TIME-BINDINGS Vol. XXI, No. 2, Spring 2003

Table of Contents

Editor’s Perspectives...............................12002 AK Memorial Lecture..................... 12002 AKML Colloquium......................... 2B (X) = Y..................................................3Book Review............................................ 4A Speculation on Identifying................... 4Australian Society News..........................4Alfred Korzybski Collected Writings....... 6Twelfth International Conference............7Seminar-Workshop in GS........................ 8On Bogus Claims.....................................8Dallas-Fort Worth Center........................9News from the Institute........................... 9Worth Pondering..................................... 9Intl. Conf. Registration Form................10Resources for IGS Members..................10

Page references to Science and Sanity refer to theFifth Edition.

©2003 Institute of General Semantics

TIME-BINDINGS An IGS Newsletter

Editor: Susan Presby Kodish

Institute of General Semantics86 85th StreetBrooklyn, NY 11209-4208 USAPhone: (718) 921-7093FAX: (718) 921-4276institute@general-semantics.orgwww.general-semantics.org

SUBMISSION GUIDELINESPlease send hard-copy submissions orinquiries to Susan Presby Kodish at: P.O.Box 50490, Pasadena, CA 91115-0490;Fax 626-795-0954. In addition to hard-copy, whenever possible send your articlesubmission via internet by copying yourtext into the body of an email to:timebindings @aol.com. Email attach-ments will not be accepted.

Deadlines: Spring–March 1; Summer–June 1; Fall–September 1; Winter–December 1.

EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVESWhen my friend, Mel Laucella,contemplated the discipline of generalsemantics, he said, “The whole Libraryof Congress is your data base.” Froman everyday perspective, I’d say thatnigh everything is our data base,depending on the perspectives we takeon daily events. In this column I planto offer some observations from myown life, what I hear and see, etc., andwhat I read. These observationsinevitably will be filtered through mygeneral-semantics lens, as well as otherassumptions, my very near-sighted andpresbyopic eyes, acute sense ofsmell, etc.

I invite your comments, particularlyfrom your general-semanticsperspective, on what I write, otheritems in Time-Bindings, and what youobserve in your daily life. Also, pleaselet us know of books, articles, movies,etc., that you recommend for othergeneral semanticists. Your report canrange from basic indentifyinginformation such as title, date, author,to a no-more-than-two paragraphsreview. Also, let us know what’s newin your life regarding generalsemantics. Let’s learn from eachother—let’s put time-binding intoaction in these pages.

For now,Susan Presby Kodish

2002 AKMEMORIAL LECTURE

BY MARTHA SANTER,IGS EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

The Institute was greatly honored tohave, as our 2002 Alfred KorzybskiMemorial Lecturer, Dr. J. AllanHobson, the Director of the Labora-tory of Neurophysiology at the Mas-sachusetts Mental Health Center. Ourmembers and other friends got to-gether on the evening of November8, 2002 in the elegant TrumbullRoom of the Yale Club in New YorkCity for this annual event created tohonor the founder of the Institute,Alfred Korzybski. Jeff Mordkowitz,the Institute Director, served as Mas-ter of Ceremonies. It was an excit-ing and friendly evening beginningwith the cocktail hour and dinner.

IGS vice-president Irene RossMayper presented the J. TalbotWinchell Award to Dr. Isabel Caroof the University of Valencia (Spain).Allen Flagg, President of the NewYork Society for General Semanticsand the Dream Education Institute,gave an eloquent introduction for ouresteemed guest speaker. We were for-tunate to have in the audience, Dr.Hobson’s wife, Dr. Rosalia C. Silvestri-Hobson, who is a practicing neurologist.

Throughout his challenging andstimulating talk, “Dream Science andHuman Consciousness,” Dr. Hobsonwove aspects of Korzybski’s thought,making many references to generalsemantics. The lecture will be pub-lished in its entirety in the next Gen-eral Semantics Bulletin (Nos. 69-70).

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Mark Your Calendar

10/26/03 - 10/30/03: A Seminar-Workshopin General Semantics, Las Vegas, Nevada

10/31/03 - 11/2/03: 12th InternationalConference including the 2003 AKMLwith Dr. Sanford Berman, Las Vegas, Nevada

GS OrganizationsAustralian General Semantics Society: c/oLaurence Cox, Unit 15, “The Commo-dore,” 12-16 Walton Crescent,Abbotsford, 2046, N.S.W., Australia

Dallas-Fort Worth Center forGeneral Semantics:P.O. Box 1565Fort Worth, TX 76101-1565Phone: 972-897-5620

International Society for General Semantics:P.O. Box 728, Concord, CA 94522Phone: 925-798-0311

New York Society For General Semantics:c/o Allen Flagg, 144 East 36th St., NewYork, NY 10016 Phone: 212-532-8042

