Abstract
BY analogy with a series of mathematical theories constructed on the negation of this or that axiom, Mr. Korzybski attempts to build up a non-Aristotelian system of universal knowledge. “Non-Aristotelian” is the name given to the system, because it purports to require the rejection of the famous principle of identity. This very foundation of the non-Aristotelian system seems very insecure to the present reviewer, for two reasons: in the first place, no one has consciously affirmed the principle of identity in the sense that Mr. Korzybski denies it; and secondly, this very principle is continuously, though covertly, used by the author, not only in the exposition of his views but also as identity of structure. The avalanche of irrelevant quotations from all fields of human knowledge does nothing but to add to the confusion in which one is left after reading this bulky volume.
Science and Sanity: an Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics.
By Alfred Korzybski. (International Non-Aristotelian Library.) Pp. xx + 798. (Lancaster, Pa.: The Science Press Printing Co., 1933.) 5.50 dollars.
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G., T. Philosophy . Nature 134, 617 (1934). https://doi.org/10.1038/134617d0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/134617d0