INHERENT VICE (Exploring the title)

[Bekah]

Just  catching up here after a very hectic week (but I'm on a 4-day  
break now) -   yes, John,  it did seem to me that

> inherent vice: n. ~ The tendency of material to deteriorate due to  
> the essential
> instability of the components or interaction among components.


sounds a lot like entropy the way Pynchon used the term particularly  
in TCoL49 or stretching it,  a bit like AtD because the inherent vice  
of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings - (leading to the  
inherent contradiction/conflict and deterioration of the systems).

Also in  human beings and their art:

“Inherent vice” is somewhat akin to the innate (bad and potentially  
self-destructive) behaviour triggered by the bit of DNA that impels a  
person to over-indulgence and, through excess, die prematurely. A  
similar flaw exists in certain artworks. Because of their inherent  
natures, such pieces will degrade over time or suffer from conditions  
(or other factors) in their surroundings that will diminish their  
effectiveness. Art depends on professionals: to detect their  
problems; to slow or stop the progress of their ‘maladies’ and where  
possible, to endow them with eternal life.
http://www.preview-art.com/behindscenes/inherentvice.html

Bekah


On Nov 26, 2008, at 5:48 AM, John Bailey wrote:

> There's *got* to be a Don Johnson reference in there somewhere.
>
> Also, I can't help but think about Pynchon's Slow Learner  
> confessions where he admits (perhaps falsely) that he didn't really  
> understand the concept of entropy when he employed it in his  
> fiction. And reading up on the meaning of the term Inherent Vice,  
> it feels like he might be saying "THAT'S what I meant all along!"
>
> On Thu, Nov 27, 2008 at 12:38 AM, Dave Monroe  
> <against.the.dave at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Nov 26, 2008 at 7:33 AM, John Bailey <sundayjb at gmail.com>  
> wrote:
>
> > IV
>
> Oh,  dear.  Also, substitute "Miami" for "Inherent" ...
>