The Great Divide

[Michael McAulay]

You are quite correct.  I was attempting to give an intuitive overview
of Laws Of Form for those who have not read it, as opposed to a formal
exposition.  Still, I should have gone with "drawing-a-line-around"
instead of "drawing-a-line."

LOF is a presentation of a calculus; it is not a book of philosophy.
Still, it is a rich source of fodder for philosophical rumination.  And
based on p 616 of M&D I believe it is a source familiar to TP.  (I
apologize for not providing the quote, my copy of the book is not at
hand)

========
Mike McAulay
Sr. Engineer
3DO

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Henry Musikar [SMTP:gravity at nicom.com]
> Sent:	Monday, July 14, 1997 2:01 PM
> To:	pynchon-l at waste.org
> Subject:	RE: The Great Divide
> 
> Small quibble. G. Spencer-Brown's fundamental operation/instruction 
> was to draw a distinction. That distinction was symbolized in the 
> calculous by a (bent) line, and was illustrated by a circle as 
> representative of a contained space.
> 
> On 14 Jul 97 at 12:13, Michael McAulay <michael.mcaulay at 3do.com> 
> wrote:
> 
> > I've been looking for an opening for this for a while now...check
> > page 616 of M&D where there is a clear reference to G.
> > Spencer-Brown's Laws Of Form.  In LOF the fundamental operation of
> > thought is identified as drawing-a-line, which operation is
> > explicitly identified with naming.
> > 
> > So is TP saying that dehumanization is inherent in cognition?
> > 
> > [a plea, an imprecation: enough, already, with the non-Pynch msgs in
> > this list!  My mailbox runneth over.  Surely there are other, more
> > suitable venues, etc. etc...]  
> > 
> > ========
> > Mike McAulay
> > Sr. Engineer
> > 3DO
> > 
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From:	Jules Siegel [SMTP:jsiegel at mail.caribe.net.mx]
> > > Sent:	Monday, July 14, 1997 7:28 AM
> > > To:	pynchon-l at waste.org
> > > Subject:	Re: The Great Divide
> > > 
> > > At 03:09 PM 07/14/97 BST, andrew at cee.hw.ac.uk wrote:
> > > >Pynchon later baldly states that the purpose of carving all those
> > > >grid lines on the land was so that it could then be divided up,
> > > >possessed and fought over. However natural the original
> demarcations
> > > >might appear to be once you look up at the stars the orientation
> we
> > > >have chosen to impose on these `natural' coordinate systems says
> more
> > > >about humanity (rather, inhumanity) than it says about the
> physical
> > > >world.
> > > 
> > > Beyond excellent! One might say that the unifying theme of V.,
> > > Gravity's
> > > Rainbow and, possibly, Mason & Dixon, is the process of
> dehumanization
> > > that
> > > begins with the grid system.
> > > 
> > > 
> > > --Jules Siegel Apdo 1764 Cancun QR 77501
> > > http://www.yucatanweb.com/siegel/jsiegel.htm
> > 
> 
> 
> AsB4,
> Henry Musikar
> 
> Keep cool, but care. -- TRP
> Moderation in moderation. -- Husky Mariner
> DON'T PANIC! -- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
> What, me worry? -- A. E. Newman