San Francisco Chapter ISGS: 248 AlmaSt., San Francisco, CA 94117-4224

GS on the InternetInstitute of General Semantics:http://www.general-semantics.org

International Society for General Semantics:http://www.generalsemantics.org

Dallas-Fort Worth Center forGeneral Semantics:http://www.dfwcgs.net

GS discussion list: to subscribe, sendemail to ‘majordomo@worldtrans.org’with the following line in the body (notthe subject) of the message:subscribe gs-l [optional: your emailaddress]

European Society: http://www.esgs.org(French, English, Spanish, Italian,German and Polish)

GSINTRO discussion list: contactCarmen Clark, gsintro host, atceclark@students.wisc.edu

2002 AKML COLLOQUIUMBY MARTIN LEVINSON

The AKML Saturday colloquium,titled “Therapy and Counseling:From Theory to Practice,” was heldat the Yale Club in New York Cityon November 9th with approxi-mately fifty people in attendance.Four lecture/workshops were offeredbeginning with a presentation by Dr.Albert Ellis, the founder of RationalEmotive Behavior Therapy (REBT).

Ellis spoke about the major impactthat general semantics has had onthe development of REBT and heprovided vivid examples of howREBT can be used to overcomevarious kinds of personal problems.Those of us who know Al were notshocked by the plentitude of four-letter words that he used to illus-trate his points but some in thecrowd were a bit taken aback. How-ever, by the end of his lecture ev-eryone agreed that Ellis’ sprightlyuse of obscenity was reasonable forthe occasion and that he is one ofthe liveliest and most interestingeighty-eight year olds around.

The second presentation was givenby Kevin Wadalavage, the vice-presi-dent of the Outreach Project (a drugtreatment agency). Kevin spokeabout the communication problemsthat often occur between drug treat-ment researchers and practitionersand he particularly noted that the re-searchers were frequently arrogant intheir discourse with practitioners. Hesuggested that researchers should dofield visits before making sugges-tions to practitioners and that abstractresearch theories may seem plausiblebut to work in practice they must begrounded in “reality.”

After lunch Dr. Martin H. Levinsonand Dr. Katherine Liepe-Levinsonspoke about the effects of using gen-eral semantics to reduce studentalienation. Their lecture was basedon a research study that Martin haddone using general semantics to re-duce three dimensions of alienationamong junior high school students—this study is more fully described inchapter six of Martin Levinson’sbook, The Drug Problem: A NewView Using the General SemanticsApproach (Praeger, 2002). The duomade a similar presentation a weekbefore at the National PreventionNetwork Conference in San Diego.

Katherine Liepe-Levinson speaking at theAKML Colloqium

The final workshop was done byAllen Flagg, the president of theNew York Society for General Se-mantics and the Dream Institute, on“lucid dreaming.” His presentationwas most interesting and quite rel-evant since the Alfred KorzybskiMemorial Lecture was on “DreamScience and Human Conscious-ness.” Everyone seemed rivetedand wide awake for Allen’s presen-tation.

The colloquium concluded with theexcellent piano playing of the re-nowned polymath Robert Pula andmemories of a superbly orches-trated day.

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B (X) = YBY MARIA BISHOP

Editor’s note: This article is the textof a presentation given by MariaBishop, an Alverno student, on July19th, 2002 at the Institute of GeneralSemantics seminar at AlvernoCollege, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Dueto its length, I have divided it intotwo parts, which I’ve labeled Part I,Introduction (below) and Part II,Application, which will appear in theSummer 2003 issue of Time-Bindings. In the article, Maria doesan admirable job of applyingKorzybski’s formula, B (X) = Y, toan important aspect of society today.For more about the formula, inKorzybski’s words, see Science andSanity, pp. 444-445.

Maria introduces herself thusly: Mymajor is psychology with a minor incommunication and general studies.I feel comfortable enough to say thatI have become a ‘newby’ to thegeneral-semantics family and lookforward to continued growth andawareness that I already know willbe an integral part of my academicachievement and professionalsuccess. Many thanks to those whowelcomed me ‘home’!

IntroductionI believe it was sometime from themid-50s to the early 60s that thechildren’s cartoon “Gumby” was onnetwork TV. I am largely guessingat this point and using my own ageand memory as a reference point forthis, so please do not hold me as areliable source of fac t ; I didn’t domy research! Well, as you mayremember, Gumby and Pokey werea bit lackluster in appearance andphysical ability compared to today’sgraphic cartoon characters. Bothwere bland in color, looked like

PlayDough and were as flat aspancakes. Their movements aboutthe screen looked labored andcomical, as did their facialexpressions. They were not much tolook at and, as I grew older, fun topick apart and poke fun at.

