Stephen, you make my point impeccably. ‘nuff said ;)
From: Stephen C. Rose [mailto:stever...@gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, 9 July 2015 5:27 PM To: Stephen Jarosek; Peirce List Subject: Re: [PEIRCE-L] Recently published: Hitler and Abductive Logic Again this topic is too huge and important to allow any generalization to stand without question. Consider our mentor Peirce. Here I will place in quotes the statements in this post that I find questionable: "a new kind of totalitarianism." "how benign and “normal” evil can be." "internet, drones in the sky, a hedonistic cultural narrative that conceals secret opinions and hidden agendas, political correctness, and so on." "History really is repeating, and it’s not just a figure of speech:" "the smug besuited receive accolades for their progressive initiatives" "evil is not some other place or some other time. It is here and it is now." Briefly, I see evil as harm and measurable. There is some possibility that it is being addressed more now than in the past. Evil is neither benign nor normal. It has grades from the worst which is killing to the more modest which rises from selfishness and thoughtlessness. Political correctness is entirely contextual and hardly wrong in many circumstances. Lumping things into a litany simply mandates, if we are willing, a discussion of each element. I think the Internet is a plus. The evil done by drones is measurable and relative. "And do on" implies an unending jeremiad and reminds me a bit of Christopher Lasch or the current perorations of Chris Hedges. Neither in my view are particularly salient in understanding where we are and where we are going. We are not particularly awash in progressive developments, more's the pity. History does not repeat to the point that we can speak of eternal return. Time is chronological, continuity is reality and fallibility is in my view a more accurate description of conditions than the word evil. Cheers, S Books <http://buff.ly/15GfdqU> http://buff.ly/15GfdqU Art: <http://buff.ly/1wXAxbl> http://buff.ly/1wXAxbl Gifts: <http://buff.ly/1wXADj3> http://buff.ly/1wXADj3 On Thu, Jul 9, 2015 at 10:59 AM, Stephen Jarosek <sjaro...@iinet.net.au> wrote: Edwina wrote: “...well, fascism is hardly new. And the current Islamic fascism and ISIS in the Middle East and Africa is our modern example of the Third Reich.” Frequently, people write as if fascism is in the past, or in other cultures but not our own. I personally suspect that we are witnessing the emergence of a new kind of totalitarianism. We are IN it and so we are in a position, if we step back calmly, to observe how benign and “normal” evil can be. What was that phrase... “the banality of evil.” THIS one is scary... internet, drones in the sky, a hedonistic cultural narrative that conceals secret opinions and hidden agendas, political correctness, and so on. History really is repeating, and it’s not just a figure of speech: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/fox-news-host-meygan-kelly-asks-what-about-mens-rights-after-yesmeansyes-sexual-consent-law-is-signed-in-new-york-10375817.html?icn=puff-3 Are we being melodramatic if we suggest that we are seeing precisely the same tactics that were employed by the Nazis in dehumanising their victims? But let us be careful here... these are men (ultimately) doing it to men... it’s a kind of gendercide by cowards, no blood need be shed, while the smug besuited receive accolades for their progressive initiatives. So speaking for myself, I have little sympathy for men, given that they are both the doers and the doees (who allow it to happen)... it’s complicated, and it is cultural (not gender). But the bottom line is that no, evil is not some other place or some other time. It is here and it is now. Welcome to the zombie apocalypse. sj From: Stephen C. Rose [mailto:stever...@gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, 7 July 2015 5:30 PM To: Edwina Taborsky; Peirce List Subject: Re: [PEIRCE-L] Recently published: Hitler and Abductive Logic This is interesting in itself. It could stand alone as something to discuss. There are many angles. There is the intriguing idea that something economic creates thuggery (I am condensing) and the assumption that the emotions behind evil actions are stronger than those what might tend toward reason, sweetness and light. I do not have any fixed opinion. What I like the idea of fixing is how to deal with minnows in a forum such as this. They slither about and we need to find a way to catch them and let them grow into conversations which have the benefit of not merely noting interesting things but allowing them to mature into conclusions that no one had before the conversation began. Books <http://buff.ly/15GfdqU> http://buff.ly/15GfdqU Art: <http://buff.ly/1wXAxbl> http://buff.ly/1wXAxbl Gifts: <http://buff.ly/1wXADj3> http://buff.ly/1wXADj3 On Tue, Jul 7, 2015 at 11:07 AM, Edwina Taborsky <tabor...