The Boundaries of Experience

[_Simon Belmont]

I really had higher hopes for the members of this board. I assumed, wrongfully, that there could be intelligent dialogue on this subject. Unfortunately the puerile antics of CamNC4Me have destroyed any semblance of order and civility.

[_Joseph]

slimeone, you don't know the difference in blue and cyan. Still waiting for you to answer some basic questions on these boards. Instead you try to veer off with this silliness and continue to post your asinine copyright notice that is way beyond the date for publications that have copyright protection.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

Hello Mr. Simon,

Your thread is re.tarded.

V/R
Dr. Cam

[_Doctor Scratch]

When I was in college, we were required to read a book called Experience: an exploration into the structure and dynamics of human consciousness by G. Michael Blahnik. I loved this book, because the author explained things in a way that really “spoke” to me. At the beginning of the book, the author asks:

When we look at a chair, what do we see? Do we see a dense collection of atoms in motion? Do we see various shapes, colors, and textures together as a single whole or as a single whole against a background of other shapes, colors, and textures? Do we see an instance of “chari-ness” or “chair-hood”? Do we “see” sense data? Do we see only a portion of the chair, i.e. its phenomenal appearance rather than the chair as a whole? Do we simply see a chair?
Blahnik, M. (1997). P. 1.

Hey, Simon: where can I find a copy of this book? Was it published by a vanity press?

[_Chap]

When I was in college, we were required to read a book called Experience: an exploration into the structure and dynamics of human consciousness by G. Michael Blahnik. .....

Hey, Simon: where can I find a copy of this book? Was it published by a vanity press?

Library of Congress catalog has this:

Blahnik, G. Michael (1997). Experience : an exploration into the structure and dynamics of human consciousness. Lanham, University Press of America.

Someone here seems to think that University Press of America deserves to be called a vanity press:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m ... _63817022/

Here is their website:

http://www.univpress.com/aboutus/index.shtml

Make up your own mind ...

[_Doctor Scratch]

Hi, Chap. Thanks for posting that---very interesting. I hope Simon turns up to shed some light on the matter.

[_sock puppet]

When I was in college, we were required to read a book called Experience: an exploration into the structure and dynamics of human consciousness by G. Michael Blahnik. I loved this book, because the author explained things in a way that really “spoke” to me. At the beginning of the book, the author asks:

When we look at a chair, what do we see? Do we see a dense collection of atoms in motion? Do we see various shapes, colors, and textures together as a single whole or as a single whole against a background of other shapes, colors, and textures? Do we see an instance of “chari-ness” or “chair-hood”? Do we “see” sense data? Do we see only a portion of the chair, i.e. its phenomenal appearance rather than the chair as a whole? Do we simply see a chair?
Blahnik, M. (1997). P. 1.

Hey, Simon: where can I find a copy of this book? Was it published by a vanity press?

Blahnik's book was very popular for reading on the beach, while on vacation, in the summer of 1997 or 1998, I don't recall which. It played with the reader's mind some, but then he or she could put it down, go have a nice steak dinner, and return to work after vacation without giving it much further thought.

[_Blixa]

The University Press of America, like Edwin Mellen and Lexington Books, is pretty widely regarded as an academic vanity press. Of course, exactly how you define "vanity press" especially in regard to academic texts, is a source of contention. A look at the forums of the Chronicle of Higher Education will reveal endless discussions of this. If one is applying for tenure, publication with an academic vanity press (even one that has some degree of "peer review," or might not require subvention or pre-ordering of a 100 copies, or any combination thereof) can look worse than no publications.

Of course, such presses do perform what some may see as a legitimate function: they quickly publish materials a teacher may want to use in class. But since such presses do not advertise themselves as mere textbook publishers, the whole thing is kind of fishy. Which of course is why there is so much discussion of these presses on professional message boards and discussion forums.

I expect that the book Simon cited in his OP was just that: a book published by the author to use in a course he personally taught. Perhaps Simon can verify this; it certainly seems like it would be part of the reason the book had such an impact on him.

[_Simon Belmont]

Hey, Simon: where can I find a copy of this book? Was it published by a vanity press?

It was published on a Wordpress blog.

But seriously, when I was reading it I didn't really look at the publisher, and upon following Chap's links I suppose that University Press of America is basically an academic vanity press (as Blixa also rightfully pointed out). Oh well, it was a great book for me -- it doesn't have to be for you. If you are interested, I am sure you can find at least a snippet view on Google Books.

We used it as a text supplement in a class I took some years ago, but that is all I will say without revealing too much about my in real life identity.

Edit: It's on Amazon, here, and Barnes and Noble, here.

[_Doctor Scratch]

Hey, Simon: where can I find a copy of this book? Was it published by a vanity press?

It was published on a Wordpress blog.

It was? Then how come you said, in your OP, that you read it as a "book"? And the pub. date is 1997. Did they have Wordpress blogs back in 1997, when you were in college?