Funny, junior high school seemed tome like that as well. Quite often wewere picked apart and poked fun at.One would think that Poky andGumby would be left behind in thetoy box of our memories but that wasnot the case for a dear friend of mine.

As my friend Susie and I moved fromthe security of elementary school tothe daunting halls of junior high,innocence was lost and replaced bya host of insecurities brought on bynew events.

I had plenty of my own insecuritiesno doubt; however, I especially willnever forget how early within ourfirst year of junior high, somehowSusie, becoming a target of others’insecurities, was classified andlabeled. The whispers wereintentionally loud as she walked atmy side. I cringed as the word“Gumby” floated above and camecrashing upon our ears. To this day, Ido not know how she felt uponhearing that word time and again,knowing the connotation attached tothe word and knowing that it wasdirected at her— she was not abeauty in their eyes. But what theyfailed to evaluate was her intelligence,and boy was that girl blessed!

The definition of beauty, as a noun,according to the Webster’s CollegeDictionary 2001 edition, is this:

1. Quality present in a person orthing that gives intenseaesthetic pleasure or deep

satisfaction to the mind orsenses.

2. A beautiful person, especiallya woman.

I find the ‘especially a woman’ parthumorous. During years of workingas a freelance make-up artist, Iwitnessed gross assumptions aboutbeauty and self- image that were un-sane distorted patterns that hadbecome a way of life for many of theyoung women I dealt with. Theirony: As little girls, these youngwomen experienced our Westernculture’s inundation by the media’sassumptions pertaining to beauty andwere making inaccurate observations(unbeknownst to them) about theirown beauty as they grew into youngwomen. They were just following thestatus quo about becoming femininewithin our sex-saturated culture.

As I look at the structural differentialI know that the descriptive level is thefirst verbal level following theobjective level. At the descriptivelevel, as Korzybski tells us, quite oftenwe use inferential language for ourdescriptions; thus the confusion oforders of abstraction takes place.Understanding this and having readabout Korzybski’s formula B(X)=Y, Iwas excited to make the connectionbetween this formulation and ourWestern culture’s obsession with beauty.

Structural Differential Diagram ©IGS

Event Level

Objective Level

Descriptive Level

Inference Level

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BOOK REVIEWBY MARTIN LEVINSON

General Semantics in Psychotherapy:Selected Writings on Methods AidingTherapy. Isabel Caro and CharlotteSchuchardt Read, editors. Brooklyn, NY:Institute of General Semantics, 2003.

In 1988, William Exton Jr., thenpresident of the Institute of GeneralSemantics, invited Dr. Isabel Caro toput together a volume consisting ofgeneral-semantics literature onpsychotherapy. The result of thatsolicitation is this comprehensive andcompelling book.

Alfred Korzybski, the founder ofgeneral semantics, had a deep interestin psychology and psychotherapy.After he published his first book,Manhood of Humanity, Korzybskistudied for two years at St. Elizabethshospital in Washington, D.C. underthe tutelage of its Superintendent Dr.William Alanson White. The insightsgained from that experience werepivotal to Korzybski’s developmentof the theory of general semantics,which was formally introduced in1933 with the publication of Scienceand Sanity. In 1938, Korzybskiinvited a number of psychiatrists tobecome Honorary Trustees of thenewly-formed Institute of GeneralSemantics and in later work he wasparticularly concerned that hisgeneral educational theory could bean effective aid in psychotherapy.

General Semantics in Psychotherapy isdivided into four parts. Part I consistsof an abridgement of a paper read inabstract by Korzybski to the AmericanPsychiatric Association in 1941,elucidating the beneficial relationship

of general semantics to psychiatry,psychotherapy, and prevention. PartII shows how the theory was appliedin various contexts, with articles onthe use of general semantics toreduce battlefield trauma and fear;investigations into non-directiveinfluence and self-reflexiveness intherapy and education; and analysesof general semantics and the processof psychotherapy. Part III containseight papers on research—with avery good overview of researchstudies by Ken Johnson titled, “WhatResearch Tells Us.” Part IV presentsa “relational approach” with severaldifferent theoretical models—thoseof Albert Ellis (Rational EmotiveBehavior Therapy), Bernard Basescu(gestalt therapy), Gregory Bateson(systemic model), and Isabel Caro(cognitive). There is also a forewordby Dr. Albert Ellis and an epilog byProfessor Elena Ibáñez.

I found General Semantics inPsychotherapy quite interesting andinstructive, and so did Albert Elliswho states, “…Nowhere else have somany and useful general semanticsideas that apply to the field ofpsychotherapy been presented. Theeditors, Isabel Caro and CharlotteRead, have done the reading publica great service by making themavailable in one important volume.”

