Korie L. Edwards
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195314243
- eISBN:
- 9780199871810
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195314243.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
The concluding chapter ends the book with a discussion on the implications of the book's findings for developing racially integrated religious organizations that truly epitomize Dr. Martin Luther ...
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The concluding chapter ends the book with a discussion on the implications of the book's findings for developing racially integrated religious organizations that truly epitomize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream for a cooperative, egalitarian, multiracial religious community.Less
The concluding chapter ends the book with a discussion on the implications of the book's findings for developing racially integrated religious organizations that truly epitomize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream for a cooperative, egalitarian, multiracial religious community.
Benjamin I. Page and Lawrence R. Jacobs
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195392135
- eISBN:
- 9780199852543
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195392135.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter argues that Americans are no longer apathetic about rising economic inequality. Oppositions to egalitarian government programs have decreased extensively and the majority is now ...
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This chapter argues that Americans are no longer apathetic about rising economic inequality. Oppositions to egalitarian government programs have decreased extensively and the majority is now supporting a wide range of measures that can reduce inequality. This chapter gives a collection of data based on a survey with the average American as the main respondent. The chapter focuses on awareness and concerns of Americans about economic inequality. It states that even though most Americans still believe in the American dream, wherein, people can still start as poor, work hard, and become rich, people's consciousness on the high inequalities in income and wealth nowadays made it plausible for them to favor government programs such as increasing the budget for education to create equal opportunities.Less
This chapter argues that Americans are no longer apathetic about rising economic inequality. Oppositions to egalitarian government programs have decreased extensively and the majority is now supporting a wide range of measures that can reduce inequality. This chapter gives a collection of data based on a survey with the average American as the main respondent. The chapter focuses on awareness and concerns of Americans about economic inequality. It states that even though most Americans still believe in the American dream, wherein, people can still start as poor, work hard, and become rich, people's consciousness on the high inequalities in income and wealth nowadays made it plausible for them to favor government programs such as increasing the budget for education to create equal opportunities.
Ernest Hartmann
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199751778
- eISBN:
- 9780199863419
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199751778.003.0001
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Clinical Psychology
This introductory chapter first sets out the purpose of the book, which is to put together various studies on dreaming into one coherent theory. It then presents the study's main conclusions, which ...
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This introductory chapter first sets out the purpose of the book, which is to put together various studies on dreaming into one coherent theory. It then presents the study's main conclusions, which give in outline form the Contemporary Theory of Dreaming. These are that dreaming is a form of mental functioning; dreaming is hyper-connective; the connections made are not random; the form or “language” of dreams is mainly picture-metaphor; the making of broad connections guided by emotion has an adaptive function conceptualized as “weaving in” new material—taking new experiences and gradually connecting them, integrating them, into existing memory systems; and that the entire focused waking-to-dreaming continuum has an adaptive function.Less
This introductory chapter first sets out the purpose of the book, which is to put together various studies on dreaming into one coherent theory. It then presents the study's main conclusions, which give in outline form the Contemporary Theory of Dreaming. These are that dreaming is a form of mental functioning; dreaming is hyper-connective; the connections made are not random; the form or “language” of dreams is mainly picture-metaphor; the making of broad connections guided by emotion has an adaptive function conceptualized as “weaving in” new material—taking new experiences and gradually connecting them, integrating them, into existing memory systems; and that the entire focused waking-to-dreaming continuum has an adaptive function.
J. A. Burrow
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198112938
- eISBN:
- 9780191670879
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198112938.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Early and Medieval Literature
Langland's Piers Plowman is a profoundly Christian poem, which nevertheless has enjoyed a wide general appeal. Readers – both religious and non-religious – have been drawn by the power of Langland's ...
