Terry Gilliam - Storytime (1968)

Not very interesting? But it's for television, I assume. Does it "work" in that context?

Clever?

Michael Butterworth News

The website of Emanations contributor and International Authors Board member Michael Butterworth has been updated to reflect his 2026 activities, including Mr. Butterworth's work in the recently published Emanations 12:

In its twelfth annual edition Emanations contained ‘The Little Arundalean’, Part 1 of a three-part memoir of my time at St Christopher School. Due to an interest in boarding education, Emanations editor Carter Kaplan virtually commissioned me to write this, although it had always been planned to form the opening of Driven by Anger, the new book length memoir above mentioned. Parts 1 and 2 are scheduled to appear in Emanations #13 and #14.

‘The Little Arundalean’ and its sequels are an exercise of memory in which I try to capture the boarding school St Christopher, Letchworth, Hertfordshire, as it was in 1957 when I first attended sixty-six years ago, and an attempt to describe how its then radical progressive co-educational teaching methods saved me from an unhappy fate in the ‘Army-style’ orthodox school system of the time.

I boarded there for six years from the age of ten. ‘St Chris’ was an unusual school even for its time. Founded in 1915 by Theosophists but Quaker-run when I attended, the school was not as liberal as Summerhill – lessons were compulsory – but it had a democratic foundation, was inclusive of the voice of its pupils, and over the years became the incubator of many who went on to be prominent creatives – Michael Winner, Jenny Diski, Paul Hamlyn, Elizabeth Jenkins, Prince Rupert Zu Loewenstein, to name a few.

From an artistic perspective there may be an interesting conjecture to make. After leaving school and becoming a contributor to New Worlds, Charles Platt then became the magazine’s designer (and finally its editor) and brought with him a certain gestalt. During the later large-format phase of New Worlds he hired onto the team a fellow St Christophean, the late author-designer Nigel Francis (Simon Francis as he became), to help cope with the increased workload. St Chris had a very particular atmosphere, and it could be said that with three practitioners, including me, having been drawn from it, the UK New Wave of Science Fiction owed something to its culture. To an old St Christophean like me, the magazine’s 1967-70 heyday stylistically as a whole is partly infused with the school’s unmistakable voice, at least the voice of St Chris as it was during our time there.

 Click HERE (or the photo of Mr Butterworth) to visit the site.  

 

Should we view Wittgenstein as enhancing British Philosophy, or British Philosophy as enhancing Wittgenstein?

Should we view Wittgenstein as enhancing British Philosophy, or British Philosophy as enhancing Wittgenstein? 

I support the former, though I should stipulate (specify or "spell out") that in addition to Locke and Bacon, I'd argue the "thrust" of "British Philosophy", as it were, is construed most clearly along a literary line, beginning with the Greek satirists, and from there to Robert Burton, Milton, Swift, Fielding, Peacock, Irving (Washington Irving), Poe, Hawthorne, Samuel Clemons (Mark Twain), Melville, Huxley, Orwell, Nabokov, Kubrick, and so on. "British" because it is convenient, and has some historiographic validity; though if you look at the historians and the historians of literature past fifty years, they are rather smug and reductive concerning "Whig"  (or "Whiggish") historiography, as they style it. 

As for Whigigish historiography being overly-optimistic in the face of the reality of the Human Condition?  Well, considering "Whiggish" historiography emerged from Calvinism, and small-c Calvinists like Milton, Locke, and so on, I can't for the life of me imagine much optimism or upbeat anticipation being advanced through that view of human nature. But mark this. Is it possible  that what the new historicism actually finds insufferable about Whiggish positions, is the unwelcome Whiggish--or Calvinist, both large-C and small c--habit of shining a bright light on fraud?

Which brings us back to Wittgenstein. He is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to turning on that spotlight.

The Wittgenstein family in Vienna, Summer 1917, with Kurt (furthest left) and Ludwig (furthest right) in officers' uniforms

"Satirical and Ironic Dissolutions of Art: Duchamp's Synthesis" by P. Winston Fettner

"From a Hegelian perspective, Duchamp’s place in the development of the contemporary involves a synthesis of the satiric and ironic modes of art’s previous moments of dissolution. A Hegelian understanding of satire and irony, which are the specific forms taken by the dissolution of Classical and Christian art, will allow us to grasp historically, as a replaying and a synthesis of art’s previous dissolutions, the meaning of the peculiar narcissism, hermeticism and emptiness that afflict the contemporary artworld. That reading reworks the theme of art’s dissolution into an analytic tool, and saves the concept of “the end of art” from being a mere slogan, one charged with nostalgia and despair, but of little value as a term of art-historical and aesthetic understanding."

