fossil hunting in the arroyos near his home.

He was noted for his knowledge and the ability to articulate his knowledge of the use of psychedelics metaphysics plant-based entheogens and subjects ranging from shamanism language historical and civilizational timelines the theoretical origins of human consciousness and his concept of novelty theory. Terence Kemp McKenna (November 16 1946 – April 3 2000) was an American ethnobotanist philosopher psychonaut researcher teacher lecturer and writer.