(May 1961 ?)
Rigidity.
Basic dynamic or block that produces:
-- projection
-- aggression
etc.
This morning, idly reading rhrough an account of a research on inhibitions that mentioned Puritanism, I was shocked to think, for the first time in my life consciously, of Puritanism as a disease, a primitive destroyer, an enemy of American culture in many ways. Of course this idea will recede in sharpness and be blended in time with my general views. I suppose that until now I've been prevented from the thought by a sympathy with the strength and work ethic of Puritanism, and for that I am sure I have my father to thank, who, even if he likes wines, plays music, dislbelieves in religion, is a Puritan nevertheless.
The white cat is sleeping on a small paper bag on the kitchen tile. She sleeps in many peculiar places. People often say "Crazy cat". Cats are "crazy" because they do (1) many (2) little things are (3) strange to us. Yet we sense that the actions are (4) determined. (1) + (2) + (3) +(4) = crazy, but only to us, of course.
The Structure of Mind and Reality
III. Rationalization
(search for cognition, order, meaning)
I. Incorporation II. Excorporation (other, world, object)
projection
displacement, etc.
IV. Manipulation
(search for control)
The 4 basic processes
They are also the basis for time, and define "Time". They occur in the numbered order: Incorporation, excorporation, rationalization, manipulation.
Manipulation is what produces the observed values of society. Rationalization in turn are organizes and postorganises the.
The Products of the process are what are usually terms ends, goals, such as money, affection, prestige, power, etc. They vary with individual formulae for coping with the process of life, beginning very early, of course, and varying as the experiences of life and the rigidity of prior formulations bring about more or less change.
These products should be stated as independent of the 4 process concepts, however, not, as is usually the case, confused with them. We suggest that Products in their most general form are
Things
and
Ideas
The product acquire (cultural) identity. They become reconizable clusters of "beliefs", "ideologies", "property"' "affection"' , "prestige".
The forms of manipulation are set by the context (culture?) of the search for control. In their most general form, since man can only work on what he can work on, they are limited to:
1. Symbols
2. Goods
3. Force
4. Authority (which is a "capital" sum of "reinvested" symbol, goods, force, success, "profit")
Manipulation responds to tensions of
1. Incorporation
2. Excorporation
3. Adjustments of 1 to the other
(Spring ? 1961 ?)
Facts of Soc. life -- some interesting observations culled from social science research reports from around the world. No attempt is made here to validate or show the method used, and some precision of language has been sacrificed. What are the basic stix that everyone should know. How many? How updated? What indices
GNP 540 billions by year's end Fact is unless out of context ..
Mental Health BX of SL should carry the
War & Peace Fact that fit into established,
Cf. H.D.L.'s criteria for rural progress proven-useful.
Bigger families
press
leadership shift
Cf. UN yearbook
religious yearbooks
P. O. surveys Comp. standards of living morale tension
Theoretical frames are carried around in our minds
Government stx often useless
(Spring 1961)
Definition: A trend is demonstrated in the culture of the USA when a genetically similar change is found in every major institutional setting with similar reaction formations and similar net conclusions of direction and type. e.g. U.S. is undergoing trend x. Since students are becoming more intellectual and less material and irrelevantly expressive, while intellectuals are occupying more offices in the state, while qualifications for jobs are more (even excessively) intellectual, while priests appeal to reason or mingle with psychologists, while businessmen look to continued education, foundations increase in number, the stock market shows interests in stock, the number of negative references to intellectuals becomes less frequent in the press, etc.
A man can spit on his palms only so many times without his spittle drying up.
(Spring 1961)
Why doesn't Bowles say something about civic apathy if it is so important.
1. national civil service
2. decentralization and privatizing of government
3. Befriend free enterprise as well as democracy abroad.
4. establish a pro-democratic anti-communist institute with cadres all over the world
5. progressive easing of farm controls by tying the agricultural deficit with the missile gap.
6. Set up a federal election system wherever participation is illegally blocked.
7. extend anti-trust laws to non-profit organizations.
8. Step up new housing benefits for urban renewal and help the railroads move in on city mass transportation problems, perhaps federalizing the situation.
May 1961
A laughable matter.
No advertising
The ABS will not carry advertising. If we are devoted to the principle of brevity, and are wracked by decisions to print one detail instead of another, it seems to us that we should not then turn over a page to anybody to advertise in large type anything he pleases... Readers should not have to skip around ads to follow content. moreover, the beauty of a piece of print, as humble as our aesthetic possibilities may be, is not enhanced by advertising. Finally, we are disgusted with the grip that advertising has on people's minds.
This almost went in -- until I thought of who would support the mag.
(May 1961?)
Those who say a new social science does not exist resort often to examples of ancient thoughts and practices that are progenitors, isolated instances, or false analogies, of social science behaviors of today. They furthermore assert that since we have not affected much human behavior by social science, it cannot be important, even if it exists; La Guardia made no greater imprint on New York than Plato on Syracuse, Woodrow Wilson on the World than Machiavelli. But given the infinite phenomena and problems, what else is to be expected. The physicists can control atoms under certain conditions but think of the infinity of atoms that are under no control. Man subjects nature, true, but nature subjects man far more. So with society and man. It is no proof of either the nonexistence of social science nor of its "insignificance" than to say that it had progenitors (the wheel, the gear, the lever, the explosion were progenitors too).
