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Cambridge University Press eBooks

32 papers in the library · 973 citations · publishing 2000-2026

Papers

The Standpoint of the Perceiver

Cambridge University Press eBooks November 27, 2025 Frode Kjosavik

The human standpoint is distinguished from that of non-rational animals, and contrasts with the God's eye viewpoint of traditional metaphysics. The author draws distinctions between lower and higher representations of objects based on cognitive involvement. Space and time are presented as human forms of intuition rather than Newton's absolute sensoria, leading to Kant's distinction between appearances and things in themselves. However, the author defends a deflated version of Kant's transcendental idealism, advocating for a special variety of direct realism in philosophy of perception. Even within empirical realism, space can be seen as a form of perceiving, as perceptual content is organized spatially and mirrors a perceived scene.

Perception and Disjunctivism

Cambridge University Press eBooks November 27, 2025 Frode Kjosavik

Disjunctivism in philosophy of perception asks whether perceptions and hallucinations differ fundamentally in kind. The article argues that if a perception could have been a hallucination with the same content, the difference between them would depend on the external world, not the mind. Perceptions have a double existence—both intentional and natural—and allow indefinite perspectival transformations due to their informational link to objects. On this basis, a disjunctivist position is ascribed to Kant. The authors also contend that perceptions, unlike hallucinations, carry their own epistemic warrants, applicable to both humans and non-rational animals.

Cannabis Culture and Spirituality

Cambridge University Press eBooks March 20, 2022 Timmen Cermak

A massage therapist named Jackson, bored with his practice, became interested in natural psychoactive substances for healing and spirituality after cannabis legalization. He used cannabis monthly and was enthusiastic about Johns Hopkins research on psilocybin's mental health benefits. Jackson recalled a spiritual awakening from LSD in his youth but also witnessed a friend experience a year-long paranoid panic from the drug.

Film and Recent Popular Culture

Cambridge University Press eBooks November 19, 2020 Peter Franklin

Mahler's music, once a rallying force against tradition, found a new audience in the 1960s popular culture, spurred by his birth centenary and the long-playing record. This wave influenced not only musicians but also modern pop culture and the avant-garde, which bridged high and low culture through experimental and visionary experiences like Zen, magic mushrooms, and LSD. Examples surveyed include Jonathan Williams's poetry, Ken Russell's biopic, the 2004 Athens Olympics opening ceremony, the Adlons' dramatization of Gustav and Alma, and American television. The marketing challenges of Mahler's works in his time now allow his music to speak across racial and cultural identities.

Characteristics of REM and NREM Dreams

Cambridge University Press eBooks February 21, 2019 Patrick Mcnamara

Dreams occurring in REM and NREM sleep differ in content and phenomenology, but these two categories do not cover the full range of dream experiences. Compared to REM dreams, NREM dreams are typically less story-like and bizarre, involve fewer aggressive social interactions, and include more friendly interactions, particularly those initiated by the dreamer.

Medieval Christian and Islamic Mysticism and the Problem of a “Mystical Ethics”

Cambridge University Press eBooks November 29, 2018 Amber L. Griffioen, Mohammad Sadegh Zahedi

Medieval Christian and Islamic mystical traditions face three challenges when examined for their ethical content: defining mysticism and comparing philosophies across cultures; whether a tradition that views God as the highest good yet emphasizes God's unknowability can provide a coherent theory of value; and whether mystics' antinomian tendencies and stress on passivity can yield a coherent theory of right action. Each concern is addressed in turn, arguing that medieval mysticism, as a fundamentally practical enterprise, merits greater attention from practical and moral philosophy than it has received.