@primus.ca> wrote: It is a fascinating topic but is it really as mysterious as Ben Novak claims? After all, the idea of fascism, an ideology that assumes a previous lost purity and perfection of life within a societal order, ...and declares that IF this purity-of-behaviour/belief can be reinserted into the society, THEN, perfection of life will ensue...well, fascism is hardly new. And the current Islamic fascism and ISIS in the Middle East and Africa is our modern example of the Third Reich. I'd say that such an ideology emerges in a population that has moved beyond the carrying capacity of its economic mode; the resultant imbalance and the inability of the govt to remedy this, results in an alienation of people from reality and a movement into irrationalism and emotion. These emotions are primal, far more basic than reason and science; so, thugs and violence will never disappear. So - the belief emerges, within the Peircean abductive 'a priori' (this fascist way of life will work!)..and rather than moving on to that ideology being evaluated by the scientific method, it is stopped in its tracks. The ideology is then reinforced by Authority and Tenacity. ...and the people are lost in terrible violence. What we also may not realize is that tribalism, the idea of 'Us' versus' Them is basic to the human species, since our knowledge base is not innate but is learned socially. So, this social group that holds our knowledge is vital. Its power over us, as an individual, is important. This group is 'the tribe'; we must trust the veracity of their knowledge...and we don't trust other tribes. So, knowledge/beliefs are held by virtue of Peirce's false methods far more often than they are held by the non-tribal method of science. Edwina ----- Original Message ----- From: Jerry LR Chandler <mailto:jerry_lr_chand...@me.com> To: PEIRCE-L <mailto:peirce-l@list.iupui.edu> Cc: Ben Novak <mailto:trevriz...@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, July 07, 2015 10:20 AM Subject: Re: [PEIRCE-L] Recently published: Hitler and Abductive Logic Ben: Fascinating topic... will attempt to download thesis. from the post by Stephen Jarosek: “Unlike the other forms of logic, abduction is based on instinct and has a power over emotions.” Is this your statement? Is this your belief? In your view, what are the linguistic / rhetorical constraints on this form of logic? In other words, what binds this view of abduction to other forms of logic? Cheers Jerry On Jul 5, 2015, at 9:35 PM, Ben Novak wrote: Dear Stephen: I agree that the price is outrageously high. Unfortunately, the publisher sets the price, and I have no control over that. It is my hope that soon the price may come down.....but, again, I cannot fathom the logic of the publisher. In the meantime, the book is available either in your library, or through interlibrary loan.(You may also request your university library or local public library to obtain a copy) You may also check the worldcat to find a library that has it near you. If for any reason there is a shortage of copies of the book through interlibrary loan, you may also request a copy of the text of my original dissertation, which is entitled The Third Logic: Adolf Hitler and Abductive Logic, Doctoral Dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University, 1999. Be advised that this version has a host of clerical errors, and is missing the final chapter, which I added to the book version for publication by Lexington. Additionally, I have been advised by someone that a copy of the dissertation is also available somewhere on the internet where dissertations are digitally archived, though I have been unable to locate where exactly this is. Finally, I will be glad to send a review copy to anyone who will commit to writing a publishable review of the book for Transactions or some other publication. Thanks for your interest. Ben Novak Ben Novak <http://bennovak.net/> 5129 Taylor Drive, Ave Maria, FL 34142 Telephones: Magic Jack: (717) 826-5224 <tel:%28717%29%20826-5224> Best to call and leave messages. Landline: 239-455-4200 My brother's main phone line. Mobile (202) 509-2655 <tel:%28202%29%20509-2655> I use this only on trips--and in any event messages arrive days late. Skype: BenNovak2 "All art is mortal, not merely the individual artifacts, but the arts themselves. One day the last portrait of Rembrandt and the last bar of Mozart will have ceased to be — though possibly a colored canvas and a sheet of notes may remain — because the last eye and the last ear accessible to their message will have gone." Oswald Spengler On Sun, Jul 5, 2015 at 8:48 PM, Stephen C. Rose <stever...@gmail.com> wrote: A less expensive edition might encourage more to buy it. Especially if they have no budget for such purchases. I am sure such a discussion would be of interest. Books <http://buff.ly/15GfdqU> http://buff.ly/15GfdqU Art: <http://buff.ly/1wXAxbl> http://buff.ly/1wXAxbl Gifts: <http://buff.ly/1wXADj3> http://buff.ly/1wXADj3 On Sun, Jul 5, 2015 at 8:27 PM, Ben Novak <trevriz...