Flames and Warfare

Scott Holmes (sholmes@NETCOM.COM)
Fri, 27 Jan 1995 11:54:21 -0800

possible relationship to "war", yes, I think there is a relationship.
My feeling about this, at present, is purely intuitive. If you recall,
I suggested compiling raw data on flames in anticipation of developing
some hyphothesis. So far, I've received a few anecdotes and such but
nothing that would allow for any type of real analysis. I had suggested
that a common point between the onset of warfare and the initiation of
flames lies in the area where the "ideas" in need of defending are
reinforced. Another words, those thingies that are defended by violence
(verbal or physical) are strongly reinforced emotionally, whereas those
thingies (which may in fact be the same thingies) that are discussed
rationally have been reinforced intellectually.

The catch here is that emotions and the intellect are closely related.
It's possible that they are actually the same thing. The words emotions
and intellect merely describe the extremes. I suspect that Gregory
Bateson's theories on learning may provide a method for analysis. My
readings of his material has been, to date, casual. I am now trying to
study this stuff in a more rigorous manner.

My librarian friend has just now tracked down the only copy of
_Steps to An Ecology of Mind_ extant in the entire Los Angeles Public
Library system. From all reports (sans Mike Lieber), the book is out of
print. I have also started posting summaries of the articles in
_Sacred Unity: Further Steps to An Ecology of Mind_, an anthology of
his writings, with the hope of getting some feedback on the current
standing of Bateson's ideas within the field of anthropology.

Side Note to those of you that I've been in personal correspondence with:
I've been lately very much involved in changing computer platforms. Among
other things, this has involved configuring compilers, communications
software, etc, etc, ad nauseum. Sooner or later I'll be able to catch-up.



----------- There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, ----------------
Scott Holmes <sholmes@netcom.com> Informix 4GL Applications
---------------- Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. ------------------------