Levy Joseph Levy Philosophy/Psychology Altered Perception: Time and Hallucinogens Whatever perception may be, it is obviously something

that has reference to living organisms (Aaronson 37). The essential quality of perception is simple: it is something that only living creatures experience. Once this has been established, it is necessary to evaluate the physical world as the supposed most evolved living creature, the human being, perceives it. Dr. Joseph A. Leighton claims, The so-called primary qualitiesextension and movement in space, impenetrability, and inertia are of primary importance for the purposes of numerical precision in the analytical description of bodieson the other hand, such sensible qualities as tones, tastes, colors, heat, and cold vary much more both with reference to the sentient subject and physical process (Leighton 2) There are occurrences in our universe that do not rely on a conscious creature to witness, such as inertia and movement through space. These are the primary qualities that Leighton talks of. Along with these primary qualities, however, there are many aspects of objects in space such as taste and colors that a non-sentient being couldnt perceive. These are what Leighton refers to as sensible qualities. Perception alteration changes the view of both these qualities to the observer, but does not change the actual primary qualities. Sensible

Levy 2 qualities are defined by perception, and because of this, any alteration to these qualities change the essence of the quality; sensible qualities are what they appear to be and have no definite reality. Time is a major factor in the process of perception. The most critical analysis of the temporal perception occurred in the late 1800s and the early 1900s, around the time of William James, John E. Boodin, William Montague, and Roy Wood Sellars. All of these philosophers and scientists have worked to define time and discuss the way that it plays a role in human perceptions. Pragmatist philosopher James quotes the author E.R. Clay, who states, Timeconsists of four parts, viz., the obvious past, the specious present, the real present, and the future (James 378). James goes on to discuss that the real present is a phenomenon in its pure state, regardless of what any conscious perception says of the object; and the specious present is how the conscious being views the object. This is a concept that plays into the idea discussed above, covering primary and sensible qualities. The specious present is how the observer views these qualities in time, much like their perceptions of the qualities; the actual present is the reality of the qualities, much like the primary qualities despite what the observer perceives. The other major factor in perceptions is their alterations through the use of hallucinogenic substances. The National Institute of Drug Abuse states that they cause hallucinations, which are profound distortions in a persons perception of reality. Under the influence of hallucinogens, people see images, hear sounds, and feel sensations that seem real but are not (NIDA 1). These substances are

Levy very crucial to this study because of their perception altering effects. This research paper will explore how these substances affects the human view of sensible and primary qualities and what perceptions made under these substances determine about the reality of objects. Section 1: The Overview of Time Philosophers throughout history have tried to tackle the concept of time, what time itself is, and how it plays a vital role in the universe. John E. Boodin, professor of philosophy, discusses how time plays a vital role in the change of one thing to another, stating, The law of contradiction says that different judgments can not be made with reference to the same point in our space system and in the same respectA timeless universe would break down under its own contradictions (368). Time is essential for a human to be in one position of space and be able to feel different temperatures on different days. This is because, as Boodin claims, once true always true could only hold in a timeless universe (368). It is because of time that the universe is able to have one statement be true on one certain occasion and false on another. This is the central idea that time is the definition of change, which causes one aspect of the universe to be different moment after moment. David P. Abbot states that, Space is the possibility of motion; Time is the measure of motion (436). This follows the same concept established by Boodin, but simply uses time to symbolize the motion of all forces, which is essentially the change in them. Boodins second claim is also very vital to the idea that time is an altering essence: Blue is not only describable as different from other contents or like