A SPECULATIONON IDENTIFYING

BY MILTON DAWES

Our human organism-nervous-sys-tem-brain-mind created sounds in theearly stages of its development.Some of these sounds (early wordforms) might have originated fromfear. So when the word for tiger, orlion, or snake came up, for survival’ssake, it was important to react and

react fast. The word was the thing.No time to stop and ponder that theword might not mean the thing.Those who engaged in critical evalu-ation in these early periods of ourevolution did not survive. Like ba-bies, the cognitive abilities of ourearly ancestors were highly undiffer-entiated. The word was the thing.

Over millennia, we humans createdsocieties and institutions. We createdreligious, political, economic, educa-tional and other systems based onthese early undifferentiated connec-tions. We have become better at dif-ferentiating. We have more words.But except in science and mathemat-ics, we seem stuck in our early iden-tifying tendencies. So the morewords we have the more we identify.

Training and practice in applyinggeneral-semantics principles canhelp us minimize our tendency toidentify (treat as the same) our ideas,thoughts, opinions, theories, expec-tations, beliefs, knowledge, fears,etc., with what they are supposed tobe about.

[Editor’s note: We invite your com-ments-speculations on Milton’sspeculations.]

AUSTRALIAN SOCIETYDAVID HEWSON’S 2002 REPORT

The Australian Society for GeneralSemantics (AGS) had 8 monthly meet-ings with the main group and about 48meetings with the “advanced” GS stud-ies group, which meets weekly onTuesdays, except for January. Thisgroup has finished studying People inQuandaries and has now gone back tostudying Science and Sanity. For a fewweeks before Milton’s [Dawes] visitwe reviewed some of his papers.

TIME-BINDINGS Spring 2003 ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ 5 ♦♦♦♦♦

ROBERT JAMES’ NOTES ON THE AGS2002 MILTON DAWES SEMINAR

The AGS was most fortunate to re-ceive a seminar visit in November,from Milton Dawes, highly ac-claimed in the “GS world” for hislively and instructive GS presenta-tions.

The Institute generously subsidizedMilton’s costs, as well as the promo-tional process and video-recording.Since Laurie Cox met Milton in theUSA and Canada some years ago, wehave been discussing Milton’s ar-ticles, debating his ideas and specu-lating on what it would be like tomeet him.

We were not disappointed. Our Sun-day afternoon, Wednesday eveningand full weekend seminars were avery special and valuable experience,rivaled only by the personal contacttimes in between! Under the high-order banner of “Success,” Miltonled us through experiences rangingfrom verbal, video and musical pre-sentations, group discussions, role-playing, individual and teamworkexercises, and other activities that arehard to describe!

In the opening one-day session, wefound our group’s ability to commu-nicate was facilitated by Miltonlaunching straight into a topic so fun-damental to everyone’s life. By chal-lenging us to consider and discussour individual concepts of “success,”Milton brought the group together,while creating a focus for each of uson individual needs. Later we movedon to the concepts and relevance ofstructuring, goal-setting, and issuesof personal perspective. The “chal-lenging chair” exercise, presented ina video, evoked as many interpreta-tions as there were participants, dem-

onstrating the subjective nature of allexperience.

The Friday night on which the week-end residential seminar started wasa most moving event. Exchanging“wave motion” stories was an excuseto cover all manner of experiencesfrom personal relationships, surfing,parenting, quantum mechanics,eschatology, to the Structural Differ-ential, all helped along by a bottle (ortwo) from Gavan’s excellent rovingcellar. My post-seminar survey ofparticipants lists Milton’s “Drum-ming Session” as the most “special”non-verbal experience of the semi-nar series. GS could easily be pro-moted to “the masses” if we onlycould carry the strength of this ex-perience through all of our activi-ties.

So much for Friday night. There werestill another two days to go!Saturday’s activities centered on:Milton’s ICONS (Instances of Con-ditioning); neuro-semantic, neuro-linguistic environments; map-terri-tory relationships; rhythms of life;invariance under transformation; ex-tensional-intensional perception; andverbal/non-verbal awareness. Allwere woven into a tapestry of dis-cussion, demonstrations, exercises,illustrations, metaphorical magnets,trapezoidal windows, etc. But is thatall? Well, no, but it will do for now!

On Sunday, the final residential day,our group’s capacity to handle con-tentions relating to the meta-mappingprocess was sorely tested. The valueof considering a conversation as asequence of statements, questions,elaborations, comments, advice andsuggestions, was seen by some ascontrived and unnecessary, and by[continued on p.6]

Due to increased demand, LaurieCox has started up another group inthe eastern suburbs that meets fort-nightly on a Monday. This is moreof a beginners group and they workon applying GS to topics like “angermanagement.”