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Langland's Piers Plowman is a profoundly Christian poem, which nevertheless has enjoyed a wide general appeal. Readers – both religious and non-religious – have been drawn by the power of Langland's fictive imagination, the rich variety of imaginary worlds in his great dream poem. This book examines the construction of the ten dreams which make up the B Text of Piers Plowman, and explores the relation of these dream-fictions to those realities with which the poet was chiefly preoccupied. This relationship is discussed under three main headings: ‘fictions of the divided mind’, in which the poet's mixed feelings about matters such as the value of learning find expression in imagined scenes and actions; ‘fictions of history’, in which the main events of salvation history are relived in the parallel worlds of dream; and ‘fictions of the self’, in which Langland's doubtful sense of his own moral standing as a man and a poet apparently finds expression. This chapter also addresses the controversial question of ‘autobiographical elements’ in the poem.Less
Langland's Piers Plowman is a profoundly Christian poem, which nevertheless has enjoyed a wide general appeal. Readers – both religious and non-religious – have been drawn by the power of Langland's fictive imagination, the rich variety of imaginary worlds in his great dream poem. This book examines the construction of the ten dreams which make up the B Text of Piers Plowman, and explores the relation of these dream-fictions to those realities with which the poet was chiefly preoccupied. This relationship is discussed under three main headings: ‘fictions of the divided mind’, in which the poet's mixed feelings about matters such as the value of learning find expression in imagined scenes and actions; ‘fictions of history’, in which the main events of salvation history are relived in the parallel worlds of dream; and ‘fictions of the self’, in which Langland's doubtful sense of his own moral standing as a man and a poet apparently finds expression. This chapter also addresses the controversial question of ‘autobiographical elements’ in the poem.
Ernest Hartmann
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199751778
- eISBN:
- 9780199863419
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199751778.001.0001
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Clinical Psychology
This book presents a theory of dreaming based on many years of psychological and biological research. Critical to this theory is the concept of a Central Image; this book describes his repeated ...
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This book presents a theory of dreaming based on many years of psychological and biological research. Critical to this theory is the concept of a Central Image; this book describes his repeated finding that dreams of being swept away by a tidal wave are common among people who have recently experienced a trauma of some kind—a fire, an attack, or a rape. Dreams with these Central Images are not dreams of the traumatic experience itself, but rather the Central Image reveals the emotional response to the experience. Dreams with a potent Central Image, like the tidal wave, vary in intensity along with the severity of the trauma; this pattern was shown quite powerfully in a systematic study of dreams occurring before and after the September 11 attacks in New York. This book's theory comprises three fundamental elements: dreaming is simply one form of mental functioning, occurring along a continuum from focused waking thought to reverie, daydreaming, and fantasy. Second, dreaming is hyperconnective, linking material more fluidly and making connections that aren't made as readily in waking thought. Finally, the connections that are made are not random, but rather are guided by the dreamer's emotions or emotional concerns—and the more powerful the emotion, the more intense the Central Image.Less
This book presents a theory of dreaming based on many years of psychological and biological research. Critical to this theory is the concept of a Central Image; this book describes his repeated finding that dreams of being swept away by a tidal wave are common among people who have recently experienced a trauma of some kind—a fire, an attack, or a rape. Dreams with these Central Images are not dreams of the traumatic experience itself, but rather the Central Image reveals the emotional response to the experience. Dreams with a potent Central Image, like the tidal wave, vary in intensity along with the severity of the trauma; this pattern was shown quite powerfully in a systematic study of dreams occurring before and after the September 11 attacks in New York. This book's theory comprises three fundamental elements: dreaming is simply one form of mental functioning, occurring along a continuum from focused waking thought to reverie, daydreaming, and fantasy. Second, dreaming is hyperconnective, linking material more fluidly and making connections that aren't made as readily in waking thought. Finally, the connections that are made are not random, but rather are guided by the dreamer's emotions or emotional concerns—and the more powerful the emotion, the more intense the Central Image.
Angela Smith
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198183983
- eISBN:
- 9780191674167
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198183983.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 20th-century Literature and Modernism
Long after the death of Katherine Mansfield (1888–1923), Virginia Woolf (1882–1941) described being haunted by her in dreams. Through detailed comparative readings of their fiction, letters, and ...
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Long after the death of Katherine Mansfield (1888–1923), Virginia Woolf (1882–1941) described being haunted by her in dreams. Through detailed comparative readings of their fiction, letters, and diaries, this book explores the intense affinity between the two writers. Their particular inflection of modernism is interpreted through their shared experience as ‘threshold people’, familiar with the liminal, for each of them a zone of transition and habitation. Writing at a time when the First World War and changing attitudes to empire problematized boundaries and definitions of foreignness, this book shows how the fiction of both Mansfield and Woolf is characterised by moments of disorienting suspension in which the perceiving consciousness sees the familiar made strange, and the domestic made menacing.Less
Long after the death of Katherine Mansfield (1888–1923), Virginia Woolf (1882–1941) described being haunted by her in dreams. Through detailed comparative readings of their fiction, letters, and diaries, this book explores the intense affinity between the two writers. Their particular inflection of modernism is interpreted through their shared experience as ‘threshold people’, familiar with the liminal, for each of them a zone of transition and habitation. Writing at a time when the First World War and changing attitudes to empire problematized boundaries and definitions of foreignness, this book shows how the fiction of both Mansfield and Woolf is characterised by moments of disorienting suspension in which the perceiving consciousness sees the familiar made strange, and the domestic made menacing.