Levy 4 other contents, but can be indicated as a positive blue fact as well. But not so with time. Time is only known through its other (369). What Boodin is claiming is that time and those viewing it can only perceive it through its temporal effects. Instead of time being a tangible concept, it is simply known through its effects, e.g., change. R. W. Sellars, philosopher of realism, responds to this idea with the following: The sense of change is only one of the elements which reflective analysis can note in perceptual time. Just as important is the feeling of duration (Sellars 346). When we are experiencing the flow of time, we do not simply rely on watching objects change to know that time is still functioning. We have the ability to sense duration. Joseph Leighton states, [The specious present] becomes, but does not begin or end, and its duration is measured by the aid of retrospective and in spatial terms (Leighton 562). The specious present will be discussed further in later sections, but for now it is important to remember that Leighton discusses the idea of time being a measure of duration. Another believer in this time-duration theory is philosopher William James, who states, The unit of composition of our perception of time is a durationIt is only as parts of this duration-block that relation of succession of one end to the other is perceived. We do not first feel one end and then feel the other after itbut we seem to feel the interval of time as a whole, with its two ends embedded in it (James 378)

Levy Sellars, Leighton, and James all talk of this duration aspect of time, as we experience one moment to the next as a unit of duration. As James explains, we do not feel one end to the other in this duration, but the experience as a whole. Time is measurement of duration-blocks that contain our experiences. The final proposal on the aspect of time states that it a unit of location, much like coordinates on a map. Hermann Minkowski, mathematician and creator of numerical geometry, explains, Let x, y, z be rectangular coordinates of space and let t represent time. As they occur in our experience places and times are always combined. No one has ever observed a place except at a time, nor a time except at a place (Minkowski 289). At any point in life, a sentient being is within the coordinates described above. When we tell somebody to meet at a location at a certain time, we are giving him or her four coordinates; the time to meet is a location within this space-time plane. Any of these ideas stated thus far about time are equally valid claims, and not one contradicts any assumptions of time made by another. However, it is merely important to remember the claims, because the most important aspect of time is the statement cited at the beginning of this paper. Because of its significance, it is written again: Williams James quotes the author E.R. Clay, who states, Timeconsists of four parts, viz., the obvious past, the specious present, the real present, and the future (James 378). When analyzing perceptions, it is crucial to remember the flow of time as well as the segments of time. For the remainder of this paper, the past is to be known as all moments before the present and the future is all moments to occur after the present. As Leighton

Levy 6 states, The future depends on the present. The future is the present forwardreaching (Leighton 564). This implies that the past affects the present, because at one moment in time, the present-now would have been the future to the pastpresent moment. In this sense, all moments of time are intertwined. it still paves the way for the central idea: Our perceptions are formed in the definite time of the present and we do not observe the moments that have passed already or those that have yet to come. The present moment is the only moment that is known to influence our perceptions, and therefore, very little discussion will take place involving the prior or later events. Because of this, we move on from the past and the future to observe the significance of the present. Section 1.1: The Significant Present As philosopher Walter B. Pitkin states, A radical difference is set up between the now and the not-now; a difference much deeper than that between past and future. Many such persons will hurry to deny that they mean such things as this. (Pitkin 310). Although Pitkin has made what seems to be an almost obvious claim, many people seem to forget this simple idea in everyday life. When we are looking upon an object that we once observed, we must remember that the present object is in every way different than the past one, because the past is not now. Philisophical scholar Evander Bradley McGilvary observes, A common time experienced by all, or different times severally experienced and yet fundamentally similar to each other even though the different descriptions thereof

Levy disagree, this has been the common postulate of all previous discussions of time (McGilvary 123). The common example behind this claim is that two conscious beings can view the same star in the sky and see two different results based on their time difference. Dr. Bernard C. Ewer proposes that although this is a much larger difference of space and time than our everyday experiences, it is just as significant. The idea brought away from the star example is that everything perceived in the physical world is merely phenomena and not the real facts of the natural order. (Ewer 146). Dr. James quotes the author E.R. Clays description of this difference as the specious present (James 377). The specious present is the moment in which all of our perceptions are created. Ewer states, What the writer seems to find in perception is a presence rather than a presentness; the object is pragmatically present-to-me, but is not perceived as occupying the strictly present moment in the time order of nature (147). This claim is the exact reason for the existence of the contrast between the actual present and the specious present; the present moment of the objective nature in space is dissimilar to that of the present moment as a sentient being observes. As Michael Fowler writes, As a result of Michelsons efforts in 1879, the speed of light was known to be 186,350 miles per second with a likely error of around 30 miles per second (2). Because light is not instantaneous, there is a discrepancy between what we perceive and the time that it actually occurs. Our brain makes present perceptions based on a past image. Ewer states, It seems to indicate an apparent object not identical with the real object, or with the perceptive state, or with relation between the two; and to say that this apparent object, whatever it

