et Cetera back issues from April 2004:
If the Word is not the Thing, Why Call it a Piece of Writing?
Apr 01, 2004; ... Have you noticed that when describing the results of our writing activities we tend to use words that also describe physical matter, for example article, item, or piece! Does the word text suggest ideas, rather than a lump of something? The first definition in my Webster 's New Collegiate ...
IN THIS ISSUE
Apr 01, 2004; ... IN THIS ISSUE, we celebrate the merger of the International Society for General Semantics with the Institute of General Semantics, as well as the participation of many astute students of general semantics in the Twelfth International Conference on General Semantics. We haven't always ...
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR EATING MENUS IN 2004
Apr 01, 2004; ... This issue of ETC marks another transition in the organizational evolution of a discipline. Published from 1943-1948 by the Society for General Semantics, then from 1949-2003 by the International Society for General Semantics, ETC now falls under the stewardship of the Institute of General ...
TIME-BINDING TIME: A History of Time-Measurement and Time-Management in America
Apr 01, 2004; ... A CCORDING to GENERAL SEMANTICS, time-binding-our ability to use language and other symbols to transmit information across time-is a unique characteristic that defines us as humans. That definition piqued my interest and I decided to do some historical research on how time-measurement and ...
PROFILE: ANDREA JOHNSON
Apr 01, 2004; ... Creative. Articulate. Funny. Enthusiastic. Johnson's fervor for studying and teaching general semantics is a hallmark of her career. - Dawn Balistreri Associate Professor of Communication, Alverno College, Milwaukee, WI When she was a graduate student, Andrea Johnson's zeal for ...
MEDIA LITERACY, GENERAL SEMANTICS, AND K-12 EDUCATION
Apr 01, 2004; ... WHEN THE Norrback Avenue School in Worcester, Massachusetts, opened its doors in a new building in September of 1999, it had reinvented itself as an innovative magnet school program designed to integrate the study of communication into the elementary school curriculum. In this school, six ...
MEDIA LITERACY AND GENERAL SEMANTICS
Apr 01, 2004; ... AFTER SEVERAL YEARS of involvement in both general semantics and media literacy, I have become convinced that the two "movements" - for lack of a better label - have so much in common that they should really get to know each other. Don't get me wrong. Some people in both movements ...
THE CONUNDRUM OF KNOWING WHAT I DIDN'T KNOW (The Relevance of General Semantics to a Student)
Apr 01, 2004; ... To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step toward knowledge. -Disraeli Or, "I thought I was a better than average communicator until I became conscious that I am ignorant." My only consolation is that Disraeli considers my newfound awareness a "great step." As a ...
EVERYTHING MEANS SOMETHING ELSE
Apr 01, 2004; ... This short play is inspired in great measure from reading general semantics, especially Language in Thought and Action by S. I. Hayakawa (New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1949). Cast MORT, 18, dressed in a black suit. DIDI, 17, dressed in a black skirt ...
ON TIME-BINDING AS AN INSTRUMENT OF PEACE (excerpt)
Apr 01, 2004; ... Near the end of the movie The World According to Garp, based on John Irving's novel, wrestling coach and author Garp and his wife sit in his car, parked in his driveway, watching his children playing through warmly illuminated windows. Garp talks about his favorite pastime-thinking about how he ...
FROM THE UNCONSCIOUS TO THE CONSCIOUS
Apr 01, 2004; ... Abstract As a systematic evaluation of our belief systems, general semantics (GS) serves as a methodology to view our own and others' attitudes toward prejudice and bias. With the thoughtful application and use of GS, the concept can help to address, understand, and overcome some of our ...
"CONSPIRACY THEORY" AND SOUND ARGUMENTATION: The Method of Cocaine Politics for resolving "Conflicting World Views" (excerpt)
Apr 01, 2004; ... Introduction: Recent work in communication and cultural studies has shown that, more than most other terms, the concept of "conspiracy"-a group of people acting in secrecy for an unlawful purpose-has become layered with so many emotional connotations, that the term is more volatile than ...
ON BELIEF SYSTEMS
Apr 01, 2004; ... Abstract Three questions drive this paper: 1) what constitutes a belief system, 2) what standards can we use to evaluate belief systems, and 3) can competing belief systems co-exist and cooperate with modern science and technology for the benefit of humankind? Starting with a ...
DREAMS, NIGHTMARES, AND NONVIOLENCE
Apr 01, 2004; ... Gregory Bateson, in one of his lectures, asked "Do you see me?" The audience murmured assent, that of course they saw him in front of them. But he pointed out that what their nervous systems were perceiving were patches of moving colors in their cortexes that they had learned to interpret. Their ...
BELIEFS AFFECTING HANDWRITTEN COMMUNICATION (excerpt)
Apr 01, 2004; ... In a world of high technology, some find handwriting unimportant. They may look with bemusement, for example, on Wendell Johnson's listing of poor penmanship among the communication difficulties amenable to a general semantics approach ("The Urgency of Paradise," People In Quandaries, p.475). In ...
