On Language and the Cartesian Partition

-Concerning the Myth of Progress.

Draft 4.0

i. On Language:

Languages evolve and change over time, thereby growing and accommodating culture by reflecting the prevalent mindsets. A certain lag, or less than absolute efficiency, will be evident and attributable to cultural inertia. Change is resisted. Scientific languages, including mathematics, are no exceptions. Quantum mechanics[1] was grudgingly accepted by strict positivists,[2] but only because the predictions were verified by observation. The classical world was proven a limit. Although, science has accepted the ramifications dispelling strictly deterministic positivist philosophies,[3] the transition has affected the general world view very little. All justifications and rationales regarding scientific emphasis are supported by evoking the positivist myth of progress. It represents a holdover from the industrial age. Past realities still have a far stronger foothold than often recognized. Progress must always be a possibility in any scientific endeavor. Over time, the meaning of progress unfolds and develops while retaining its old roots. The ramifications of an inorganic system acting life-like may prove disastrous. Rather only those qualities and quantities considered favorable by the edicts of progress are given any considerations. In this realm, a must always imply b for proper comprehension. Fortunately, logic does not always apply. Progress is for the truly atavistic.

ii. The Cartesian Partition,[4] first articulated by Rene Descartes in the time of Galileo, was the codification of a developing trend in Western European thought. The neutral observer was a powerful myth, not scientifically challenged for several hundred years. The 19th Century culmination arguably resulted in both Dialectic Materialism and modern Market Capitalism. The result of grand a implies b historical trends, dictated by progress, competing economic theories viewed certain historical trends as inevitable. Spawning totalitarian systems, some schools have proven disastrously wrong. Strangely enough, individuals always believe only others are molded. "I am free; everyone else is a consumer, a product and a drone, especially the guy at the next desk..." Hence, myths collide and conflict. A Cartesian Partition still exists between themselves and the world, but the divide is not real. Rather than admit themselves a product, their perceptions are directed by the myth of freedom and the standards of progress. Often manifesting decadent instincts, The dissociation requires inhabiting an artificial plane in any verbal world. New concepts have not been universally adopted. Influenced and even warped by competing interests, acceptance is rarely automatic. Cooperative necessity may bring together extremes for mutual benefit and maximum advantage. Thundering across the landscape and trampling everything in its path, the herd mentality moves accordingly. Supported by implied consent legitimized by doctrine, outdated rationales are utilized to justify direction. Society may indeed be influenced along these broad lines. The eternal state and religious beliefs fuel key arguments concerning law and morality. Revolution becomes more than unlawful, but contrary to GOD equated with COUNTRY. Even while celebrated in myth, revolt becomes the absolute worse sin. Money quantifies. Rigidity may prove advantageous for some sectors, but gradually drags down the whole by retarding advancement in favor of progress. A disconnected world contrary to reality is by definition neurotic. Deterministic beliefs are continually reinforced by economic uplift. The whole is never questioned. In this verbal world, symbolisms are utilized for displays of unity with the notions propagated by the myth of progress. We become consumers. Unquantifiable thought has been downgraded, being unpredictable and uncertain, as an inefficient means for advancement. A median must be chosen in setting standards. The peak is actually only limited by the requirements of the second law of thermodynamics. Of course, progress ignores this ceiling as well. Hence, the concrete moves into the abstract or verbal realm, thereby becoming subjectively malleable. In this world, no limits exist except those we choose to ignore. Focus becomes diffuse. Certain myths become eternal. Context is disregarded. Reality is poorly grasped through ideal lenses. Creativity is blunted. Once proven profitable, an art form stagnates by market forces. A surer bet pays more on average. No ground states exist. The ultimate product can not provide for itself. No matter how productive, reality will not long tolerate the indolent. Metaphorically or not, entropy will manifest itself in this system as decadence and decay. The end result will not even realize itself nihilistic. The Cartesian partition masks all things. It becomes virtually impossible to even contemplate, let alone discuss, the implications of living within a decaying technological system. The legacy will outlast its adherents. A new language needs learning. The apparent is not always truth.
[1] A mathematical theory of dynamic systems, concerning the behavior of sub-atomic particles, where variables specifying actions are abstract operators which happen to verify observation. Possibilities are represented by probabilities. Strictly speaking, a particle does not exist until observed, which in turn disturbs its behavior in uncertain ways...
[2] A philosophical doctrine contending that sense perception, albeit extended, are the only admissible basis of human knowledge and precise thought.
[3] Clockwork cause and effect, rather than probabilistic...
[4] The Cartesian Principle basically states that the observer is separate from the world.
1996 - January 1, 2001