The monthly meetings (which meet allday on a Saturday or a Sunday) havecovered topics like:1. “Meeting Challenge and Change”(by analyzing thoughts and feelings).2. “Practical Devices and Techniques,”e.g. delayed reaction, semantic relax-ation, assumptions and/or the premisesof GS: non-identity, non-allness, self-reflexiveness.3. “Skills for Effective Thinking.”Based on Keyes’ book: How to De-velop Your Thinking Ability.4. “Communication Processes.”5. “Self Management in Difficult Situ-ations.” Based on Laurie Cox’s book.6. “How to Behave in a Calm, Com-posed & Confident Manner.” An ap-plication of the following GS formu-lations: assumptions, expectations,degree, perfectionism, self-reflexive-ness, viewpoint, projection, etc.7. “MacNeal’s Decision-Making For-mulations and How to Apply Them inYour Life.”8. “A General Introduction to GeneralSemantics for the Beginner,” aimed atthose going to Milton’s seminars.9. Milton Dawes [See below.]

Milton and Some Aussie Friends

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[Dawes Seminar continued]

others as a valuable exercise in en-hancing perception without dimin-ishing spontaneity. This was anotherillustration of the challenge facing usas “GS practitioners”—how to uti-lize and promote GS techniqueswithout boring or alienating family,friends and the wider community.

Philip Anthony, Laurie Cox, Betty Cox, andMilton Dawes

The “Awareness Walks” were also re-ceived with a range of responses. Con-tributing an “exertion element” with vari-ous individual and pair assignments, theseactivities livened up the day, developedawareness of our colleagues, and sparkedcontroversy about the value of adding“But is that all?” (verbally or in thought)to enrich our conversations.

If you think that the calculus is not some-thing most of us can consciously applyto our lives most of the time, or have neverenjoyed the privilege of grasping its maj-esty as a mathematical tool, then youmight like to read Milton’s article, “A Cal-culus Approach to Everyday Living.”Our Sunday afternoon session includedstruggling with verbal concepts and defi-nitions, abstracting mixed signals (e.g.colors) as a single entity, and experienc-ing the integration of “parts” (orchestra-tion, lyrics, etc.) into the “whole” of a“popular music” performance.

One of my strongest impressions isthe diversity of recollections amongthe participants. Some of our (more

ALFRED KORZYBSKICOLLECTED WRITINGSNUMBER 18 IN A SERIES

BY ROBERT P. PULA

“GeneralSemantics: Extensionalization inMathematics, Mathematical Physics, andGeneral Education. Paper III: “Over/UnderDefined Terms.” (Abstract Only) and “ ̀ Ex-cerpt from a letter’ to Alston S. House-holder, May 28, 1940.”The first sentence of Korzybski’s ab-stract makes the important point thatawareness of over/under definedterms constitutes an aspect of exten-sional orientation and method.Wecan remind ourselves that the exten-

sional devices are precisely precisemeans for overcoming the distortingeffects of over/under defined terms.Thus we (you and I) see again theinterrelated character of the formu-lations of Korzybski’s system (gen-eral semantics) qua system.

The abstract is short enough that wecan present it here in this short re-view: “This paper, the third of its series,shows that even in mathematics, physicsand life [my italics: RPP] we deal only withover/under defined terms, resulting in ex-treme difficulties in thinking. Thinking1 ofapes, insane, and so on, differs from think-ing2 of normal humans. Formalism1 of in-sane, and so on, contrasts with normal for-malism2, including mathematics. Calculusof propositions requires formalism2, neededfor sanity. The author shows mathematicsas a language similar in structure to [em-pirical] facts, and the structure of the ner-vous system, allowing predictability in sci-ence and life. Undefined terms and postu-lates solve the dilemma of knowing every-thing before we know anything. [DearReader, Please pause and reflect on that re-markable descriptive statement of a preva-lent dilemma. RPP] The multiordinality ofknowledge [my italics: RPP] is explained.Plain human ignorance is often impossible,only false knowledge [often] exists, induc-ing insanity. Ignorance is static in charac-ter; false knowledge is dynamic. Physico-mathematical methods uniquely translatestatic into dynamic, and vice-versa. Evalu-ation by intensional methods, or mere ver-bal definition, induces dementia praecox[early term for youthful `schizophrenia’:RPP]. It is explained how physico-math-ematical, extensional methods are essentialfor sanity. The two methods prove irrecon-cilable. Analysis shows the inherent dual-ism of under/over defined terms, depend-ing on whether intensional or extensionalmethods are used, eliminating conflictingdualism in science and semantic(evaluational) reactions.”

Note Korzybski’s equating of seman-tic and evaluational reactions. I rec-ommend the reader (you student ofgeneral semantics, you!) see JeffMordkowitz’s “A Note on

verbally inclined?) people remem-bered the explanations of structuringprocess, functions and variables, orthe fundamentals of the calculus.Others were intrigued by the analogyof synchronous hanging magnetswith their interpersonal relationships.But everyone carried away some-thing of value from Milton’s myriadexperiences and insights, to apply intheir post-seminar lives.