Levy 8 may be, is of necessity strictly present in a temporal sense---That it is here right now (147). This is the claim that this discrepancy of temporal perception changes the entirety of the object. Because the actual object is observed later than the physical present, the specious present is said to be observing a completely unique object and therefore, the sentient being makes a perception on an object that is completely separate from reality. Ewer responds to this by saying the presence of an object is equivalent to its temporal presentness (Ewer 148). In this sense, the way we perceive objects in the specious present defines what the object is. The reality of the object is the moment of our perception. Section 1.2: Time and Perception Philosopher and logician Bertrand Russel states, Let us give the name of mental time to the time which arises through relations of subject and object, and the name physical time to the time which arises through relations of object and object (Russel 212). When a conscious being observes an aspect of nature, this is a relation between subject and object. One existence is a sentient being that experiences, the other is an object within space that is experienced. Physical time arises when two inanimate object interact with each other. To help with this distinction, New Realist philosopher W.P. Montagues gives his stance on relativism in perception, Every psychosis has two distinguishable but inseparable aspects, the subjective and the objective. The subjective element or

Levy knowing though is the whole system of conscious contents taken collectively and including incoming content, while the latter is the object of theact of attention (Montague 2) This is where time ties back to the concept of primary and sensible qualities. In nature, there are certain, definite qualities that do not need conscious observers to experience. There are occurrences that need a subjective perspective to give any meaning to the experience. The next two sections will discuss the relationship between these two types of interactions. Section 2: Physical Time Physical time is the time that exists without a consciousness. As an example, Russell states, We say that A is earlier than B if A is succeeded by B; and in the same case we say B is laterthere is no reason why the relations of earlier and later should not subsist in a world wholly devoid of consciousness. (Russel 227). Time is a series of events and does not always need an entity to experience it. If an earthquake occurs and then a volcano erupts, the earthquake was earlier then the eruption. As Russel claims, we do not need conscious life to say that one came before the other in the flow of time. Philosopher and Logician Erwin Biser discusses the physical state of objects in the following quote, A state of a system is said to be determined unambiguously and uniquely by a set of independent observable and measurable properties (Biser 55). When we observe the interaction of object vs. object, there are occurrences that can be measured. While the earth orbits the sun, the distance between the two can be

Levy 10 measured, the angle of the earth can be measured; none of these interactions need a subjective viewer to witness. That is to say, there may need to be a sentient being to actually do the measuring, but distance and angle still exist without the entity existing. Section 2.1: Mental Time Russel observes, An event is said to be past when it is earlier than the whole of the present, and is said to be future when it is later than the whole of the present (Russel 214). When we imagine a single moment in time, we can state for certain that any time prior to that moment can be determined as the past and any moment afterwards can be deemed the future. However, there is an important aspect to remember about this concept, as American psychologist Henry R. Marshall, We should expect [the past, present, and future] to be most distinctly marked in connection with the mental states occasioned by objects respectively coming to us, going from us, or stationary with reference to usthis would indicate that the time quality is a special feeling of relation, due to the conditions of complexity (Marshall 632) The most important information contained in this quote is the portion that writes mental states. When we have a moment deemed as the present, it must be a moment that is stationary in reference to a sentient being. This is the essence of

