Lunar Society
Gil Hardwick (gil@landmark.DIALix.oz.au)
Thu, 01 Dec 1994 00:53:24 GMT
Two good replies to my query; thanks. Both citing Desmond and Moore's
biography of Charles Darwin, stating that the Lunar Society "disbanded
after the riots of 1791."
But while it was an informal group anyway, with members meeting over
dinner during nights of the full moon so they could find their way
home easily, I suspect very strongly that they had simply stopped
meeting as such.
What is significant about the riots of 1791, and how did the period
happen to have coincided with the establishment of the colony here in
Australia? What sympathy might they have shared with the evangelical
pamphleteers and lawyers like Jeremy Bentham, who wished to have the
legal system codified?
Several years ago I was asked by some people associated with Potters
House to help establish a group to be called the Perth Lunar Society.
I was astonished to find several "working class" intellectuals being
made unwelcome in a most hostile manner. Further, since the Court
Government came to power here in Western Australia there appears to
have been a significant revival of business among Potter's House
members, to the detriment of those who had been prospering under the
previous Labor regime.
So why would the organisation be called _Potters_ House? Why a potter?
Who among them is or was a potter? Wedgewood?
If there is also a Potters House in Melbourne, what association might
they have with Victoria's Kennett Government?
Finally, what has any of it at all to do with the extreme nature of
the controversy over Evolutionary Theory? What associations do its
adherents have with arch-conservative industrialist politics?
Discussion by e-mail please.
Thanks again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Australia +61 97 53 3270
Don't worry about all this "sustainable agriculture".
We might well ask, what sustains the cities?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|