Philip Kitcher
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195321029
- eISBN:
- 9780199851317
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195321029.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 20th-century Literature and Modernism
James Joyce's Ulysses, once regarded as obscure and obscene, is now viewed as a masterpiece of world literature. Yet Joyce's final novel, Finnegans Wake, to which he devoted seventeen years, remains ...
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James Joyce's Ulysses, once regarded as obscure and obscene, is now viewed as a masterpiece of world literature. Yet Joyce's final novel, Finnegans Wake, to which he devoted seventeen years, remains virtually unread. Its linguistic novelties, layered allusions, and experimental form can make it seem impenetrable. This book attempts to dissolve the darkness that surrounds the Wake and to display instead its mesmerizing play of light. The book offers an original, appealing interpretation of Joyce's novel while also suggesting an approach to the magnum opus. Focusing throughout on the book's central themes, the book proposes that Finnegans Wake has at its core an age-old philosophical question—“What makes a life worth living?”—that Joyce explores from the perspective of someone who feels that a long life is now at its end. Alert to echoes, the book progresses through the novel, adding texture to his portrait of an aging dreamer who seeks reassurance about the worth of what he has done and who he has been. The novel's complex dream language becomes meaningful when seen as a way for Joyce to investigate issues that are hard to face directly, common though they may be. At times the view is clouded, at times it's the music or sheer comedy that predominates, but one experiences in the retrospective momentum a brilliant clarity unlike anything else in literature. With a startlingly profound compassion and a distinctive brand of humanism, Joyce points us to the things that matter in our lives. His final novel, this book believes, is a call to life itself.Less
James Joyce's Ulysses, once regarded as obscure and obscene, is now viewed as a masterpiece of world literature. Yet Joyce's final novel, Finnegans Wake, to which he devoted seventeen years, remains virtually unread. Its linguistic novelties, layered allusions, and experimental form can make it seem impenetrable. This book attempts to dissolve the darkness that surrounds the Wake and to display instead its mesmerizing play of light. The book offers an original, appealing interpretation of Joyce's novel while also suggesting an approach to the magnum opus. Focusing throughout on the book's central themes, the book proposes that Finnegans Wake has at its core an age-old philosophical question—“What makes a life worth living?”—that Joyce explores from the perspective of someone who feels that a long life is now at its end. Alert to echoes, the book progresses through the novel, adding texture to his portrait of an aging dreamer who seeks reassurance about the worth of what he has done and who he has been. The novel's complex dream language becomes meaningful when seen as a way for Joyce to investigate issues that are hard to face directly, common though they may be. At times the view is clouded, at times it's the music or sheer comedy that predominates, but one experiences in the retrospective momentum a brilliant clarity unlike anything else in literature. With a startlingly profound compassion and a distinctive brand of humanism, Joyce points us to the things that matter in our lives. His final novel, this book believes, is a call to life itself.
Tony James
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198151883
- eISBN:
- 9780191672873
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198151883.003.0002
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature, European Literature
This chapter provides an introduction to Part I of the book. The chapters in the first part of the book focus on ‘somnambulism’ — the phenomenon of sleep which was to the forefront of public ...
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This chapter provides an introduction to Part I of the book. The chapters in the first part of the book focus on ‘somnambulism’ — the phenomenon of sleep which was to the forefront of public attention in the early 19th century. They examine how it came to mean what it means, what its relation to dreaming was, and the kind of questions it raises about the nature of consciousness.Less
This chapter provides an introduction to Part I of the book. The chapters in the first part of the book focus on ‘somnambulism’ — the phenomenon of sleep which was to the forefront of public attention in the early 19th century. They examine how it came to mean what it means, what its relation to dreaming was, and the kind of questions it raises about the nature of consciousness.
Raymond P. Scheindlin
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195315424
- eISBN:
- 9780199872039
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195315424.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
A notable feature of Halevi’s religious poetry is its frequent depictions of spiritual experience in visual terms. Some of Halevi’s visionary imagery derives from the ancient Jewish tradition of ...
