IC maintains that Nothing is Absolutely True. The Shorter Oxford gives several meanings for ‘absolute,’ all deriving from the root meaning of detached or disengaged; in religion, for example, absolution detaches from sin. The most explicit of these is the one numbered IV.3: ‘Existing without relation to any other being; self-existent’ and (in the attached… read more »
S.i. identifies the first ideology, originally displayed, by the hunter-gatherers, as expedient and the second (which first appeared together with agriculture, production, civilization and trade) as principled. One ethnographer notes a later appearance of the distinction. After saying that Navaho behave in one way towards fellow-tribesmen and in another towards outsiders, he continues: Under the… read more »
It seems obvious that a major difference between human beings and animals lies in humans having won, or having been granted by biology, freedom from some of the genetic restraints that compel the animals. This has probably been asserted somewhere in the literature of s.i. although a recent search has failed to find it. Its… read more »
Continued from IC54. Under this title IC54 pointed out that although Buddhism, Christianity and Marxism each had its origins in the idiosyncratic vision of a powerful personality, as they have grown to exercise social influence, becoming established and institutionalised, each of them has departed from the intentions of its founder, coming under determination by one… read more »
Reprinted, with minimal revision, from Fourth World Review No. 47. – GW In Fourth World Review 40 / 41 the article ‘Start Preparing Now,’ by Kirkpatrick Sale, speaks of destruction of the environment only in connection with expansive European civilization of the last five centuries. If this be all there is to it we face… read more »
DOMINATION tends to spread, and the universities display this feature as much as do the other authoritarian institutions. Reviewing a clutch of books on the practice and theory of writing fiction, Malcolm Bradbury tells (not with any hostile intent), how the number of Creative Writing courses has increased. Until quite recently, in the time of… read more »
On Good Friday, 1834, John Henry Newman, later Cardinal, lamented that his position as a minister compelled him to speak his own words; on so solemn a day he would rather have remained silent. Eric Griffiths comments: ‘The heretic wishes ever to speak his own words, the orthodox welcomes the opportunity of shutting up along… read more »
‘Highly intelligent, soft-hearted liberals, who can unite only on issues like freedom of public speech, any threat to which endangers the life of the mind.’ (Lawrence Stone) from Ideological Commentary 56, May 1992.
SYSTEMATIC ideology ascribes both institutional religion and the law to the one ideology, that of principle / domination. Richard Hughes, writing on transportation, brings out some of the detailed correspondences. He likens the rhetoric and diction, the costume and rituals of the judges to those of the priests. In their addresses the judges delivered the… read more »
History falls short on political correctness, it shows that domination is not peculiar to men. Catherine the Great, Elizabeth I, Boudicca, Mrs. Gandhi, Mrs. Bandaranaike and Our Lady of Grantham all behaved in much the same way as men holding similar positions. So do women teachers, murderesses, wardresses, judges, chairs and police-women, so do Edith… read more »