More HERE

Duchamp leaving with his rejected painting by André Raffray

Yes, "neatly done." Shows "craft." But is it highbrow? Is the "theological" title a gimmick? Must a theological title necessitate theological content? Must a theological title necessitate the statement of theological propositions(s)? Or can a theological "utterance" suffice, and to what purpose? Does this purpose attend the title, or does the title attend the purpose? Is it exploitative? Outside of seeking answers to these questions, I can barely look at this painting for more than fifteen seconds.

La chute de l'ange ~ The Fall of the Angel by Max Ernst, ca1923 Oil on canvas 130,8 cm x 129,8 cm Private collection

"If a lion could talk, we could not understand him." - Ludwig Wittgenstein - Philosophical Investigations

Source

"What was the source of the stranger's incredible power?" is not a prose poem

Badger books, 1964

("'Answer: unknown' is a prose poem, but why?" is a prose poem, but why?)

"Teaching Was Fine Until We Fixed It: some thoughts on pedagogy..." by Secret Academic

Something happened at Cambridge recently. You may have noticed. We have, naturally, developed entire academic disciplines devoted to understanding education. Cambridge even had a Professor of Sociology of Education. Look how well that turned out. 

Anyway. It reminded me of something I’ve known for years. We have ruined education. And, while we’re at it, we’ve done a fairly decent job of ruining the students as well. Not because students suddenly became stupid. Or lazy. Or incapable of independent thought. Well … some did. But they didn't manage this entirely on their own. 

Universities created this. The pedagogues helped. The virtuous academics cheered them on. Management put it into a framework. And between them, they produced an education system so obsessed with support, outcomes, satisfaction, accessibility and success that they gradually removed many of the things education actually requires. Difficulty. Uncertainty. Failure. Disagreement. The possibility that you might have to work something out for yourself. Quite an achievement, really. 

We now have pedagogy. Innovative pedagogy. Inclusive pedagogy. Critical pedagogy. Transformative pedagogy. Student-centred pedagogy. Probably trauma-informed pedagogy...

 More HERE

Source image: Adobe Stock

Musing out loud

John Schoenherr, 1962

One of the structures of Casa Sperimentale near Rome, photo Oliver Astrologo

Sr.N4 Hovercraft photo essay

Click here for the Wikipedia Article on the SR.N4

Perpareing for the Highbrow analysis of Thomas Jefferson's Virginia Act for Religious Freedom

We shall begin our consideration of the law in a week or so. To get the most out of that analysis, please review the following Highbrow posts:

Moral Philosophy in Context

The Declaration of Independence

Philosophical Remarks on the Declaration of Independence: Sections 1 & 2

Philosophical Remarks on the Declaration of Independence: Sections 3, 4 & 5

Declaration of Independence, the deleted passage

American Political Philosophy - The Basics (a variety of related discussions)

Questions to consider:

What are the relationship among St. Thomas Aquinas's concepts (or are they simply accurate descriptions?) of Revealed Theology and Natural Theology and Natural Law?

What  are the political and legal ramifications of considering human beings to be "God's Property" (via John Locke, by way of an exemplar of argumentation along these lines)?

What constitutes a "False Religion" in the Virginia Act of Religious Freedom, according to Jefferson?  

Do "False Religions" under Jefferson's definitions have any claim to protections, exceptions, emoluments, privileges or even a place in American society, law, and culture?

Until we return to this topic, Highbrow posts will continue as usual, exploring the frontiers of ephemera, aesthetic discriminations, and the activity of dispelling Philosophical Credulousness through the clarification of grammar.

Aristotle studying in his youth

A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom

"A BILL for establishing RELIGIOUS FREEDOM" - Thomas Jefferson

 § 57-1. Act for religious freedom recited.