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A notable feature of Halevi’s religious poetry is its frequent depictions of spiritual experience in visual terms. Some of Halevi’s visionary imagery derives from the ancient Jewish tradition of merkava mysticism, some from the philosophical tradition. But Sufi literature may also have played a part in providing Halevi with his mature conception of the ultimate goal of religious striving. Similarly, a number of important poems depict dreams, considered a form of prophecy; it is a dream that sets the narrative of framework of the Kuzari into motion. The chapter concludes with five poems illustrating visionary experience and dreams. Of these poems, one is a report of a prophetic experience of Halevi himself proclaiming the redemption of Israel; one depicts the poet’s aspiration for a personal vision of God; and one envisions the poet in the Temple.Less
A notable feature of Halevi’s religious poetry is its frequent depictions of spiritual experience in visual terms. Some of Halevi’s visionary imagery derives from the ancient Jewish tradition of merkava mysticism, some from the philosophical tradition. But Sufi literature may also have played a part in providing Halevi with his mature conception of the ultimate goal of religious striving. Similarly, a number of important poems depict dreams, considered a form of prophecy; it is a dream that sets the narrative of framework of the Kuzari into motion. The chapter concludes with five poems illustrating visionary experience and dreams. Of these poems, one is a report of a prophetic experience of Halevi himself proclaiming the redemption of Israel; one depicts the poet’s aspiration for a personal vision of God; and one envisions the poet in the Temple.
Steven Weinberg
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195310726
- eISBN:
- 9780199785179
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195310726.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Steven Weinberg is a public intellectual and the best-selling author of The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe, Dreams of a Final Theory: The Scientist’s Search for the ...
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Steven Weinberg is a public intellectual and the best-selling author of The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe, Dreams of a Final Theory: The Scientist’s Search for the Ultimate Laws of Nature, Glory and Terror: The Coming Nuclear Danger, and many other books. Weinberg is known for being an atheist and anti-religious, and for winning the Nobel Prize in physics for his electroweak interaction theory, showing how the weak nuclear interaction related to electromagnetism in 1979. Weinberg joined the small scientific army waging war on religion. His book, Dreams of a Final Theory, written to rally support for the supercollider, contains a powerful assault on God and religion, making one wonder about the connection.Less
Steven Weinberg is a public intellectual and the best-selling author of The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe, Dreams of a Final Theory: The Scientist’s Search for the Ultimate Laws of Nature, Glory and Terror: The Coming Nuclear Danger, and many other books. Weinberg is known for being an atheist and anti-religious, and for winning the Nobel Prize in physics for his electroweak interaction theory, showing how the weak nuclear interaction related to electromagnetism in 1979. Weinberg joined the small scientific army waging war on religion. His book, Dreams of a Final Theory, written to rally support for the supercollider, contains a powerful assault on God and religion, making one wonder about the connection.
Frank Graziano
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195171303
- eISBN:
- 9780199785193
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195171303.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This concluding chapter discusses how folk saint myths are formed. This is followed by sections that consolidate recurring themes: politics; justice; life in death; dreams; innocence, purity, and ...
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This concluding chapter discusses how folk saint myths are formed. This is followed by sections that consolidate recurring themes: politics; justice; life in death; dreams; innocence, purity, and childhood; romance, infidelity, and sexual aggression; water; skulls, bones, and skeletons; and protection in travel.Less
This concluding chapter discusses how folk saint myths are formed. This is followed by sections that consolidate recurring themes: politics; justice; life in death; dreams; innocence, purity, and childhood; romance, infidelity, and sexual aggression; water; skulls, bones, and skeletons; and protection in travel.
Michael N. Marsh
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199571505
- eISBN:
- 9780191722059
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199571505.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society, Theology
This chapter continues the neurological theme relating to the realms of conscious-awareness and its disturbances, and their relevance to extra-corporeal experience (ECE) phenomenology. It makes a ...
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This chapter continues the neurological theme relating to the realms of conscious-awareness and its disturbances, and their relevance to extra-corporeal experience (ECE) phenomenology. It makes a comparison between dream-state modes and near-death experience (NDE) phenomenology.Less
This chapter continues the neurological theme relating to the realms of conscious-awareness and its disturbances, and their relevance to extra-corporeal experience (ECE) phenomenology. It makes a comparison between dream-state modes and near-death experience (NDE) phenomenology.
