Mary Anne Knukel: George Walford Memorial

It was with pleasure I received your letter, which arrived at a time when, coincidentally, we had been thinking about how much we are missing George Walford’s IC – his ideas, thoughts & stimulus for further ideas & thoughts. It is good to know that this discussion continues – he’d like that.

In the (sadly) last number of Ideological Commentary there is his admirable article War is Fun (besides other items, it was such a good number). It seems a good point to go on from; for more deep thought on the phenomenon of war, and how we should work to see it as it really is. GW’s article rings so truly, looking clearly & lucidly at the fact of war between people. As this is getting worse & more dangerous all the time (GW points out that this is merely because we have acquired a “better & better” technology; otherwise nothing else has changed) we had better start, seriously, trying to understand what is really going on. This understanding must surely include the realization that all life forms “war” against / with each other.

Until I read the matter up in the Encyclopaedia Britannica I supposed that “Ideology” was the study and history of ideas; now I know that it is not. According to Collins Dictionary, idea = Late Latin from Greek: model, pattern, notion, from idein, to see. Therefore “IC” was the perfect title and couldn’t have been better.

1995

George Walford International Essay Prize

Mary Anne Knukel: George Walford Memorial

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