The General Assembly, on January 16, 1786, passed an act in the following words:

"Whereas, Almighty God hath created the mind free; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishment, or burthens, or by civil incapacitations, tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion, who, being Lord both of body and mind, yet chose not to propagate it by coercions on either, as was in his Almighty power to do; that the impious presumption of legislators and rulers, civil as well as ecclesiastical, who, being themselves but fallible and uninspired men, have assumed dominion over the faith of others, setting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as the only true and infallible, and as such endeavoring to impose them on others, have established and maintained false religions over the greatest part of the world, and through all time; that to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves, is sinful and tyrannical, and even the forcing him to support this or that teacher of his own religious persuasion, is depriving him of the comfortable liberty of giving his contributions to the particular pastor whose morals he would make his pattern, and whose powers he feels most persuasive to righteousness, and is withdrawing from the ministry those temporary rewards which, proceeding from an approbation of their personal conduct, are an additional incitement to earnest and unremitting labors, for the instruction of mankind; that our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions any more than our opinions in physics or geometry; that therefore the proscribing any citizen as unworthy the public confidence by laying upon him an incapacity of being called to offices of trust and emolument, unless he profess or renounce this or that religious opinion, is depriving him injuriously of those privileges and advantages to which, in common with his fellow citizens, he has a natural right; that it tends only to corrupt the principles of that religion it is meant to encourage, by bribing, with a monopoly of worldly honors and emoluments, those who will externally profess and conform to it; that though, indeed, those are criminal who do not withstand such temptation, yet, neither are those innocent who lay the bait in their way; that to suffer the civil magistrate to intrude his powers into the field of opinion, and to restrain the profession or propagation of principles on supposition of their ill tendency, is a dangerous fallacy, which at once destroys all religious liberty, because he, being of course judge of that tendency, will make his opinions the rules of judgment, and approve or condemn the sentiments of others only as they shall square with or differ from his own; that it is time enough for the rightful purposes of civil government, for its officers to interfere, when principles break out into overt acts against peace and good order; and finally, that truth is great and will prevail, if left to herself; that she is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error, and has nothing to fear from the conflict, unless by human interposition disarmed of her natural weapons, free argument and debate; errors ceasing to be dangerous when it is permitted freely to contradict them:

"Be it enacted by the General Assembly, That no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested or burthened, in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge or affect their civil capacities.

"And though we well know that this Assembly, elected by the people for the ordinary purposes of legislation only, have no power to restrain the acts of succeeding assemblies constituted with powers equal to our own, and that, therefore, to declare this act to be irrevocable would be of no effect in law; yet we are free to declare, and do declare, that the rights hereby asserted are of the natural rights of mankind; and that if any act shall be hereafter passed to repeal the present, or to narrow its operation, such act will be an infringement of natural right."

Source

More

More 

Analysis forthcoming.  Stay tuned.

Raoul Hausmann, 1886 - 1971 Cofondateur du mouvement Dada à Berlin et surnommé le «Dadasophe»

Emanations contributor Marleen S. Barr has a new book: Feminist Science Fiction’s Sartorial Spaces: Fashioning Future Females

 Click the cover image (or HERE) for the Amazon sales page.  Routledge description HERE.

Feminist Science Fiction’s Sartorial Spaces: Fashioning Future Females is a collection of critical essays consisting of established critical voices and cutting-edge new generation fresh perspectives across feminist theory, science fiction, and fashion. This book brings science fiction to bear upon the limiting impact clothing still has upon women. Science fiction literature can envision how yet-to-be-designed clothes can unequivocally signal female power. The contributors argue that it is time to turn to science fiction to lead the way in making empowering female attire real. This book is for scholars and students who are interested in the interplay between fashion and science fiction.

Highbrow Performances: Todd Rundgren "Utopia" (alt. title "Utopia Theme"), 1974

Cover art from a science fiction gaming magazine with an image evidently derived (loosely so) from Lovecraft - sensational, provocative, speculative, surreal (interesting for about fifteen seconds)

Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society 13, 1982

Roger Penrose explains describes Godel's incompleteness theorem in 3 minutes

explains

Occult Material in the Invisible Tower Trilogy?

None.  It is adventure, high fantasy, satire, and an inquiry into the character and nature of the Human Condition.

Click the image to view the Amazon descriptions of the books:

Los Angeles' Occult Past: interview with Ronnie Pontiac

Curious subject, curious ideas, curious sub-culture, curious--and very interesting--history... indeed a curious city

An abstract crossing the borders of genre

Richard M. Powers’ (1962) for Conditionally Human by Walter M. Miller Jr.