@gmail.com> wrote: Dear Peirce-L members: Please allow me to join Tom Wyrick in accepting the invitation to introduce ourselves. I am rejoining this List for the third time. I first joined in approximately 1999 when I discovered Charles Sanders Peirce as I was writing my Ph.D. dissertation. Peirce's theory of abduction then became a major part of it. I completed the dissertation and received my Ph.D. from Penn State University in 1999, at the ripe old age of fifty-six. At that time I was a practicing attorney in State College, PA. I think I recall Jon Awbrey as an active discussant even way back them... Subsequently, I moved to Europe where I taught at various universities in Slovakia, Austria, and Bulgaria.; In about 2006, I rejoined the List and engaged in some very interesting email discussions with, Sami Paavola, among others I am happy to say that in 2014 Lexington Books saw fit to publish my work under the title, Hitler and Abductive Logic: The Strategy of a Tyrant. You may find it on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Hitler-Abductive-Logic-Strategy-Tyrant/dp/0739192248 The relevance of this work to Peirce-L list members should be obvious from its title: Hitler and Abductive Logic. The editorial reviews bring out the Peirce connection even more: Hitler and Abductive Logic: The Strategy of a Tyrant is thought-provoking and extremely creative, exploring aspects and influences of Hitler’s formative years that other biographers and historians have not examined to the same degree of detail. The application of the logic of abduction to Hitler’s mental development is fascinating, and clearly no other author has tried to apply Peirce’s description to Hitler in such a way. (Beth A. Griech-Polelle, Bowling Green State University) The amount of literature on Adolf Hitler is astounding. And yet, as Ben Novak demonstrates, historians still have not fully explained how this ill-educated and irrational provincial Austrian actually rose to power in Germany. This work uses the concept of abductive logic both as a means of investigating the mystery of Hitler's rise to power and as a way to understand the mind and character of Hitler. Novak's book, written in an engaging narrative style, offers a compelling argument for a new approach to the mystery of Hitler's rise to power. (Jackson Spielvogel, Pennsylvania State University) In light of some of the recent discussions on applying Peirce's concepts to issues outside of formal academic discussions of logic, many of the current members of the List may find this work of compelling interest in expanding the discussion to wider examples of applications of Peirce's logic. I would be very interested in the reviews of Peirce specialists on the manner in which I apply Peirce's concepts to this subject. Of course, I realize how grotesque, sensitive (and toxic) the subject of Hitler is. However, if Sherlock Holmes and August Dupin are correct that 'The more outre' and grotesque an incident is the more carefully it deserves to be examined... (Holmes), 'It appears to me that this mystery is considered insoluble, for the very reason which should cause it to be regarded as easy of solution - I mean for the outre' character of its features... (Dupin) ...then the rise of Hitler especially invites the application of their methods, which consist of brilliant applications Peirce's adductive logic---as Umberto Eco and Thomas Sebeok make abundantly clear in The Sign of Three: Dupin, Holmes, Peirce (which is a work that also plays a significant role in my book). See: <http://goog_189368004/> http://www.amazon.com/The-Sign-Three-Advances-Semiotics/dp/0253204879 In any event, I will be very happy to discuss this subject and the application of adductive logic with any members of the List who are interested. Sincerely, Ben Novak Ben Novak <http://bennovak.net/> 5129 Taylor Drive, Ave Maria, FL 34142 Telephones: Magic Jack: (717) 826-5224 <tel:%28717%29%20826-5224> Best to call and leave messages. Landline: 239-455-4200 My brother's main phone line. Mobile (202) 509-2655 <tel:%28202%29%20509-2655> I use this only on trips--and in any event messages arrive days late. Skype: BenNovak2 "All art is mortal, not merely the individual artifacts, but the arts themselves. One day the last portrait of Rembrandt and the last bar of Mozart will have ceased to be — though possibly a colored canvas and a sheet of notes may remain — because the last eye and the last ear accessible to their message will have gone." Oswald Spengler ----------------------------- PEIRCE-L subscribers: Click on "Reply List" or "Reply All" to REPLY ON PEIRCE-L to this message. PEIRCE-L posts should go to peirce-L@list.iupui.edu . 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