Levy mental time that Marshall and Russel discuss. Past, present, and future only come to exist when an entity comes to experience them. Section 3: Hallucinogens According to the Institute for Substance Abuse Treatment and Evaluation, Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin (Magic Mushrooms) are two of the most common hallucinogenic drugs used by humans (ISATE 1). These are the two drugs that will be evaluated in the following section discussing the perceptions made by humans under the influence of hallucinogens. Hallucinogens play a crucial role in the observation of perception. Because hallucinogens produce visions of color, lights, and patterns; distance changes, time-alteration, and synesthesia (Stern 9), they allow an evaluation of sensible qualities vs. primary qualities and what determines the reality of one. Section 3.1: Lysergic Acid Diethylamide It is stated by the United States Department of Justice that 1 to 1.5 mcg./kg. of Lysergic Acid Diethlamide is equal to about 20 mg. of psilocybin, and these amounts are considered the equal doses for a trip (DEA 2). Albert Hoffman synthesized Lysergic Acid Diethlamide, which will be referred to as LSD-25 from this point onward, in 1938 (Stern 7). Psychologist Theodore Barber discusses that a moderate dose of LSD alters a persons perception in colors, sizes, and their own body. LSD affects how an observer perceives exterior objects colors and forms (Barber 26, 28). Barber also summarizes Karl Beringers finding, stating, Although subjects who have taken LSDtypically

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Levy 12 state that [time] seems to be passing more slowly than usual, a few state that it seems to be passing more quickly. Also, some subjects state that they have lost track of time or have a sense of timelessness (Barber 25). John C. Pollard, M.D.; Leonard Uhr Ph.D.; and Elizabeth Stern worked together to compile the research book titled Drugs and Phantasy: The effects of LSD, Psilocybin, and Sernyl on College Students. This work contains information on a study done using these drugs and college students. Pollard and Uhr created a safe environment where the subjects were to lay on a foam pads, with hands in cotton mitts and white noise is emitted through headphones. They are loosely strapped down and have their faces covered by a homogeneous, milky dome with a 36-inch diameter (Stern 23). The first college student to undergo the test was the 21-year-old girl named Jane. Jane has never used drugs and rarely drinks. She was given 1.5 mcg./kg. of LSD-25, and the recording was started 50 minutes later (47). The following is a selection of statements made by Jane under the influence of LSD-25: I see images now. Very delicate light images on the left-hand side. They crab-like or insectlike creatures with segmented bodiesmy arms are very coldI feel like a blobohhh. Im seeing a few pastel colorsI cant feel pleasure or pain. (Stern 48, 49, 58, 60, 63) The next student to receive the drug was a 24-year-old senior named Frank. He was very energetic and had denied taking drugs for anything besides prescribed medicinal reasons. (Stern 105). Like Jane, he was given 1.5 mcg./kg.

Levy of LSD-25. The following contains some quotes from Franks experience on LSD25: The colors change, move and dance around each other awfully warm in hereeverything is red, red, red, red. Like a big spiders webI feel like Im shrinking! (Stern 120, 121, 126) The final student to receive a dose of LSD-25 was the twenty-two-year old junior named Tim. He was a large, former football player, who now majored in psychology. He drinks rarely and denies every using drugs (Stern 137). The next paragraph describes a few of Tims verbal thoughts during the influence of 1.5 cg.kg. of LSD-25, mainly concerning his relationship to time: I have no relation to timeeverything is as Ive been in here hours, and weeksThe whole time must be confused because the whole concept of time, because nothing seems to have any timeI dont know what time isIm seeing very vivid colors nownow Im seeing everything redand now yellow and now orange (Stern 178, 179, 180) Before I proceed to the section on psilocybin, it is necessary to stop and evaluate what has been shown in these previous quotes. All of these users experienced alterations involving both primary and sensible qualities. An evaluation of how these were affected will be discussed in a later section. It is just to be remembered that this drug was able to completely alter a sentiences perception of primary and sensible qualities.

