Countering "Give up now you'll never do it!"

London 2003 saw the largest protest in its history. Over a million people took to the streets to show their opposition to the invasion of Iraq. The war went ahead anyway...

Outflanking the Wealth-Dominated Authority and Opinion

In my professional life I have often had to succeed in spite of seemingly unconquerable odds ranged against what I knew to be necessary. What I wanted to do was dismissed by all the authoritive voices, and even by literally all those who actually agreed with me! The informed consensus was:-

"Give up now, you'll never do it!"

Indeed, all alternative actions, suggested from bothsides, but for obviously very different reasons, was to, "Do what you can, and where you can!", and be satisfied that: you had, at least, made a justified, if token, effort.

Not good enough!

For, while you are making minor changes for a handful of recipients, the powers that be are changing things for thousands and then millions. I'm afraid that such tokens amount to letting the wealth-organised authorities do it their way, and in doing so, turn your well-intensioned tokens into betrayals.

For, those tokens promise great possibilities, which are not only never delivered, but just persuade those who had temporarily benefited from them that, more generally, "Absolutely nothing could be done!"

But, on two crucial occasions, a way was found to implement changes beyond a temporary token contribution.

An appeal, via the man whose name was attached to the institution in which I was working, managed to acquire two obsolescent Mainframe Computers from a local major firm, who were upgrading, and these were identical to the one on which I had been doing extended research at a local University. And, all this also came at a time when the Government were suggesting Link Courses between Further Education Colleges and Local Schools - to give pupils experience of what they would need in their future workplaces. Clearly, I was in a position to connect these "token, costless" ventures into something very different!

Within a short period we had built a Computing Section doing several quality courses both in-house and via Links with local Schools. It was on a shoestring, but we knew what we were doing, and backed it up with an independent organisation for doing the same for other Colleges across the Country, as well as getting more equipment for our own institution and maintaining a sufficient standard.

Now, I did mention two cases!

Years later I was working with a Researcher in Dance Performance and Choreography, who had major problems using exemplar materials on video, for use in teaching the principles involved in both of these disciplines. We got together and solved her problems using computer controlled Laser Discs, and within a year had won a British Interactive Video Award for Excellence, with our first product "The Dance Disc".

But, our revolutionary methods were still rejected by the Dance Education Authorities, and for a whole decade we were unable to proceed further. But, this was the 1990s and the internet was looming!

We decided to sell over the internet, via, initially, giving away free Demo Discs (usable upon the then numerous desktop computers), which we had taken from our first product, or were cut-down versions of potential new products. We managed to totally by-pass the Dance Establishment, and, via the Internet, and, in the end, produced a dozen titles, including one translated into Dutch, and with both known-contacts and supplied-users in over 100 countries, worldwide.

Clearly, the Authorities are dominated by people with very different priorities to the majority of people working in that given area.

So, the policy must be to outflank them, when they hinder necessary progress!

Now, admittedly, this isn't as easy as it sounds, because things-move-on, and a possible outflanking, at one time, can be impossible later-on!

For example, the increasing interventions by Governments and their agencies into the Internet, which, let's be crystal clear, is no longer run by enthusiastic, principled and committed amateurs, but by multi-billion dollar Corporations, whose interests are allying, ever-more-closely, with pro-wealth Governments. The bypassing solutions of the future will have to be different from those of the past!

And, of course, for those of the Left with a political agenda, these arguments are even more crucial. Are the methods of the past up to the problems emerging daily as World Capitalism repeatedly fails to counter the devastating effects of the 2008 slump? Of course not! For, with the newspaper and communications media in their pockets, Capitalist Governments are finding scapegoats, everywhere, to hide the real causes of the continuing crisis.

As happened with the 1929-1941 slump, the same methods led to Fascist Governments in Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Japan and even Finland: and similar Right-Wing movements are now growing literally everywhere. And, to up the ante still further, War is now endemic for the USA, as they intervene all over the Globe in attempts to maintain their prior dominance, but now, more and more, by Force!

But, the biggest demonstration ever, in the UK, as was marshalled against the War of Intervention in Iraq, still achieved nothing!

