Transparency,Opacity,An0nomy:’Pataphysics
ProfessorAndrewHugillBathSpaUniversity
PataphysicalScience
UbuRoi:’Pataphysicsisasciencewehaveinvented,andforwhichacryingneedhasgenerallybeenfelt.
BishopMendacious
Thegidouille
ʼPataphysics
An0nomy
Defini0ons• Pataphysics[…]isthescienceofthatwhichissuperinducedupon
metaphysics,whetherwithinorbeyondthelaKer'slimita0ons,extendingasfarbeyondmetaphysicsasthelaKerextendsbeyondphysics.
• Pataphysicswillbe,aboveall,thescienceofthepar0cular,despitethecommonopinionthattheonlyscienceisthatofthegeneral.
• Pataphysicswillexaminethelawswhichgovernexcep0ons,andwillexplaintheuniversesupplementarytothisone;or,lessambi0ously,willdescribeauniversewhichcanbe-andperhapsshouldbe-envisagedintheplaceofthetradi0onalone[…]
• DEFINITION.Pataphysicsisthescienceofimaginarysolu8ons,whichsymbolicallya;ributestheproper8esofobjects,describedbytheirvirtuality,totheirlineaments.(JarryGestesetopinionsduDocteurFaustroll,pataphysicien)
CollègedeʼPataphysique
Ques0ons
PataphysicalKnowledge
Shouldpataphysicsbetakenseriously?
Carelman:LesChaussonsramasse-mie;es(crumbslippers)
PataphysicsandtheAcademy
“Is there any need to wish pataphysics well in Buenos Aires?
It was there, as it was everywhere, before we came into existence and it can do without the lot of us.
It will always exist and will do without us altogether.
It can even do without existing, for it does not even need to exist in order to exist.”
(Sandomir,1957)
TwoExamples
SurfaceofGod DaysandNights
LordKelvinandPaulValéry
LordKelvin PaulValéry
FormulaThuswehave:x=∞–N–a–P.ButN=∞–0andP=0.Thereforex=∞–(∞–0)–a–0=∞–∞+0–a–0x=–a.
GODISTHETANGENTIALPOINTBETWEENZEROANDINFINITY.Pataphysicsisthescience...
BorisVian:Calculnumériquededieupardesmethodssimplesetfausses
Dieu=deux+i-x=2+i-x[…]Deux+Deux=4(Dieux-i)+(Dieux-i)=4Dieux+Dieux-2i=4Dieux-2i=4
Dieux=Deux+i=2+i2+i-2i=42-i-4=0i=-2Dieu=1–1=0.
JOOTSYCalculus
• GeneralizedOrthographicDenota0ons(GOD)• 2+2=4• Inverted:(9-8)(9-8)• T-Math:2teacupsplus2teacups=40cups• Honestcalcula0ons:oneplustwelve=1+12;sevenplusseven=7+7
DaysandNights:novelofadeserter
Romanscales
TheTacitDimension
Nonaka,I.(1991)"Theknowledgecrea0ngcompany."HarvardBusinessReview,69,(Nov-Dec),96-104
RobertSmithsonSpiralJe;y(1970)
Mode1/Mode2
Kemp,R.&Martens,P.(2007)“Sustainabledevelopment:howtomanagesomethingthatissubjec0veandcanneverbeachieved”.Sustainability:Science,Prac8ceandPolicye-journal.
TheConsola0onsofʼPataphysics
Crea0veCompu0ng
AndrewHugill/Mar0nRieserSecretGarden(2013)
PRASCAL
<Physics>ʼ+<Physics>::=Metaphysics <Metaphysics>ʼ+<Metaphysics>::=Pataphysics<Pataphysics>ʼ-<Metaphysics>::=Metaphysics<Metaphysics>ʼ-<Physics>::=Physics <Physics>ʼ*<Metaphysics>::=Pataphysics <Pataphysics>ʼ/<Metaphysics>::=Physics
Crossinglevelsofabstrac0on
frogʼ+frog=heqetheqetʼ+heqet=hoquet
hoquetʼ-heqet=heqetheqetʼ-frog=frog
frogʼ*heqet=hoquethoquetʼ/heqet=frog
Patadata
UbooleanLogic
ConjuncConX Y Z=X(AND⋀)Y
F F F
F T F
F FT F
T F F
T T T
T FT FT
FT F F
FT T FT
FT FT FT
DisjuncConX Y Z=X(OR⋁)Y
F F F
F T T
F FT FT
T F T
T T T
T FT T
FT F FT
FT T T
FT FT FT
SomePataphysicalFunc0ons• absolu(string)→string(theabsoluvaluewillalwaysresultinacliché)
– absolu(frog)=afroginthehandisworthtwointherefrigerator.
• an0nomy(string)→string(thean0nomyfunc0onisself-contradictory)– an0nomy(brother)+an0nomy(cheese)=Youdonothaveabrother
andhelikescheese(cf.Perec).• epiphenomenon(string)→string(anepiphenomenonisaby-product)
– epiphenomenon(spaghe�)=steam
Marxism
Thankyou!
AndrewHugillCentreforCrea0veCompu0ng
BathSpaUniversityCorshamCourt
CorshamSN130BZU.K.
FromTheImaginaryVoyage
• IsleofCack– ….isnotanislandbutaman….– hKp://theimaginaryvoyage.com/Islands/Cack/Isle_of_Cack1.php
LandofLaceThekingofLacedrewoutthelightasaropemakerplaitshisretrogradeline,andthethreadstroubledslightlyinthedimlight,likecobwebs.Theywovethemselvesintoforests,liketheleaveswhichhoarfrostengravesonwindowpanes;thentheyfashionedthemselvesintoaMadonnaandherChildintheChristmassnow;andthenintojewels,peacocks,andgowns,interminglinglikeaswimmingdanceoftheRhinemaidens.TheBeauxandtheBellesstruKedandpreenedinimita0onoffans,un0ltheirpa0entgatheringbrokeupwithacry.Justasthewhitejunonians,roos0nginapark,complainingraucouslywhenthelyingintrusionofalampapesprematurelythedawn’sreflec0onoftheirocelli,soanartlessshapeburgeonedintheforestofraked-overpinepitch;andasPierrotserenadestheconfusionofthemoon’sentwinedball,theparadoxofdayburrowingundergroundarosefromAliBabascreaminginthepi0lessoilandthejar’sdarkness.