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Levy 14 Section 3.2: Psilocybin and Psilocybe Albert Hofmann, the founder of LSD, was also able to isolate the main ingredients in Psilocybe Mexicana, one strain of the this hallucinogen. Psilocybin (phosphorylated 4-hydroxydimethyltryptamine) is the major component in the substance, but psilocin (4-hydroxydimethyltryptamine) is just as active in the drug (Drug Enforcement Administration 2). Because Psilocybin is the primary component, I will be referring to the drug as such from here on out. According to the United States Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration, a psilocybin experience is very subjective, and is largely determined by the users set and setting. (DEA 3). Dr. Leo E. Hollister describes the pattern of the effects in normal subjects that are given between 115 to 160 mcg./kg. of oral psilocybin: Between 60 to 90 minutes-increased visual effects (colored patterns and shapes), distance perception impaired, slowed passage of time. Between 90 to 120 minutes, continuation of the above effects in varying degrees, especially in introspective states and mental perceptions (4). According to the first American study of psilocybin conducted by Rinkel et al., four males were given 5 to 10 mg. of psilocybin sublingually; three of these subjects experienced time perception alteration (5). John C. Pollard, M.D.; Leonard Uhr Ph.D.; and Elizabeth Stern also also conducted studies on college students using psilocybin. These students are the same students to partake in the LSD-25 studies, although the studies with psilocybin occurred 8 days beforehand. Jane is the first to be recorded once again. At 1:30 P.M., she was given 20 mg. of psilocybin. 50 minutes later, the

Levy recording began (Stern 27). The following is a selection of quotes from Janes experience: The screen is a very pale blue now. And there are darker-blue figures, running around on itI feel sort of timelesstheres some flower vines running up. They start at one point, like at the bulb, and then they go upeverythings transparent, green and whitethis must be a dream (Stern 30, 32,40, 42, 43) Frank was the next student to receive the psilocybin. The following contains some quotes from Franks experience on the drug: Im watching patterns change on the roof of this little ceiling herethere seems to be a big red spiders nest in the leftjust got a new color now, its greenI have no conception of timeI hear a frog (Stern 106, 107, 108, 109, 114) Similar to the LSD-25 tests, the last student to undergo the testing was Tim. The next excerpt includes some of Tims statements during his experience: Im beginning to get flicks of color now like bits from a kaleidoscopemy one finger is cold, the other fingers are hoteverything is turning green now instead of whiteits sort of dark up there now and the earphones feel distinctly warm and comfortable (Stern 139, 143, 144, 150)

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Levy 16 Section 3.3: Perception In the experiments described above including psilocybin and LSD, it was apparent that all of the individuals experienced an altered sense of perception, whether it was towards primary qualities, sensible qualities, or time. Whenever one of the subjects from above discussed their idea of distance, movement, objects in space, sound, or light, they are discussing the primary qualities. It is to be remembered that primary qualities exist objectively. Anything that can be scientifically measured is objective and would still exist as it is without a sentient observer. When the subjects were describing their perceptions of colors, heat, relativity, or feelings then they are describing sensible qualities. These are qualities that involve a conscious experience to exist and give any meaning to. In a world devoid of sentience, there would be no meaning to any of the above experiences. The central idea of the research paper is to distinguish the qualities of our perceptions, i.e., separate the subjective and objective qualities of our experience. I will now use the information that has been provided up to this point to prove that there are subjective aspects of reality that have no definite truth, the only truth being what is perceived. Along with this, there are qualities in our existence that have absolute realities. An altered perception can change how one views these objective truths, but does not change the nature of the perceived.

Levy Section 4: Objective Truths The main term for objective truths when referring to perception is what Leighton has described as primary qualities. When discussing time, these objective truths have been titled physical time by Russel. As stated before, the quality that makes these truths objective is their ability to exist without a conscious observer. When describing all objective truths, I may refer to a human measurement. When this is done, it is not the actual man-made measurement that matters. The important information is that there is a scientific method of measuring the quality. Russel has described one aspect of physical time with terms like before and after. Even without an observer, time still has a natural flow to it. Action A may occur, and then it may be followed by action B. This is still described as a sequence of events, using before and after. Because time flows in one direction, A came before B. R. W. Sellars mentioned the relationship of time and duration in earlier sections. Duration of time is an objective quality in the universe as well (not the subjective experience and measurement of duration, but the objective existence of the phenomenon). To explain duration objectively, it is necessary to use an objective unit of time measurement. I will use the earths orbit around the sun. The time of this orbit is, according to Shane Horvatin of Michigan State University, is 365.2422 Earth days (PA.MSU 1). The actual subjective human time given to this duration is irrelevant. It is simply important to recognize is that