I close this brief sample of my ex-periences with, as some of us wouldsay, “But there’s always more.”

AGS PROGRAM FOR 2003March: “Success,” Robert JamesApril: “Problem Solving,” DavidHewsonMay: “Application of correct symbol-ism to fact: Using language to maxi-mize predicability, communication andproblem solving,” Laurie CoxJune: “Ethics,” Robert JamesJuly: “Predictability,” Laurie CoxAugust: “Personality,” Robert JamesSeptember: “How to improve yourrelationships,” David HewsonOctober: “Critical thinking from aGS perspective,” David HewsonNovember:“Semanti-therapy,” Laurie Cox

TIME-BINDINGS Spring 2003 ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ 7 ♦♦♦♦♦

Evaluational Reactions” in theupcomingGSB Nos. 69-70, 2003.Over/underdefined terms is dis-cussed most fully in the “Introduc-tion to the Second Edition” of Sci-ence and Sanity, pp. xxxvii-lxxxviiin the Fifth Edition, 1994.

The excerpt from the letter to House-holder, of the University of Chicago,contains some striking assertionswhich merit comment. Korzybskirefers to Alvin Weinberg’s paper,“General Semantics and the Teach-ing of Physics,” (1) and asks House-holder if he “...would ask Weinbergif he could give me examples of over/under defined terms in physics, andif you could give me examples frommathematics.... This would havetaken me a lot of time to find as itinvolves familiarities with technicali-ties with which I am out of touchnow. I am anxious to have simplestcases, as I on my own would giveonly complex examples...”

He cites the examples of the euclid-ean parallels as over-underdefined byextension; a circumstance which ne-cessitated the extension of Euclid’sFifth Postulate via the non-euclideangeometries of Riemann, Bolyai andLobaczewski. Korzybski observesthat the newtonian equations weresimilarly over- and under-defined,necessitating the formulation byEinstein-Lorentz of the finite veloc-ity of the signal (light). This is im-portant for calling attention to the factthat the speed of light is a functionof the medium through which theparticles/waves travel, a circum-stance that Martin Gardner missedwhen he claimed that Einstein (de-spite his ‘relativity’) had establishedan ‘absolute’, namely the speed oflight. Heavens to Betsy, even the‘bending’ of the light path (space-

time curvature) must involve a slightslowing of the rate of speed, thanksto Mr. Newton’s gravity.

From Korzybski’s letter: “I am al-ways amused that mathematicians, inspite of their vehement denials, ac-tually have solved the most difficultpsycho-logical problems by theirmethods.” A core statement for gen-eral semanticists to ponder.

Korzybski concludes by giving‘Hitlerism’ as a prime example ofhow overwhelming use of over/un-der defined terms leads to disas-trously unsustainable orientations.“To be brief, Germany may win thewar, yet Hitlerism and Nazism willnot survive.”

Note:1. Published in The Physics Teacher, April1939. When Alvin Weinberg accepted elec-tion as an Honorary Trustee of the Instituteof General Semantics (1963), he wrote toM. Kendig that he was accepting to indi-cate “my intellectual debt to Korzybski.”He gave the 1966 Alfred Korzybski Memo-rial Lecture, titled “Will Technology Re-place Social Engineering?” (General Se-mantics Bulletin No. 34, 1967, pp. 9-15) Dr.Weinberg was then Director of Oak RidgeNational Laboratory in Tennessee.

THE TWELFTH INTERNATIONALCONFERENCE ON

GENERAL SEMANTICSConfronting the Challenges of

Conflicting World Views

Presented by the Institute of General Se-mantics. Cosponsored by the InternationalSociety for General Semantics and the NewYork Society for General Semantics.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Who: You and your friends, relativesand colleagues.

When: October 31 to November 2,2003. Registration and Reception onthe evening of October 30.

Where: The Orleans Hotel and Ca-sino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Locatedjust west of the famous Las Vegas“Strip,” the Orleans offers conve-nient access to the airport with lotsof accessible parking and a freeshuttle to the middle of the action onthe Strip. Visit the Orleans websitewww.orleanscasino.com for moredetails on their outstanding servicesand amenities.

How: The University of Nevada, LasVegas Professional Development Cen-ter will manage conference registra-tion. Pre-registration is required. Attend-ees may register by phone, mail or fax.Personal check and credit card paymentswill be accepted. Fill out the RegistrationForm (on the top of page 10) andMAIL to UNLV Division of Educa-tional Outreach, 4505 MarylandParkway, Box 451019, Las Vegas,NV 89154-1029. Include your creditcard information or enclose a per-sonal check made payable to: UNLVBoard of Regents, orPHONE UNLV Professional Develop-ment Center at 1-702-895-3394 withthe required registration information.Please have available your creditcard number and expiration date, orFAX the Registration Form to: 702-895-4195.