Peter Adamson
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195181425
- eISBN:
- 9780199785087
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195181425.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
Al-Kindī wrote a well-known treatise On Intellect, which was the first Arabic treatise to give a taxonomy of the types of intellect (following Greek sources, especially Philoponus, in interpreting ...
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Al-Kindī wrote a well-known treatise On Intellect, which was the first Arabic treatise to give a taxonomy of the types of intellect (following Greek sources, especially Philoponus, in interpreting Aristotle’s De Anima). The chapter argues that the epistemology implied by this treatise implies that al-Kindī makes a sharp divide between intellect, which knows, and the senses, which experience particulars. This is parallel to his strongly dualist account of soul. The chapter concludes by considering the difficulties this raises for “mediating” psychological phenomena such as imagination, which is explored most fully by al-Kindī in a discussion of prophetic dreams.Less
Al-Kindī wrote a well-known treatise On Intellect, which was the first Arabic treatise to give a taxonomy of the types of intellect (following Greek sources, especially Philoponus, in interpreting Aristotle’s De Anima). The chapter argues that the epistemology implied by this treatise implies that al-Kindī makes a sharp divide between intellect, which knows, and the senses, which experience particulars. This is parallel to his strongly dualist account of soul. The chapter concludes by considering the difficulties this raises for “mediating” psychological phenomena such as imagination, which is explored most fully by al-Kindī in a discussion of prophetic dreams.
June O. Leavitt
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199827831
- eISBN:
- 9780199919444
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199827831.003.0013
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Literature
Kafka’s literary corpus contains over thirty-seven chronicles about his dreams. This is most significant in light of the fact that the occult training programs pervasive in Europe in the early part ...
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Kafka’s literary corpus contains over thirty-seven chronicles about his dreams. This is most significant in light of the fact that the occult training programs pervasive in Europe in the early part of the 20th century laid great stress on paying attention to dreams. In opposition to Freud, who perceived dreams as providing a passage into the dark recesses of the human psyche, Theosophists saw dreams as revelations concerning the soul’s experiences during sleep. However, as Kafka was familiar with psychoanalytical theories and even wrote about them disparagingly, this chapter examines his dream chronicles for indications of Freudian techniques of interpretation. Although Kafka does employ psychoanalytical methods to interpret two dreams, he ultimately abandons this approach and adopts the occult discourse about dreams containing ciphers about the destiny of the soul. This suggests that his passion for recording his dreams was increasingly impelled by spiritual objectives.Less
Kafka’s literary corpus contains over thirty-seven chronicles about his dreams. This is most significant in light of the fact that the occult training programs pervasive in Europe in the early part of the 20th century laid great stress on paying attention to dreams. In opposition to Freud, who perceived dreams as providing a passage into the dark recesses of the human psyche, Theosophists saw dreams as revelations concerning the soul’s experiences during sleep. However, as Kafka was familiar with psychoanalytical theories and even wrote about them disparagingly, this chapter examines his dream chronicles for indications of Freudian techniques of interpretation. Although Kafka does employ psychoanalytical methods to interpret two dreams, he ultimately abandons this approach and adopts the occult discourse about dreams containing ciphers about the destiny of the soul. This suggests that his passion for recording his dreams was increasingly impelled by spiritual objectives.
Apostolos Doxiadis and Barry Mazur (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691149042
- eISBN:
- 9781400842681
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691149042.001.0001
- Subject:
- Mathematics, History of Mathematics
This book brings together important thinkers in mathematics, history, and philosophy to explore the relationship between mathematics and narrative. “Circles disturbed” reflect the last words of ...