The resources were there, but not the necessary Organisation!

The past strength of the Unions has been drastically diminished by Capitalist Governments; and the nature of the new jobs to "replace" those lost in the 2008 Slump are "zero-hours", self-employed, or part-time, with neither security, protection or the organisations to fight for such things, for the workers involved. But, the only real weapon of the Working Class is, and always has been, Organisation: it is all they can have!

So, what new forms must this take in the current period to provide that crucial and deciding power to WIN?

We are, after all, the Many, and with joint steadfast action we can (and must) defeat the Few!

To answer these questions constructively, we must define exactly what is lacking, and change our current activism into a questing, seeking, informing and empowering agitation, primarily supplying what the Working Class "both need, and need-to-know!", and, "to effectively organise!". And, such information should no longer be a ready-made series of policies - arrived at only by distant leaders and handed down to be used by activists, everywhere, and in the same way. Instead, they must be finding out what is, locally, both required and demanded.

And formulating demands and arguments to be used with other, as yet, unconvinced workers - and in so doing constantly empowering the theorists too!

And, as always, the necessary forces will be found within the Youth! Primarily, because it is they who are the hardest hit, yet unencumbered by the old, now useless, methods of the past. It was the youth who literally "did everything" after the Grenfell Disaster, to help and organise for those affected - Did you notice how young, committed. intelligent and energetic they were?

Those must be the forces to be won!

And, in addition, all those, who are qualified, should be communicating their expertise to such workers: Not as it is done on the Radio, Television and Films as "Entertainment", but as enabling-possibilities for our Class! Teachers and experts in particular areas should be explaining what they do to workers as exciting, valuable and worthwhile occupations.

For, Education as it is usually inflicted upon the children of workers - "to fit them for work when they leave", must be given a vastly wider remit, and introduce them to the excitement of all aspects of human activities. The polar opposite of what is currently happening in education under the Tories.

Now, one more personal experience of the writer, must be related to negate the Nay-Sayers for such an approach. Years ago, I was working in Glasgow, where we started a "Youth Training" initiative in Bridgeton (a poor-Working Class area). At that time, there seemed to be only myself, who could offer anything both useful and exciting - I was an established Computer Programmer, so I taught unemployed Working Class Youth to program computers. They loved it, and wanted more, but the next level-up required more expensive equipment, and we didn't have the resources to supply one-each! I contacted my old comrades from one of my previous posts, which was carrying on with what I had started over a decade previously, and asked them to get me a redundant Mainframe Computer, which they did, and we installed it in a warehouse in Bridgeton.

Sadly, soon after, I terminally fell-out with my employers, and had to get another job in England, so I personally was unable to carry that project to completion. But, it again showed what could be done! Who could gainsay such outflanking! It had bypassed both all the usual provision of such facilities, and their usual intentions

Notice though, I was the only academic I knew who was doing such things!

Clearly, there are many such provisions that committed and competent professionals could make, as well as other services that are vanishing from situations such as we are suffering at present.

Communal services like Libraries are closing down everywhere!

What can you do?

Abandoned library in Blackpool

Postscript:

Years ago, the city I was then working in were due to demolish a row of ancient shops, but there was a delay! They agreed to allow a temporary use, rent-free, if those taking one on looked after it. Myself and my partner, applied and got one of these shops, and turned it into an Art Gallery. It lasted for a whole year! People who care can rally communities to run such things themselves if needs be...

The Imperatives & Trajectory of Writing

A Muse by Scientist and Philosopher 

Jim Schofield

Having been a full-time writer, initially, of directed academic papers, and, thereafter, individual essays, for a developing period of almost nine years now, I am, in retrospect, interested in the unplanned trajectory that I have been directed upon by that experience.

Initially, my topics were extremely varied, not only coming from my later career in Further and Higher Education - as a Lecturer and Researcher in Computing, but also from many, much earlier phases, when I was involved in teaching Physics, Mathematics, Biology, Music and even Revolutionary Politics.

