Saturday 12th
June 2021
"Alternative Hypotheses"
Learning to apply the
extensional device of ETC to
alternative hypotheses,
as used in scientific
method.
We applied this to how
people make up theories on:
life,
the universe and everything.
And we worked out why the
answer is not 42 :-).
We experienced a challenging
discussion as we apply “etc”
to our barbeque-stopping hot
topics of politics, sex and
religion, etc.
The meeting wias online
using Zoom and it it was free!
Facilitated by Mr David
Hewson
Click here for the Summary
Saturday 14th
August 2021 (by Zoom)
"The Brave New World of Aldus Hucley -
a Champion of General Semantics"
Aldus Huxley
understood that people often
react more strongly to symbols than to actual physical dangers that
threaten them; e.g. in his essay "Writers and Readers," he observes
that: "The hatred we feel at the sight of our enemies is often less
intense than the hatred we feel when we read a curse or an
invective.
Facilitated by Robert James
Click here for the Summary
... and our lovely Annual
General Meeting!
12:30 pm 14th August 2021
Attendance / Apologies / Annual Reports / Election of
Office-bearers ... etc ...
Click here for the
Minutes and Reports etc.
Saturday 18th
September 2021
"Rational-Emotive
Behaviour Therapy (REBT) -
a General Semantics
Perspective"
This is a theory introduced
by Albert Ellis, partially based
on formulations that Korzybski put forward, e.g. that a lot of
people end up behaving irrationally due to faulty premises /
assumptions. In REBT they call these beliefs.
Hence the ABC
model, where:
* A is the activating event,
* B are the beliefs about the event, and
* C are the
person’s consequences, e.g. their reactions
or as Korzybski would say, their semantic reactions
and the behaviours that follow from these.
Facilitated by Mr David
Hewson
Click here for the Summary
Saturday
30th
October 2021
"Science,
Religion and the 'F' Word"
"There is a fundamental
difference between religion,
which is based on authority,
and science, which is based
on observation and reason.
Science will win because it
works.”
― Stephen Hawking
“Gravity explains the
motions of the planets, but
it cannot explain who sets
the planets in motion.”
― Isaac Newton
“This most beautiful system
of the sun, planets and
comets, could only proceed
from the counsel and
dominion of an intelligent
and powerful Being...
This Being governs all
things, not as the soul of
the world, but as Lord over
all; and on account of his
dominion he is wont, to be
called Lord God παντοκρατωρ
or Universal Ruler.”
― Isaac Newton
Facilitated by Mr Brett
McDonald
Click here for the Summary
Saturday
27th November 2021
"100th Anniversary of
Alfred Korzybski's First Major Work:
'Manhood of
Humanity"
Well, has Humanity grown-up in the following 100 years -
Do we see any infantile behaviour in our personal, family,
community, national or global life?
What can general semantics contribute to our maturing
process ... "
A
review this extraordinary work and celebration its 100th
Anniversary!
Formulations considered today
day:
* projection,
* identification,
*
correct symbolism to fact,
* viewpoint / “to me”,
* agreeing to disagree agreeably,
*
alternative hypotheses,
* abstraction processes
* over generalising,
*
either/or distortion and filtering, etc.
Facilitated by David
Hewson and Robert James
Click here for the Summary
