Ideological Commentary |

George Walford: Doing the Splits (55)

August 7, 2014

IC has been running items under this heading, drawing attention to the increase in divisiveness towards the eidodynamic end of the ideological range. The first two of the present selection are particularly fine; one gives vigorous expression to what happens, the other shows its practical importance: “Why is it that right-wing bastards always stand shoulder… read more »

George Walford: The Road to Braziers

August 7, 2014

Harold Walsby, originator of the theory now known as systematic ideology, included among his many interests the adult education carried on at Braziers – officially Braziers Park Integrative School of Social Research. He lived there for a time, and a sketch he made of the main building appears as a heading to this article. Braziers… read more »

George Walford: Does Mind Matter, Does Matter Mind?

August 6, 2014

(Reprinted from Ethical Record, December 1991. – GW) The article entitled “Remarks on the Relation Between Brain and Consciousness,” in ER for October, argues against “the old hypothesis that thought or consciousness is an independent active agent in the world.” So far we have agreement; to the best of my knowledge neither thought nor consciousness… read more »

George Walford: Spiritualism

August 6, 2014

Spiritualism flourishes, socialism languishes. Martin Gardner reports that nearly all the first-rank American publishing houses have been knowingly issuing books of occult rubbish. [1] He quotes Ruth Brandon on the endlessness of the task of exposing their fraudulence; any success gets swamped by new publications and the mass goes wallowing on. The book trade magazine,… read more »

Dan Wilson, S. E. Parker, Donald Rooum: Letters

August 5, 2014

HYPERSCEPTICISM Sir, I wonder if you realise that your extension of systematic ideology to the business of everyday living [1] – the ideologies surrounding a flying brick – marries up with hyperscepticism when it is applied to existence itself? In hyperscepticism the viewer does not accept any proposition as ultimately true. Resonance: NIAT. There is… read more »

George Walford: William Morris

August 17, 2014

In Freedom of 14 December reviews of two books, one by William Morris and the other about him, occupy a full page. Thoughtful, informed and informative though they are, both of them display one surprising omission. Look at these quotations: “RICH SCUM . . Thought – terminate ’em!’ (Class War); “the rich will always save… read more »

George Walford: Discovering Ideology

August 3, 2014

This is the full text, minimally edited, of a talk delivered to the South Place Ethical Society at their premises, Conway Hall, on 17 November 1991. The Society (familiar as South Place, or SPES), presents itself and its aims: “Founded in 1793, the Society is a progressive movement whose aim is the study and dissemination… read more »

George Walford: The First Big Step

July 30, 2014

In order to form any clear ideas about the probable social future we need a rational conception of the course followed in the past, a curve to extrapolate. Beyond Politics presents a stadial conception in which the first major step occurs when the state succeeds the foraging communities, a transition intimately linked with the emergence… read more »

Solidarity: Standing Marx on His Head

July 28, 2014

With the disappearance of the USSR, and of one Communist party after another, Marxism has begun to return to its former condition as the hobby of a few disturbed individuals. Long the most popular formulation of the ideology of revolution it is still only one version, prepared in a particular set of historical circumstances. These… read more »

George Walford: Ideology in the Reviews (55)

July 28, 2014

PETER Marshall has produced Demanding the Impossible; a history of anarchism. (Harper-Collins). The free-market movement known as anarcho-capitalism he rejects as “merely a free-for-all in which only the rich and the cunning would benefit. Evidently he agrees with IC that anarchism stands not only for freedom but also for limitation; a free-for-all is not acceptable…. read more »