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Levy 18 there is a certain amount of time that occurs in the action of earths orbit. Without any conscious existence, duration would still exist. When we observe objectivity in perception of primary qualities, we find the same logic applies as it does with temporal objectivity. While many of the subjects from the hallucinogenic experiments were in the midst of the study, they experienced many changes in their primary qualities. Primary qualities that exist in nature include distance, matter, mass, etc. These are qualities that exist independent of sentience. An example of a primary quality is the distance between the earth and the sun. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the earth is 149,597,870.691 kilometers from the sun (NASA 1). It is important to remember that it is the actual distance of these units that are objective. Relative descriptions, e.g., far and close; short and long; big and small, are not objective truths; human measurements of the distance are not objective truths either. Section 4.1: Perception Subjectivity There are also qualities in nature that are purely subjective and have no universal truths. The temporal quality is known as mental time, while the traits of perception are sensible qualities. It is crucial to perception to make clear that these traits have no definite reality. Because of the way humans observe exterior forces, many times a perception can be extremely varied, even when viewing the same force.

Levy Russel brings up the idea of mental time as being the relationship between subject and object. One instance in which mental time arises is with the use of terms such as past, present, and future. Imagine a homogeneous traintrack with no train atop it. By simply observing the track, there is no way to distinguish one moment as more significant than another. Then a train is then placed down on the tracks. It becomes that the past is all of the tracks that move away from the train and the future is the entire track that the train moves towards. The section of the track that the train currently is on can be considered the present because it is stationary in reference to the observer, i.e., the train. When there is a sentient being that is relatively equal to one moment of time, deemed the present, then past and future have meaning. This is what makes mental time purely subjective. One persons past can be anothers present, and vice versa. Everybody experiences different aspects of the present moment, and there cannot be a universal reality to the present. The other aspect of mental time is observed as the distinction between what E.R. Clay has called the specious present and the actual present. Because the idea of past, present, and future do not exist without sentience, the same rule applies for the existence of the specious present and the actual present. Because these are concepts that discuss the relationship of a conscious perspective and an object (Or as Russel states, between subject and object) it is classified as a phenomena of mental time that would not exist without sentience in the universe.

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Levy 20 Sensible qualities are the perceptions that humans make that cannot be given definite realities, e.g., colors and statements of relativity. G.M. McCrie quotes Dr. Carus in stating Neither the subject is given, nor the objective; but an interaction between subjective and object (36). McCrie goes on to elaborate by questioning, If by this is meant that the sensation, say of color, is the result of an interaction between vibratory ether and the optic nerve, then this is correct. But how about the projection of this into the objective worlda printed page, which, as a given fact, is the senseimpression of which rectangle covered with little black characters, and, as the corresponding inferred fact, a sheet of paper. Is a colored surface, then, the corresponding inferred fact of the simple color which is the given fact? (219-220) In the following paragraphs, McCrie explains this question that he has presented. He quotes Dr. Carus again in claiming: The elements of the subjective world are features that we must supposed to be inseparably united with elements of the objective world (220). By saying a quality is subjective it is not claiming that it is completely separated from the objective world, it is claiming that the reality of the quality is altered to each percept. Gilbert Harman, professor of philosophy at Princeton University, states: Many authors believe that no purely scientific account of color sensations is possible. In their view, the essence of such sensations is precisely their subjective quality of character (4). When a person using hallucinogenic drugs observes an object as a certain color, while another

