South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-02-13

Hoftenfots maker That was one
OF the questions asked his inter
viewer bv Alfred Korzy bsili. who has
Just written "a book which sweeps
aside all past conceptions regarding
mans place tn the universe. Man -
not a higher animal 90 whom has
been added a touch OF divinity. Man
belongs On "a class 20 himself. He IS
q human being born with a specific
attribute which separates him from
any OF the other classes known 20
the human mind; he has the power
10 bind time.
Count Korzybsd is a Pole who
saw active service IN the world war.
He comes OF family OF mathema-
ticians. What appears 10 the Ordin-
airy layman as a brain-cracking
problem in higher mathematics
Count Korzybski treats as a simple
problem in arithmetic The new
theory which he propounds. nam ely.
that civilization has been askew
these thousands of years because
man was wrong in the primary der
milton OF himself and applied 20 him
self the laws OF nature applicable TO
animals only. has the support OF
some who are prominent in the
scientific world. Walter ~. POia-
kov. weli-knOwn engineer OF this
city, IS one; Robert 3. Wolf. indus
trial engineer. is another.
Three Definitions.
The three definitions around which
the material OF the book IS based
are these: Mem bers OF the plant
or vegetable kingdom bind solar en-
erBy; members OF the animal king
dom bind space humans bind time"
A clarihcation Of these definitions
was given BY Robert B. Wolf IN a
paper read before the American So
ciety OF Mechanical Engineers.
'.korzybski." he says. who had
ample opportunity 20 observe the
destructive effects Of commercial
competition IN Europe. concluded
that man must have a wrong concep-
ton OF the reason for his existence.
The human standards seemed to be
but little above the animal standards
and the survival OF the fittest natur-
ally resulted. II was in the hope that
he could find a Fundamental DIS
OF life that he began his researches
by studying the records Of the past.
He first turned his attention to
the lowest form OF organic life. the
vegetable. and very soon found It's
main function to be the storing up
OF solar energy. The vegetable or
ganism. which does not move about.
but is attached TO the earth, draws
mp through its roots the inorganic
chemical substances from the earth
and forms them into "A cell in which
the energy Of the sun is confined.
lie therefore concluded that the
function of the vegetable class of
life Is 10 bind solar energy Coal.
for instance, is OF vegetable origin
and in burning il we release sun
power.
He next directed his attention TO
the records Of animal life and at
once noted that the outstanding
thing which distinguished It from
the vegetable IS its freedom to move
about lin space. The animal is more
concerned with giving out energy
than with storing up energy; in fact.
II can be likened TO a fireman by
means OF which vegetable energy is
exploded.
AS ali life proceeds by multipli-
cation. I. e.. geometrical progression,
each species OF animal life was soon
in conflict with every other species
This animal characteristic of move
ment IN space, of occupation OF
space. resulted. of course. in a strug-
gle for representation. This was
especially true IN an environment
which stimulated rapid production Of
the species. Darwin observed this
when he enunciated the principle of
the survival OF the fttest-no two
physical bodies can occupy the same
space at the same time.
Is Binding Life"
These observations led Korzybsxi
to his second generalization. namely.
because Of this fundamental faculty
OF movement In space the animal
was destined to increase its power
OF movement by its occupation OF
more space. The animal. he there
fore concluded. was a binding space
class OF life.
Having concluded that the func-
ton of the vegetable was 20 bind
energy and the animal to bind
space. he next turned his attention
TO the records OF human activities.
lie soon realized that the outstanding
characteristic which distinguishes
the human being from the animal is
its capacity 10 record past expert
ences. TO make them available for
future generations.
"All OF the worlds great religions
were based upon the recorded teach
ings of their founders. Our whole
system OF law Is based upon past
precedents recorded IN our law pro-
ceedings and modern science Is pri-
marily an accurate history OF the re-
suits OF past happenings in the or
ganic and inorganic worlds. II is
this recording of events in time
which Is a distinctly human faculty
and through II man alone becomes
conscious OF the operation or the
principles OF causation. for without
this power OF recalling past events
men could not have come 10 a reaIi-
zation OF the absolute Interchangeable
ness OF natural law.
This faculty of holding or TX
ing past events 20 make the knowl-