South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-02-13
Polish Mathematician GiUeS
Ont Ne7C The0ryAS TO Man

edge OF them "a source OF power for
future generations Is what Korzybsi<i
calls binding time. His third gen
eralizauon is that man is therefore
a time binding class OF life. The
natural effects OF this IS that each
succeeding generation OF mankind is
able 20 begin approximately where
jhe preceding one left off. whereas
In the animal world each succeeding
generation Is obliged 20 begin prac-
tically where the preceding one be-
gan.
The far-reaching effects OF this
new realization OF human life is ex-
pressed by Korzybski in his concep-
ton Of what human competition
should be, namely. competition in
time Survival OF the httest. yes.
but in time. not space. It is. he
maintains, the application Of space
binding animal standards OF the hu-
man being which is responsible for
mans inhumanity to man
War Logical Result
The world war was the logical
result Of animal emotions controlling
the terrific power released by hu-
man intellect
Man. therefore. by the basic law
OF his nature Is compelled TO work
for posterity- The animal is con-
scious Of one dimension of time
the present. Elan alone consciously
uses all three-past. present and fu-
ture. That is Why real education by
means OF the true presentation OF
facts Of the past is the only cure for
wars; also why humanity must re-
sist any dogmatic attempt to keep
the individual in ignorance. Safety
lies in true evaluation Of the past
in order that present humanity can
consciously create a future which
will be in harmony with the uni
versal creative purpose"
According 10 Mr. KorZybski. there
is nothing new I'm he presentation OF
the fact that man has the power Of
rolling up time with its accumu-
lated facts and using that power in
solving the problems Of the present
and the future. The new point in
his theory lies in the fact that il is
this power Of rolling up time or
binding time which IS the definite
Of humans.
"Functioning is the aim and pur-
pose Of life he said in further ex-
PLANTATION Of his theory. THE func-
ton Of plants. as I have explained,
is to bind solar energy; the function
of animals Is 10 bind space. The fact
that man can chemically bind solar
energy does not make him a plant;
the fact that he binds space or can
fight for his place in the sun does
not make him an animal. 1t is not
what an object has in common with
other objects that defines it or places
it: it is what it possesses apart from
other objects that Classics il. A
solid has line qualities. but a surface
is not line. In the same manner a
man may have animal qualities. but
that does not make him an animal.
Mixing Of terms is the one error
into which the scientist and mathe-
never fall. He knows that
you cannot add a solid to a surface
and get a logical result. Yet that is
what human beings have been doing
all along. Nan is an animal. they
say, to whom is added a special
spark from divinity. In that one
little definition three dimensions are
mixed in a manner that brings dis
tress to the heart Of any mathema-
tician. Man. animal and divinity.
Yet this is the formula upon which
our civilization is built. 1t is mathe-
NAUTICAL nonsense identical to such
as X square inches EQUALS
y linear inches plus or multiplied by
z cubic inches.
In Separate Glass.
'If man. as 1 say is in a class all
TO himself whose function it is to
bind time, how do 1 account for the
Darwinian theory? That's easy.
There is no conflict between the two.
The evolution of man was from the
ape TO the human. But just as
soon as the ape began 10 remem-
Der things. just as soon as he began
using and improving upon the uten-
sis that his father made. he passed
for all time out Of the animal class.
He began binding time.
The whole point Of the matter is
this: Man Is born with a time binding
cell not possessed by any other or
ganism Of which we are now cog
infant Take a newborn child,
place him in the wilderness. and he
viii begin binding time for his chill
dren. Place him in the midst OF
civilization and he will take up the
work OF binding time where IL was
left off by the former generation.
he must do that. That is his natur-
al law. That is his function.
Take a newborn dog and place
him in the wilderness. He Will fight
for his existence and nothing else. He
will do what the first OF his kind did
In the wilderness. Place him in the
midst OF civilization and he is still
an animal He still fights for his
preservation. for his place in the
sun. Time means nothing to him.
The past. the present. the future. To
him there is no connection other
than the one of reproduction.
How many angels will three pigs
and Eve Hottentots make? This
question is no more foolish than are
the questions and statements made
about divine sparks and higher an
imals. Don't mix your dimensions.
That is the first law of mathematics
An animal has nothing to do with a
human. human has nothing 20 do
with divinity.
Higher classes are able to under
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