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This book brings together important thinkers in mathematics, history, and philosophy to explore the relationship between mathematics and narrative. “Circles disturbed” reflect the last words of Archimedes before he was slain by a Roman soldier—“Don't disturb my circles”—words that seem to refer to two radically different concerns: that of the practical person living in the concrete world of reality, and that of the theoretician lost in a world of abstraction. Stories and theorems are, in a sense, the natural languages of these two worlds—stories representing the way we act and interact, and theorems giving us pure thought, distilled from the hustle and bustle of reality. Yet, though the voices of stories and theorems seem totally different, they share profound connections and similarities. This book delves into topics such as the way in which historical and biographical narratives shape our understanding of mathematics and mathematicians, the development of “myths of origins” in mathematics, the structure and importance of mathematical dreams, the role of storytelling in the formation of mathematical intuitions, the ways mathematics helps us organize the way we think about narrative structure, and much more.Less
This book brings together important thinkers in mathematics, history, and philosophy to explore the relationship between mathematics and narrative. “Circles disturbed” reflect the last words of Archimedes before he was slain by a Roman soldier—“Don't disturb my circles”—words that seem to refer to two radically different concerns: that of the practical person living in the concrete world of reality, and that of the theoretician lost in a world of abstraction. Stories and theorems are, in a sense, the natural languages of these two worlds—stories representing the way we act and interact, and theorems giving us pure thought, distilled from the hustle and bustle of reality. Yet, though the voices of stories and theorems seem totally different, they share profound connections and similarities. This book delves into topics such as the way in which historical and biographical narratives shape our understanding of mathematics and mathematicians, the development of “myths of origins” in mathematics, the structure and importance of mathematical dreams, the role of storytelling in the formation of mathematical intuitions, the ways mathematics helps us organize the way we think about narrative structure, and much more.
Martin Schöneld
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195132182
- eISBN:
- 9780199786336
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195132181.003.0011
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This chapter explores Kant’s crisis in the early 1760s and its result, Dreams of a Spirit-Seer (1766). Section 1 discusses Kant’s development after the Prize Essay: the essay on Beautiful and Sublime ...
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This chapter explores Kant’s crisis in the early 1760s and its result, Dreams of a Spirit-Seer (1766). Section 1 discusses Kant’s development after the Prize Essay: the essay on Beautiful and Sublime (1764), the Negative Quantities paper (1764), and the Lecture Announcement (1765). Section 2 examines the context and inspiration of Kant’s treatise — the attack on Swedenborg’s mysticism. Section 3 explores the fallout of Kant’s Swedenborg-attack for the pre-critical project — the acknowledged impossibility of a synthesis of natural science and metaphysics, and the consequent need for a methodological bifurcation between the sensible and the intelligible.Less
This chapter explores Kant’s crisis in the early 1760s and its result, Dreams of a Spirit-Seer (1766). Section 1 discusses Kant’s development after the Prize Essay: the essay on Beautiful and Sublime (1764), the Negative Quantities paper (1764), and the Lecture Announcement (1765). Section 2 examines the context and inspiration of Kant’s treatise — the attack on Swedenborg’s mysticism. Section 3 explores the fallout of Kant’s Swedenborg-attack for the pre-critical project — the acknowledged impossibility of a synthesis of natural science and metaphysics, and the consequent need for a methodological bifurcation between the sensible and the intelligible.
Ernest Hartmann
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199751778
- eISBN:
- 9780199863419
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199751778.003.0009
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Clinical Psychology
The previous chapters summarized the connectivity of dreaming—the making of connections—in many senses and have followed this connection-making down to the level of connections between neurons. This ...
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The previous chapters summarized the connectivity of dreaming—the making of connections—in many senses and have followed this connection-making down to the level of connections between neurons. This chapter now looks at the product of these connections, the dream itself, and examines the form and content of our actual dreaming. It focuses on two areas of study that are very relevant to our theory of dreaming: the formal development of dreaming in childhood and then studies of “content analysis”—the attempt to pin down in detail the elements that actually occur in the dream. It emphasizes two important and surprising findings: the very gradual and late development of “dreaming skills” in childhood, and the finding that men's (and boys') dreams have twice as many male characters as female characters; it examines what light these may shed on the Contemporary Theory of Dreaming.Less
The previous chapters summarized the connectivity of dreaming—the making of connections—in many senses and have followed this connection-making down to the level of connections between neurons. This chapter now looks at the product of these connections, the dream itself, and examines the form and content of our actual dreaming. It focuses on two areas of study that are very relevant to our theory of dreaming: the formal development of dreaming in childhood and then studies of “content analysis”—the attempt to pin down in detail the elements that actually occur in the dream. It emphasizes two important and surprising findings: the very gradual and late development of “dreaming skills” in childhood, and the finding that men's (and boys') dreams have twice as many male characters as female characters; it examines what light these may shed on the Contemporary Theory of Dreaming.
Daniel M. Ogilvie
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195157468
- eISBN:
- 9780199894024
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195157468.003.0003
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
This chapter describes how flying fantasies first captured the author's interest upon reading “The American Icarus” by Henry Murray, published in 1955 as a chapter in a book that contained several ...
