Introversion is not withdrawal; it just looks that way.

The shadow of a name is its initials.

Neither The Government Nor The Population - 7th Draft

Neither The Government Nor The Population was a project started in 1995 after the April 19th OKC bombing of the Murrah Federal Building. In part it was a response. The first 4 drafts were hand written, the 5th was a proof, and the 6th was "clandestinely" published and distributed over several printings. Copies were distributed for free in the Seattle area, and a few were mailed around the U.S. Several years ago, the 6th Draft was republished on this site. Although blog posts work fine for parts, I have not always been pleased with the presentation for the whole. Therefore, I will present the 7th Draft as a downloadable PDF. Now, the reader can like it or hate it based on the whole. The 6th Draft was hated by all the right kinds of people*; hopefully the 7th Draft will be more despised.

A few notes about this draft are in order. The 6th Draft was comprised of six chapters, and then ends with a few appendices (at least the first printing did). The few readers who spoke with me about it kept asking, "Then what?" What indeed. Several years later, before the birth of my first daughter in 2003, I began revising the first six chapters and added a seventh. Since philosophy is largely a reflection of a stage of life, it was important to complete it before family life set in. The seventh chapter, which I probably wouldn't write in the same way now, concerns revolution. I chose Spanish revolutionary syndicalism as the model as there is really very little likelihood that such will occur in the US, with the exception of the desert Southwest. (Anyone thinking otherwise does not understand this nation very well, but that's another discussion for later.) It's not like I ever wanted to advocate anything. The whole is different than the sum of its parts. In this case, the whole is propaganda, its parts philosophy, and bound together by my artistic sensibilities**. Anyway, I sat on it until 2005, when I finalized it, then tucked it away until now. "Enjoy."

* I am aware of one instance were excuses were made to revoke parole over its possession.
** Such as this Song.

Downloads:

PDF: The complete Neither The Government Nor The Population - 7th Draft, or if you prefer, the complete Neither The Government Nor The Population - 7th Draft in booklet form.

Download EPUB

Download AZW3

For comparison, see the complete Neither The Government Nor The Population - 6th Draft.

Physics and Philosophy - Thoughts on the Implications of Quantum Mechanics, and Other Matters #26

26. As institutional science has grown useless in addressing mediocrity in its own institutions and practices, it has grown destructive in addressing mediocrity in the greater society. By actively promoting schemes, such as soft Taylorism, the scientific establishment undermines itself. Only sociopaths personalities are immune from believing their own propaganda. Worse, determinism is often pushed for the sake of funding. The demand for results does produce quantity, but really very little quality. It also destroys objectivity. As such, there are better routes for addressing reality. Philosophy, appropriately wielded, has a much broader scope. Rather than exploring minutiae, one can look at the whole as different than the sum of its parts. This freedom can be liberating, but it will very likely not be profitable. Only posterity will care. As Things Fall Apart on their Own, one will at least know why The Fall occurred, and whom helped its decline...

-1992, 2008

End.

The Physics and Philosophy series has been written as an introduction to The Age of Mediocrity collection.

Physics and Philosophy - Thoughts on the Implications of Quantum Mechanics, and Other Matters #25

25. Any search for truth hangs upon that which is sought. When it becomes obvious that certain routes through life will result in one being a cog, one can at least choose to modify the path. Art can be a labor or something else. Being paid to build is often better than being paid to produce. Sell first what is least valuable. One may need it later or not, but at least it is still possessed. Too many chose to do otherwise, and squander their talent for a bag of beans.

Physics and Philosophy - Thoughts on the Implications of Quantum Mechanics, and Other Matters #24

24. Mediocrity crumbles everything it touches.