Cost: Registration Fee $225 formembers of the sponsoring organi-zations, $250 for non-members.

Please note that $50 of the Registra-tion Fee is non-refundable. After[continued on p. 8]

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ 8 ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Spring 2003 TIME-BINDINGS

[International Conference continued]

September 30, 2003, no refunds canbe provided, although substitutesmay attend. Conference registrationfee includes:♦♦♦♦♦ Thursday evening reception♦♦♦♦♦ Daily continental breakfast andmorning coffee♦♦♦♦♦ Buffet lunch on Friday and Satur-day; Box lunch on Sunday♦♦♦♦♦ Afternoon break refreshments♦♦♦♦♦ Alfred Korzybski Memorial Lec-ture and Banquet on Saturday night♦♦♦♦♦ Conference materials and hand-outs.

Lodging: The special pricing in ef-fect for the conference is a 3-nightpackage of only $205.00, single ordouble occupancy, for the nights ofOct. 30th - Nov. 1st. This price doesnot include 9% county room tax, gra-tuities, phone charges, or energy sur-charges that may be in effect at thetime of the conference.

The Orleans check-in begins at 3:30p.m. on Oct. 30th. Check-out will beby noon on Sunday, Nov. 2nd. To re-serve, call 1-800-675-3267. Identifyyourself as with the General Seman-tics Group to ensure that you receivethe negotiated conference rate. As isnormal practice for Las Vegas hotels,you will be required to provide acredit card number to hold the reser-vation. Your card will be immedi-ately charged for one night’s stayplus tax. Cut-off date for guaranteedreservations and cancellations is Sep-tember 29th. Reservation requestsmade after that date will be accom-modated on a space-available basis.

Alfred Korzybski Memorial Lec-ture: The Institute will host the 52ndAnnual Alfred Korzybski MemorialLecture and Banquet on Saturdayevening. We are honored to have Dr.

Sanford I. Berman as our guest lec-turer this year. Your conference reg-istration includes one ticket to thisoutstanding and memorable event.Additional tickets may be purchasedfor $50 each.

PRE-CONFERENCESEMINAR-WORKSHOP IN

GENERAL SEMANTICSREGISTRATION INFORMATION

Who: You and your friends, relativesand colleagues.

When: Oct. 26, 6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.;Oct. 27-29, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.;Oct. 30, 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Lodging: The special nightly ratefor seminar attendees, single ordouble occupancy, is $45.00 pernight. This price does not include9% county room tax, gratuities,phone charges, or energy sur-charges that may be in effect at thetime of the seminar. Please notethat Saturday check-in at the Or-leans is not allowed. Check-in timeon Oct. 26th is 3:30 p.m.

Meals: Daily continental breakfast andlunch are included in your tuition cost.Attendees will be responsible for theirown evening meal arrangements.

Tuition: IGS members $425; Non-members $475; Previous participants$350.

Conference and Seminar Coordina-tor: Steve Stockdale, P.O. Box 1565,Fort Worth, TX 76101-1565, U.S.A.Phone: (972) 897-5620; Email:steve@dfwcgs.net. For further details,see the IGS website: www.general-semantics.org.

ON BOGUS CLAMS

An avid reader of reports on develop-ments in science, Lloyd Chappell pointsout an article by Robert L. Park, “TheSeven Warning Signs of Bogus Science.”You can find the it in the articles sectionof Park’s website, www.bobpark.com/.Lloyd writes:The gist of this article is that stick-ing to the scientific method preventsbogus claims. People can make sci-entific claims without providing harddata. Witness the increasing numberof patents issued on implausible tonigh impossible devices, as detailedby Park.

If data aren’t retested (many times),no legitimate scientific conclusioncan be drawn. Park elaborates onwarning signs of bogus science:claims made directly to the media;lack of peer review; claiming thatdata is at the edge of detection and/or a powerful establishment is try-ing to suppress the work; anecdotalinformation; new laws of natureneeded to explain an observation;working in isolation; and relying onage-old theories just because they’vebeen around so long.

Park began his study of these issuesin order to help federal judges sortinformation presented to them, andhe details many relevant cases. Hethen realized that this skill is relevantto all of us. This is not news to gen-eral semanticists, yet reminders of its

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continuing relevance seems useful.[Editor’s note: Park is the author ofVoodoo Science: The Road FromFoolishness to Fraud (Oxford Uni-versity Press, 2002). I invite inter-ested readers to read and review thebook for us.]

