1. Nested hermeneutics: Mind at Large as a curated trope of psychedelic experience.
- Author
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Webb, Adrian
- Subjects
- *
HALLUCINOGENIC drugs , *PSILOCYBIN , *HERMENEUTICS , *DISCOURSE analysis - Abstract
Aldous Huxley's work The Doors of Perception introduced the phrase 'Mind at Large' to the lexicon of psychedelic experience in 1954. I argue that its original presentation requires re-evaluation. I present evidence that Huxley manipulates the construction of the discourse he uses to present this phrase as a philosophically legitimate term. His choice of a pivotal quotation implies support from the conclusions of philosophers C. D. Broad and Henri Bergson. A hermeneutic analysis of this discourse highlights problems with this implication and shows that a reinterpretation of Huxley's methods and intentions is warranted. An increase in references to Mind at Large and related terms in studies of the effects of psychedelics motivates this re-evaluation of its implied philosophical value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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