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This chapter describes how flying fantasies first captured the author's interest upon reading “The American Icarus” by Henry Murray, published in 1955 as a chapter in a book that contained several case studies by various authors. Grope was the name Murray gave to the subject of his investigation. Grope was a reclusive undergraduate student at the time he was studied, a person whose presence on campus was barely noticed. There was nothing at all about his inconspicuous outward appearance to indicate that his private life was filled with spectacular imaginary shows of personal heroism. Murray described Grope as “unsurpassed” in that regard. A recurring theme in his imaginary exploits was flying. Such images were periodically accompanied by images of fire, water, and falling through space. The occasional interweaving of these images reminded Murray of the legend of Icarus.Less
This chapter describes how flying fantasies first captured the author's interest upon reading “The American Icarus” by Henry Murray, published in 1955 as a chapter in a book that contained several case studies by various authors. Grope was the name Murray gave to the subject of his investigation. Grope was a reclusive undergraduate student at the time he was studied, a person whose presence on campus was barely noticed. There was nothing at all about his inconspicuous outward appearance to indicate that his private life was filled with spectacular imaginary shows of personal heroism. Murray described Grope as “unsurpassed” in that regard. A recurring theme in his imaginary exploits was flying. Such images were periodically accompanied by images of fire, water, and falling through space. The occasional interweaving of these images reminded Murray of the legend of Icarus.
Jennifer M. Windt
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780262028677
- eISBN:
- 9780262327466
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262028677.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind
Are dreams conscious experiences occurring during sleep? What exactly would it mean to say that they are? How does the concept of dreaming fit into the framework of concepts commonly used to describe ...
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Are dreams conscious experiences occurring during sleep? What exactly would it mean to say that they are? How does the concept of dreaming fit into the framework of concepts commonly used to describe conscious wake states? And how can the analysis of dreaming inform a philosophical theory of subjective experience and self-consciousness? The book proposes a conceptual framework for describing conscious experience in dreams and sketches preliminary answers to these – and many more - questions along the way. In doing so, it draws from different sources, of which the most important are the discussion of dreaming in the history of Western philosophy; contemporary philosophical work on dreaming; scientific research on sleep and dreaming; and scientific research on related areas such as mind wandering, bodily experience, full-body illusions, delusions, and self-consciousness. Its primary aim is to (re)locate the concept of dreaming on the map of concepts commonly used to describe standard and altered wake states and to shed light on the relationship between dreaming and waking perception, but also between dreaming and imagining, mind wandering, and delusions. A secondary aim is to provide an introduction to the philosophical discussion on dreaming and scientific dream research. The book gives a comprehensive overview of the philosophical discussion on dreaming in different historical periods, theoretical contexts and philosophical subdisciplines. It also investigates how the philosophical discussion of dreaming and scientific dream research have mutually influenced each other since the discovery of REM sleep.Less
Are dreams conscious experiences occurring during sleep? What exactly would it mean to say that they are? How does the concept of dreaming fit into the framework of concepts commonly used to describe conscious wake states? And how can the analysis of dreaming inform a philosophical theory of subjective experience and self-consciousness? The book proposes a conceptual framework for describing conscious experience in dreams and sketches preliminary answers to these – and many more - questions along the way. In doing so, it draws from different sources, of which the most important are the discussion of dreaming in the history of Western philosophy; contemporary philosophical work on dreaming; scientific research on sleep and dreaming; and scientific research on related areas such as mind wandering, bodily experience, full-body illusions, delusions, and self-consciousness. Its primary aim is to (re)locate the concept of dreaming on the map of concepts commonly used to describe standard and altered wake states and to shed light on the relationship between dreaming and waking perception, but also between dreaming and imagining, mind wandering, and delusions. A secondary aim is to provide an introduction to the philosophical discussion on dreaming and scientific dream research. The book gives a comprehensive overview of the philosophical discussion on dreaming in different historical periods, theoretical contexts and philosophical subdisciplines. It also investigates how the philosophical discussion of dreaming and scientific dream research have mutually influenced each other since the discovery of REM sleep.
Ernest Sosa
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199297023
- eISBN:
- 9780191711411
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199297023.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This chapter presents the first lecture in the book, which gives a solution to the problem of dream scepticism based on a conception of dreaming as imagining rather than hallucinating.
This chapter presents the first lecture in the book, which gives a solution to the problem of dream scepticism based on a conception of dreaming as imagining rather than hallucinating.