Levy may view the same object as a different color, neither of them are incorrect. Color is a sensible quality. Its true form is whatever the subjective viewer perceives. Therefore, when a person on LSD-25 or psilocybin states that a white substance is green or red, they are correct. That is to say, their reality is correct. If another views it differently, they are correct as well. The second, most prevalent sensible quality is that of relative statement. This includes aspects of heat, size, weight, etc. When a person on a hallucinogenic substance claims that a room is hot or cold, they are correct. Relative statements are sensible qualities because they do not use precise measurements. When temperature is taken, that is a primary quality. However, the statements hot and cold are always correct, because they are subjective qualities. As John LeConte, scientist and former president of Berkeley University state: The intensity of the impression is determined rather by the relative than by the absolute thermal condition of the body that excites it (93). He discusses how a certain heat can feel radically different under certain scenarios to different people, even if it is the same temperature. This same rule applies to many other relative statements. For example, if somebody on LSD-25 states that a paperclip is heavy, this is a relative truth. The nature of heavy and light are sensible qualities that are strictly relative; whatever they perceive to be true is a truth for their reality. Section 5: Counter-Arguments

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Levy 22 When it comes to perceiving physical reality, J.A. Leighton states, If one set [of qualities are] subjective, all are subjective, and, if all are subjectivethe real physical world [is] thus stripped of all determinate qualities of sensible experience (Leighton 3). In a sense, he claims that as soon as one truth is deemed subjective, then all truths in the universe become subjective. The physical world becomes devoid of any determinate qualities. This is not the case, as I have previously shown. There are some qualities that are, indeed, purely subjective. These sensible qualities can easily be distinguished from primary qualities based on simple scientific method. Because of scientific measurement, it is possible to find an objective truth in the physical world. An opposite argument is made by Walter Pitkin, who claims, The perceptso it runsis not real; for it is composed, on the one hand, of memories and after effects of earlier experiencesnow this opinion goes too far toward identifying the real with the tangible and physically accessible (Pitkin 312). In this statement, Pitkin is claiming that subjective senses have no value whatsoever. They are merely concepts made of memories and experiences. This is not completely true. Because all living creatures experience perception, as stated at the beginning of this paper, it would be ignorant to claim that there is no meaning to these perceptions. The issue is separating these subjective views from the objective ones. However, once this has been done, we are still left with valuable subjective perceptions. Sensible qualities are what describe and explain most human experiences.

Levy Conclusion Perception gives meaning to personal viewpoints. Life would not exist without perception, nor would perception exist without life. Perception is a powerful tool, and also a fatal one. Because of all the variables that exist to alter human perception, it is crucial to recognize how acuity can be varied and what variations truly have meaning. Time is absolutely significant for forming perceptions, and if it is misunderstood it can be an obstacle for understanding the mind. Furthermore, it is just as vital to understand primary and sensible qualities; it is essential to differentiate the subjective from the objective. It is always to be remembered that just because the mind has been altered, does not mean the alterations deceive the viewer from reality. Often times an adjusted acuity will simply help one perceive a different reality, not a false one. This proves to be consistently true with hallucinogens. Humans must understand that subjective qualities are not all objective, and subsequently, must understand that they are not worthless. Subjective viewpoints give realities to variables with no determined realities. Sensible qualities give subjective perceptions a truth.

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Levy 24 Works Cited Abbot, David P. "Thoughts on Space, Time, and Existence." The Monist 16.3 (1906): 433-450. Jstor. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. Aaronson, Isaac. "Perception." The Journal of Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Methods 11.2 (1914): 37-46. Jstor. Web. 12 Dec. 2011. Barber, Theodore Xenophon. LSD, Marihuana, Yoga, and Hypnosis. Chicago: Aldine Pub., 1970. Print. Boodin, John E. "The Concept of Time." The Philosophical ReviewThe Journal of Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Methods 2.14 (1905): 365-372. Jstor. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. Biser, Erwin. "Postulates for Physical Time." Philosophy of Science 19.1 (1952): 50-69. JSTOR. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. "Drug Info." Welcome to the Institute for Substance Abuse Treatment Evaluation (I-SATE). Institute for Substance Abuse Treatment and Evaluation. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. <http://www.isate.memphis.edu/hallucinogen.html>. Ewer, Bernard C. "The Time Paradox of Perception." The Journal of Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Methods 6.6 (1909): 212-233. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. Flaherty, Michael G. A Watched Pot: How We Experience Time. 10th ed. New York: New York UP, 1999. Print.

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