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Plenum, issue 2, July 1946

Page 6

PLENUM     Page six

Let's consider mathematics as an analogy. Up to relatively recently, euclidean geometry with its set of axioms was the basis of mathematics, and everybody was happy. Until evidence began piling up, and doubts began to grow in the minds of mathematicians, and it was apparent that euclidean geometry wasn't as solid as they had thought it was. So they changed the axiom that parallel lines never meet, and instantly an entirely new universe of mathematics blossomed out, based upon noneuclidean systems. (E)

There we have an example of a fundamental change in the accepted axioms of a system producing very broad results.

Likewise in physics, the newtonian system was the old set of ideas which considered the speed of light to be infinite. For a long time they knew that light had a finite speed, but they never paid much attention to it because it didn't seem to matter. Then Michelson showed that the speed of light was constant as well as being finite. Whereupon Einstein demolished the old newtonian system, and as a result the younger generation of physicists is making discoveries previously impossible as a result of being brought up to think in a non-newtonian (N) manner.

K considers these the two fundamental revolutions of thought processes in history. He now adds a third.

The old boys considered that logic was a statement of absolute relationships. Aristotle developed that business to a high degree, and all philosophy since his name has been influenced by his ideas. In fact, the church enforced his ideas. However, K says no. Logic is merely a formal statement of the structure of the existing language. Language happened to grow in a certain way, influenced by primitive superstitions, and Aristotle crystallized it into a system of logic, so that K calls the entire system of thinking up to now "aristotelian." This he wishes to change by the alteration of certain important ideas which people have gotten used to, and the new system of thinking he calls "nonaristotelianism" or null-A. (A) Individuals who adopt the null-A system for their personal use will derive certain benefits, and adoption of the system by the world would settle big problems.

Of course, K is not as naive as I have implied. He realizes it's next to impossible to get the world to adopt this new system right away. So he has at least tried to disseminate his ideas as well as he can.

This end he wrote S&S, which includes a demonstration of the fundamental changes he wishes to make in language structure, and also outlines a course of training which the individual is to use in order to adjust himself to this new manner of thinking. And this, you n ow see, is what van Vogt was talking about in "World of

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PLENUM Page six Let's consider mathematics as an analogy. Up to relatively recently, euclidean geometry with its set of axioms was the basis of mathematics, and everybody was happy. Until evidence began piling up, and doubts began to grow in the minds of mathematicians, and it was apparent that euclidean geometry wasn't as solid as they had thought it was. So they changed the axiom that parallel lines never meet, and instantly an entirely new universe of mathematics blossomed out, based upon noneuclidean systems. (E) There we have an example of a fundamental change in the accepted axioms of a system producing very broad results. Likewise in physics, the newtonian system was the old set of ideas which considered the speed of light to be infinite. For a long time they knew that light had a finite speed, but they never paid much attention to it because it didn't seem to matter. Then Michelson showed that the speed of light was constant as well as being finite. Whereupon Einstein demolished the old newtonian system, and as a result the younger generation of physicists is making discoveries previously impossible as a result of being brought up to think in a non-newtonian (N) manner. K considers these the two fundamental revolutions of thought processes in history. He now adds a third. The old boys considered that logic was a statement of absolute relationships. Aristotle developed that business to a high degree, and all philosophy since his name has been influenced by his ideas. In fact, the church enforced his ideas. However, K says no. Logic is merely a formal statement of the structure of the existing language. Language happened to grow in a certain way, influenced by primitive superstitions, and Aristotle crystallized it into a system of logic, so that K calls the entire system of thinking up to now "aristotelian." This he wishes to change by the alteration of certain important ideas which people have gotten used to, and the new system of thinking he calls "nonaristotelianism" or null-A. (A) Individuals who adopt the null-A system for their personal use will derive certain benefits, and adoption of the system by the world would settle big problems. Of course, K is not as naive as I have implied. He realizes it's next to impossible to get the world to adopt this new system right away. So he has at least tried to disseminate his ideas as well as he can. This end he wrote S&S, which includes a demonstration of the fundamental changes he wishes to make in language structure, and also outlines a course of training which the individual is to use in order to adjust himself to this new manner of thinking. And this, you n ow see, is what van Vogt was talking about in "World of