REPORT FROM THEDALLAS FORT-WORTH CENTER

FORGENERAL SEMANTICS (DFWCGS)

BY STEVE STOCKDALE, DIRECTOR

GS AT THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OFTEACHERS OF ENGLISH

Following is the description of thesession on general semantics ac-cepted by the National Council ofTeachers of English (NCTE). Thedescription was prepared by KathyLiepe-Levinson and Steve Stockdale.

Over 70 years ago, Spanish educa-tor and philosopher Jose Ortega yGasset wrote that the mission of theuniversity was to prepare students tolive “at the height of their times.”Clearly, no one course, no single de-partment, no single school at any onelevel, can achieve this lofty yet ap-propriate goal articulated by Ortega.What must be developed by the stu-dent, then, is the capability to fullyintegrate all that he/she learns fromthe varied curriculum to achievewhat some educators refer to as “ac-countable talk”—a higher level ofthinking and communicating.

A panel featuring four IGS members,Gregg Hoffmann, Andrea Johnson,Kathy Liepe-Levinson and SteveStockdale, will present general se-mantics as a method for evaluatingour thinking and communicating.General semantics provides a sys-tematic approach for teaching themeta-level skills and abilities neces-

sary for interdisciplinary learning. For-mulated by Alfred Korzybski, generalsemantics empowers students and en-courages them to become co-educatorsin their own learning.

The four professionals on the panelrepresent the related, yet different,fields of communications, journal-ism, visual arts, and theatre arts. Eachpresenter has experience in both thetheory and application of general se-mantics techniques to his/her ownfield of expertise.

Each presentation will offer practi-cal demonstrations and exercises thatcan be immediately applied in thesecondary or college classroom.

In addition to the panel session, theIGS will sponsor an exhibit booth forthe three-day convention, November21-23. If you’re in or near San Fran-cisco during the convention, pleasedrop by the booth!

NEWS FROM THE INSTITUTEThanks in part to a grant from theNYSGS in memory of Steve Austin,the IGS and ISGS will undertake aproject to convert the entire libraryof ETC.: A Review of General Se-mantics and the General SemanticsBulletin to a digital format. The con-version process will produce portabledocument files (PDF format) that canbe read on any desktop computerwith the free Adobe Acrobat Readersoftware. The files will be text-searchable and contain internal linksto facilitate finding specific articlesor researching references. The entirecollection will be contained on onlyfive or six CDs. Details on availablilityof the CDs will be provided prior tothe International Conference.

Bill Dilworth, a retired mechanicalengineer who was a long-time mem-ber and supporter of the IGS, hasdied. He attended the IGS seminar-workshop at Bard College in 1951and participated in a weekend semi-nar in 1962. He had a letter publishedin ETC. in 1978. His pleasant con-versation, during his once-or-twiceyearly calls to order books, will bemissed.

Dr. J. Allan Hobson’s most recentbook is Dreaming: An Introductionto the Science of Sleep (Oxford Uni-versity Press, 2002). The Board ofTrustees is grateful for his donationof a signed copy for the AlfredKorzybski Center Library.

J. Allan Hobson at the 2002 Alfred KorzybskiMemorial Lecture in NYC

WORTH PONDERING“If we humans choose to do so, wecan develop an extensional ethic hereon earth, an ethic built on the facts ofhuman experience rather than wordspassed down from heaven...It insiststhat we, the language-using species,communicate truthfully and factuallywith each other about our experi-enced reality so that we don’t destroyourselves with mutual suspicion andadversarial struggles.”—Kenneth L. Baldwin, “Can We De-velop a Worldwide ExtensionalEthic?” in Developing Sanity in Hu-man Affairs

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86 85th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11209-4208 USA

TIME-BINDINGS

86 85th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11209-4208 USA

RESOURCES FOR IGS MEMBERS AVAILABLE FROM IGS AND DFWCGS

1. Online index of all General Semantics Bulletin (GSB) articles: http://www.general-semantics.org/Search/GSBindex.php2. Online Table of Contents of all ETC. articles in both web format and Excel: http://www.dfwcgs.net/etc/etc_mtc.html3. The DFW Center for General Semantics has the following available:* Database of participants at almost every IGS-sponsored seminar/training since 1938.* Alfred Korzybski’s personal collection of books that comprise the bibliographies mentioned in Science andSanity.* Collection of seminar photos dating to 1938. By the way, we are missing photos from two seminars—July 1971and August 1965, both at Colorado Academy in Denver. If anyone has a copy of either photo (assuming one wasmade) and would be willing to send it to us to complete our set, we would make it well worth her/his while.

* Complete sets of ETC. and GSB

Name:

Twelfth International Conference Registration Form

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Registration Fee: $225.00 [Member IGS, ISGS, NYSGS]

$250.00 [Non-Member]

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orFax form to: 702-895-4195