A GENERAL SEMANTICS APPROACH TO REDUCING STUDENT ALIENATION
Apr 01, 2004; ... This presentation will examine a study that showed students manifesting signs of alienation (a well-recognized drug abuse risk factor) could be helped to reduce those symptoms through a general semantics approach. It is based on research conducted for a Ph.D. dissertation titled "The Effects of ...
SEEKING UNMEDIATED TRUTHS (excerpt)
Apr 01, 2004; ... Before most of us arrive at work, or school, or even this conference, we have been exposed to dozens, perhaps hundreds, of media messages. You might wake up to a clock radio, stumble downstairs to turn on the TV while perking some coffee. While sipping that coffee, you might read a ...
TOWARD A CIVIL SOCIETY: Anger Management Using GS and the Techniques of the Professional Actor (excerpt)
Apr 01, 2004; ... How do actors learn to manage and control their emotions on stage at a drop of the hat? This workshop employs general semantics formulations and the traditional rational-emotive behavior modification techniques first set forth by Dr. Albert ElHs (and later espoused by health gurus such as Andrew ...
RAMIFICATIONS OF JULIAN JAYNES'S THEORY OF CONSCIOUSNESS FOR TRADITIONAL GENERAL SEMANTICS
Apr 01, 2004; ... Good morning. Thank you for coming. In my talk, first I will explore why general semantics theorists for over 70 years generally have overlooked the human behaviors that give rise to the sharpest and most violent of today's conflicts of world views-namely, religious behaviors. Second, I will ...
CHALLENGING CULTURALLY-EXPECTED WAYS OF THINKING
Apr 01, 2004; ... This paper will serve as an introduction to a session where participants in small groups will discuss these questions: How could we initiate an evolution in human evaluating? What challenges might initiators face? What social, economic, political, educational, and other problems, might such an ...
NONTRADITIONAL PERCEPTIONS OF JESUS CHRIST AND REACTIONS
Apr 01, 2004; ... There have been interesting reactions to nontraditional portrayals of Jesus. One of these took place in Union City, New Jersey. The Park Theater Performing Arts Center was about to begin their production of "The Passion Play" and they had chosen an African American actor to play the leading role ...
MEDIA ETHICS BETWEEN IRAQ AND A HARD PLACE (excerpt)
Apr 01, 2004; ... A conference on general semantics, especially one titled "Confronting the Challenges of Conflicting World Views," provides an opportune moment to talk shop about the semantics and ethics of the War in Iraq, with special attention on behaviors of journalists and public relations practitioners and ...
RELIGION AS A BELIEF SYSTEM (excerpt)
Apr 01, 2004; ... Man is absolutely the most favored creature; even to the point that it was said-which is true-that he is favored over the angels. The preference of man lies in his intellect. The intellect of man is what raised his status, and made him superior to all creatures. Therefore, it is necessary to ...
A GENERAL SEMANTICS VIEW OF THE CHANGING PERCEPTIONS OF CHRIST (excerpts)
Apr 01, 2004; ... MODERN PORTRAYALS OF JESUS IN WORKS OF ART Introduction For centuries the image of Jesus' physical appearance has been etched into people's minds. Children learn in Sunday school at a young age what Jesus looked like. The most typical North American representation is a tall, ...
CONFRONTING THE CHALLENGES OF CONFLICTING WORLD VIEWS
Apr 01, 2004; ... The talk below was accompanied by a multimedia presentation. Confronting the challenges of conflicting world views is, perhaps, one of the challenges many of us had to face as infants: the sometimes conflicting world views of mother and father and of their families: different aims and ...
REPLACING OUR PATTERN OF UNIVERSAL DISCORD
Apr 01, 2004; ... Abstract Throughout his lifespan, Korzybski worked to un-conceal the underlying assumptions of the "civilization" of his day and to test them against his multilingual experiencing. Eventually he showed that the logical construct of identity, which he glossed as "absolute sameness in all ...
THE AMERICAN JESUS: A PARADIGM SHIFT
Apr 01, 2004; ... As a nation, America allows it citizens greater religious freedom than any other state. This freedom allows for the development of national religious perceptions different from those found elsewhere. These perceptions lead to the formation of paradigms. In American history there have been two ...
FRANCE - USA (excerpt)
Apr 01, 2004; ... Paris, France September 2003 As some of you may already know, I live in France, more precisely in Paris. My purpose here is to give you an account of the possible reasons explaining the French reaction to the US move in Iraq, and see if there is a way to avoid past traps and ...
CHANGING REPUTATIONS: Demarginalizing General Semantics
Apr 01, 2004; ... Abstract This paper explores some of the possible reasons for the marginalization of GS. After describing the unique location of general semantics among disciplines, it briefly examines the critique of GS by Martin Gardner, one of its main skeptical opponents. In my view, a close look at ...
