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Phanteur, whole no. 1, January 1946

Page 6

I'll answer his last question affirmatively. There is a living pattern of living patterns. Further, I maintain that all parts of the that greater living pattern are not chaos but bitts of universal life itself. A cell of man and an atom of paint -- it's all the same. Each is disposed and governed in its position and activity by the dictates of the underlying oneness of the basic life. As Dreiser says: "All (things) either are an integral part of the universal mind, or they are differentiated portions of it -- either itself -- or super-iorly differentiated by the whole of which they are still an integral part." It is a chain of command on a grand scale. (Incidentally, when any links are skipped a miracle results.)

Alexander Kuprin in"The River of Life" says: "I think that a human thought is like a current from some electric center, an intense, radiating vibration of the imponderable ether, poured out in thee spaces of the world, and passing with equal ease through the atoms of stone, iron, and air. A thought springs from the brain and all the sphere of the universe begins to tremble, to ripple round me like water into which a stone is flung, like a sound about a vibrating string."

He is substantially correct, perhaps, but inverted; for a thought springs not from his brain but into his brain, and ripple in the universe cause by his brain is but a minor disturbance in the all-embracing wave pattern of life itself.

Stromberg suggests this same concept. "There is another world than that of space and time. The two worlds are not completely separated; they interact at certain points or sources around which we observe wave systems of different types. Some of these points we identify with 'material' particles, and through some of them an entity we call 'electricity' of whose ultimate nature we know nothing, enters the domain of space and time. Other contact points are 'immaterial'; they are the sources of 'living' wave systems of different degrees of complexity. Some contact points are associated with certain nerve centres in our brain -- and they are the roots of our consciousness and the sources of all our knowledge."

I confess freely that Stromberg's immaterial living wave systems are not understandable tot me unless I interpret them as identical to life. Stromberg is a pontifex in his book, building bridges between chemistry, physics, biology -- especially embryology -- and philosophy. His ideas are complex, at times very technical, and sometimes highly abstract, and generally far over my head; but, if nothing else, his book "alerted" me for the acceptance of his ideas, an the recognition of similar ideas in other men's works. Now Dreiser's article, written in a way that ties up the idea with clarity and fullness of expression, makes me suggest the idea to you.

This world is animate -- rocks, trees, window screens, and men. In fact, the world is animate, and through or to all things runs a oneness that is univer-sal -- creative energy, the world mind, the world soul, the living wave system, God, or whatever you want to call it. What do you think?
The End

Undoubtedly, Donn's two articles would be more effective if presented in separate issues; but, because I delayed so long before publishing the first, I thought it best to publish the second at the same time, to avoid further delay.
Elsewhere in this issue, I hope to comment at some length on the article above. The comments are not yet written, however, and may never be. Suffice for now to say that I consider the function of philosophy achieved when it has presented a problem; the solution is much better left in he hands of scientists.

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I'll answer his last question affirmatively. There is a living pattern of living patterns. Further, I maintain that all parts of the that greater living pattern are not chaos but bitts of universal life itself. A cell of man and an atom of paint -- it's all the same. Each is disposed and governed in its position and activity by the dictates of the underlying oneness of the basic life. As Dreiser says: "All (things) either are an integral part of the universal mind, or they are differentiated portions of it -- either itself -- or super-iorly differentiated by the whole of which they are still an integral part." It is a chain of command on a grand scale. (Incidentally, when any links are skipped a miracle results.) Alexander Kuprin in"The River of Life" says: "I think that a human thought is like a current from some electric center, an intense, radiating vibration of the imponderable ether, poured out in thee spaces of the world, and passing with equal ease through the atoms of stone, iron, and air. A thought springs from the brain and all the sphere of the universe begins to tremble, to ripple round me like water into which a stone is flung, like a sound about a vibrating string." He is substantially correct, perhaps, but inverted; for a thought springs not from his brain but into his brain, and ripple in the universe cause by his brain is but a minor disturbance in the all-embracing wave pattern of life itself. Stromberg suggests this same concept. "There is another world than that of space and time. The two worlds are not completely separated; they interact at certain points or sources around which we observe wave systems of different types. Some of these points we identify with 'material' particles, and through some of them an entity we call 'electricity' of whose ultimate nature we know nothing, enters the domain of space and time. Other contact points are 'immaterial'; they are the sources of 'living' wave systems of different degrees of complexity. Some contact points are associated with certain nerve centres in our brain -- and they are the roots of our consciousness and the sources of all our knowledge." I confess freely that Stromberg's immaterial living wave systems are not understandable tot me unless I interpret them as identical to life. Stromberg is a pontifex in his book, building bridges between chemistry, physics, biology -- especially embryology -- and philosophy. His ideas are complex, at times very technical, and sometimes highly abstract, and generally far over my head; but, if nothing else, his book "alerted" me for the acceptance of his ideas, an the recognition of similar ideas in other men's works. Now Dreiser's article, written in a way that ties up the idea with clarity and fullness of expression, makes me suggest the idea to you. This world is animate -- rocks, trees, window screens, and men. In fact, the world is animate, and through or to all things runs a oneness that is univer-sal -- creative energy, the world mind, the world soul, the living wave system, God, or whatever you want to call it. What do you think? The End Undoubtedly, Donn's two articles would be more effective if presented in separate issues; but, because I delayed so long before publishing the first, I thought it best to publish the second at the same time, to avoid further delay. Elsewhere in this issue, I hope to comment at some length on the article above. The comments are not yet written, however, and may never be. Suffice for now to say that I consider the function of philosophy achieved when it has presented a problem; the solution is much better left in he hands of scientists.