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If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite.

William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, 1790–93

LiteraturePhilosophy

The story behind the card

The line comes from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. William Blake (1757–1827) printed his own illustrated books, and before this line he describes etching copper plates with acid, which melts away the surface to show what lies beneath; perception, he suggests, can be cleansed the same way. He goes on: man has closed himself up, and sees all things through the narrow chinks of his cavern. Aldous Huxley named his 1954 book The Doors of Perception after the line, and the band The Doors named themselves after Huxley's book.

Türkçe oku
Algı kapıları temizlenseydi, her şey insana olduğu gibi, sonsuz görünürdü.
William Blake, Cennet ile Cehennemin Evliliği, 1790-1793

Cümle, William Blake'in Cennet ile Cehennemin Evliliği (1790-1793) adlı kitabından. Blake (1757-1827) resimli kitaplarını kendisi basar, sayfalarını elle boyardı. Bu cümleden hemen önce kendi baskı yöntemini anlatır: Bakır levhayı asitle aşındırmak yüzeyi eritir ve altında yatanı ortaya çıkarır. Ona göre algı da böyle arındırılabilir. Cümle şöyle sürer: İnsan kendini kapatmış, her şeyi mağarasının dar yarıklarından görür olmuştur. Aldous Huxley 1954'te yayımlanan Algı Kapıları kitabının adını bu cümleden aldı; The Doors grubu da adını Huxley'nin kitabından aldı.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: William Blake
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