Descartes Rules Ass

IL EST RENE! His Discourse on Method {Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting the Reason in the Search for Truth in the Sciences} is the masterstroke. This is the foundation of modern thought ~ the beginning of the process of enlightened thinking. Clear the table and start from the bottom. Here are the 4 Precepts:

"The first was never to accept anything for true which I did not clearly know to be such; that is to say, carefully to avoid precipitancy and prejudice, and to comprise nothing more in my judgement than what was presented to my mind so clearly and distinctly as to exclude all ground of methodic doubt.

The second, to divide each of the difficulties under examination into as many parts as possible, and as might be necessary for its adequate solution.

The third, to conduct my thoughts in such order that, by commencing with objects the simplest and easiest to know, I might ascend by little and little, and, as it were, step by step, to the knowledge of the more complex; assigning in thought a certain order even to those objects which in their own nature do not stand in a relation of antecedence and sequence.

And the last, in every case to make enumerations so complete, and reviews so general, that I might be assured that nothing was omitted."

... and so, all scientific method, all rational thought, all problem solving around us, all machines working for us, and the awareness of such as it's happening, is living in the Cartesian World. Monsieur Descartes was 4 ft. 8, and a first-rate fencer.

Concordance!

Boy oh boy, how come I hadn't learned about concordances before? These are marvelous! The first one I saw was for Chuckie D (Darwin) and it blew mind right out the back of my skull. It becomes pure poetry. The 'species' entry was the largest, with it noting he used the word on almost every page of The Origin of Species. The sentences taken together form a new cohesion of thought, a wildly thoughtful new perspective on writing ideas down. Which words were used where? The biggest world of concordances is of course the ol' Bible. Next is Shakespeare. After that, you got yer big boys (Milton, Blake, Dante) and other tiers of hotness (Poe, Shelley, Gibbon). Even music guys (Leonard Cohen, Richard Wagner). Lordy, so this idea of organizing the words used and how often and where has been around for a couple hundred years? The Germans started it. Then it grew into consolidated nerd studies of certain works, certain writers. This is exciting. Apparently it's like an ultimate student-of-something task. Concordance! Love the word. Love Concordia as well. I've GOT to get into a Leaves of Grass concordance ... and Napoleon! Of course, now you can access the info through these little computer machine things ... joyous 21st century 2 bee sure, right on. 3 hot concordances here.

Sweet Lew

Today I learned Union General Lew Wallace wrote Ben Hur. Wha-? Actually I learned this two days ago, but I'm only now coming to accept it. So this means Sweet Lew, who commanded at Shiloh -- General Lew Wallace who successfully defended Washington DC against Confederate forces, also wrote the Ben Hur book? The one made into a movie starring Charlton Heston? Shoot, there were 4 -- four! -- film versions of that book! You mean General Wallace could have won an Academy Award? Huh? Blimey! Tis true. He wrote it in 1880 while he was Governor of New Mexico Territory. Plus it was the first novel to be blessed by a pope. I've held the two-volume illustrated 1889 edition in my hands. Can you say SLAMMIN'? Hot stuff. He wrote lots of other things too. After the war Wallace, as a lawyer, participated in the trials of the Lincoln assassination conspirators and of Henry Wirz, commandant of the Andersonville prison camp. And while he was Gov of New Mex he went after Billy the Kid so he's got good ol' William Bonney tied up in his life too. Also we can thank him for The Battle of Monocacy in July 1864, the "Battle That Saved Washington." Give it up to Sweetass Lew.