CONFERENCE COMMENTS
Apr 01, 2004; ... We received the following comments from the participants of the Twelfth International Conference on General Semantics, in Las Vegas, Nevada, October 31st - November 2, 2003. This gathering of GSers satisfied my years-old urge to meet people whose work I had long admired! That includes ...
THE LANGUAGE OF CHANGE: General-Semantics and Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point"
Apr 01, 2004; ... "You cannot step into the same river twice; for other and yet other waters are ever flowing on. " -Heraclitus, c. 500 B.C. To Wendell Johnson, Heraclitus was 2,000 years ahead of his time. Johnson, a general semantics scholar, emphasized the fluid nature of reality and stressed ...
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Apr 01, 2004; ... In 1984, Ken G. Johnson introduced me to time-binding and we ('timebinding' and I) exchanged a hearty "howdy." We stayed friendly acquaintances for the next 20 years. But the power of time-binding really had escaped me until now. As I assume the responsibilities of President of the Board of ...
INTRAPERSONAL EVOLUTION: A SHARING OF SEMANTIC JUMPS
Apr 01, 2004; ... An article, written by the proposer of this program, entitled "Intrapersonal Evolution: The Structured Unconscious, The Structural More, and the Semantic jump," was published in the Fall 1994 issue of ETC. The article presented the concept of interpersonal evolution occurring through a series of ...
SOME THOUGHTS ON THE WWJD? (WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?) BRACELET
Apr 01, 2004; ... Dr. Gateley died shortly after he submitted this paper and after he accepted our invitation to present it at the Conference. This paper first appeared as an article in ETC: A Review of General Semantics, vol. 57 no. 3, Fall 2000. Throughout the country, there are thousands of people, ...
GENERAL SEMANTICS FOR BETTER TRANSFERABLE JOB SKILLS
Apr 01, 2004; ... When people learn highly specialized skills and later their particular type of job disappears through economic or technological change, they may have difficulty in finding new work; they need to identify their transferable job skills. Transferable job skills include basic skills that we ...
TURNING EMOTIONAL ENERGY INTO PURPOSEFUL WRITING
Apr 01, 2004; ... EMOTION MOTIVATES writers-no doubt about it. In 1776, Thomas Jefferson composed the Declaration of Independence out of frustration over the "patient sufferance of these Colonies" at the hands of Great Britain's King George III, whose "repeated injuries and usurpations" had as their end "the ...
Thank You for Your Support: List of contributors
Apr 01, 2004; ... We wish to express our grateful thanks to those who have supported our organizations with financial contributions over the basic membership rate, and for a donation of company stock. Below we list the names of those who gave so generously over the last year. Your contributions have helped make ...
Salt: A World History
Apr 01, 2004; ... Mark Kurlansky. Salt: A World History. New York: Walker, 2002. Mark Kurlansky reintroduces the reader to the importance of salt in both the ancient and modern world. As he did in Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, Kurlansky offers a lively social history, blending human ...
ABSTRACTIONS
Apr 01, 2004; ... A photograph is a secret about a secret - the more it tells you the less you know. DIANNF, ARBUS Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth. PABLO PICASSO Though all our knowledge begins with experience, it by no means follows that all arises out of ...
FIFTY YEARS AGO IN ETC
Apr 01, 2004; ... Any two art appreciators, even those of similar background and sensitivity to art, are likely to differ widely in their reactions to a given work of art. The question is raised now: Why is it that two persons from fairly similar social backgrounds, with an equal amount of training, will react so ...
WHERE IS THE "MESSAGE" IN COMMUNICATION MODELS?
Apr 01, 2004; ... IN MOST communication models, the "message" floats somewhere between the "sender" and the "receiver." In the telephone-based Shannon-Weaver model, the "message" must first be "encoded" and then sent along a "channel," or wire. It is then "decoded" at the destination, and delivered to the ...
EXPLORING TIME-BINDING FORMULATIONS WITH WILLIAM WORDSWORTH
Apr 01, 2004; ... DURING this past winter break, fortified with my portable MP3 player and a disk of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar radio serials, I took a leisurely hike around the lake at Tyler State Park in deep East Texas. During this walk, while listening to an episode called the Sealegs Matter (originally ...
Lost Discoveries: The Ancient Roots of Modern Science-from the Babylonians to the Maya
Apr 01, 2004; ... Dick Teresi. Lost Discoveries: The Ancient Roots of Modern Science-from the Babylonians to the Maya. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002. Many ancient civilizations left behind surprising contributions to the fields of mathematics, astronomy, cosmology, physics, geology, chemistry, and ...
Linked: The New Science of Networks
Apr 01, 2004; ... Albert-Laszlo Barabasi. Linked: The New Science of Networks. Cambridge, MA: Perseus, 2002. At the beginning of the 21st century, a maverick group of scientists is discovering that all networks-from a cocktail party to a terrorist cell to an international conglomerate-have a deep ...