Though, I occasionally also wrote upon Art, it was as a practicing Sculptor that I put in the hours there, and though I did write extensively for a time, on Music, it was as a rather incompetent performer, and perhaps a somewhat better analyst, that I spent my time in that area.

Writing was an intellectual activity, and initially, was limited by my own current inadequate knowledge, though I always found that I had something to say upon the latest News, and upon articles in Scientific Magazines, the results initially were invariably just critical one-offs.

But, being aware of those inadequacies, I resolved to attempt to overcome them, and read a great deal to that end. And, crucially, as a life-long teacher, what gains I made for myself, I wrote up as if I was teaching a class - so my style was never very literary - with the none of the usual abundance of quotes, references and examples of relevant experience.

I saw writing as teaching, and delivered accordingly, as if I was there in front of a class (though I had to imagine for myself any puzzled expressions and probable consequent questions).

I invariably got an inordinate number of criticisms from "professionals", who felt it necessary to dismiss my "style", punctuation and incorrect language, as betraying clear unprofessional inadequacies. But, as a highly successful teacher for over 40 years, I felt that I knew better.

I was never attempting to earn a place in Academia, but merely to teach what I had learned.

Now, as a qualified computer expert, I had managed to land my perfect job - helping Higher Education researchers (across the whole range of disciplines), by both devising and delivering computer programs to help them with their work.

I wrote tailor-made and usually completely original software aids for research in disciplines as widely different as Engineering, Taxonomy, Control of complex testing and analysis machines, Nursing Care Plans, Mathematical Chaos, and I finally won a British Interactive Video Award, for The Dance Disc - a multimedia aid for the teaching of Dance Performance (all of these were, of course, only achieved along with top experts in the discipline-field involved).

The language I used, when talking with my co-workers, was exactly how I wrote, and, it always seemed to work very well.

What I am keen to communicate here, is how my writing changed over the years.

From the outset of the current, writing-only phase, I worked 7 days-a-week, 12 months-a-year for a minimum of 4 hours a day ( and often a lot more), and quickly reached the level of output of a "Paper-a-Day". I began to fill 80 page display books with printed versions of my work, which rapidly grew to over 150 volumes, at which point, I switched to much more capacious A4-size polythene boxes.

A current estimate of my writing is around 6 million words, and after only a couple of years into this phase, I (with the help of my son, Michael Schofield) had set up three dedicated websites, where my work was published.

The most important site was SHAPE Journal, which, by October 2016, had published 91 Issues, each containing around 6-10 original papers. It didn't take long for us to, in addition, publish what we called Specials, which were originally conceived as SHAPE Issues dedicated to a single theme.

Now, from the very beginning of this endeavour, I had been losing my sight: so changes to my writing facilities were regularly necessary.

Initially, I wrote on paper with a pen, but soon had to switch to a more readable fibre-tip marker, and enlarge my manuscripts. The second stage was always to type from the MSS into my computer, but, then, the text on screen became too small to see, so a bigger screen became a regular update. And latterly, I couldn't even read my own manuscripts, so I switched to direct-typing-in, using a truly mammoth screen.

Another development in method was also derived from teaching, for I frequently changed course within a lesson, as a response to evident problems and questions - and, following an unresolved question, I even made sure I had cracked it by the next lesson.

So, when writing, I had to be my own sternest critic, particularly during a reading of what I had just produced, so necessary additions were then carried out, and inserted within the prior text. Many times, it was incomplete premises, assumptions, or prior ideas that were mistaken or even missing, so resolving these, produced Prefaces and Introductions, and topics often stretched into series of related papers. 

Perhaps the most important development was the Necessary-Interruption-Technique - where I realised the need for a necessary area of work. So, I immediately suspended the current writing, and diverted to researching the as yet unresolved question that was required, before I could complete the prior paper. But, most directly-available information was rarely an Explanation, so I regularly had to sit down and think it through for myself.

Brief notes helped guide my later writing, but clearly the Thinking Sessions were becoming more and more vital. The gathering of mere Knowledge was clearly insufficient!

In the present World Knowledge has, indeed, become the main objective, but that is surely NOT the main purpose of Education: that is now, and always has been, the Understanding of phenomena.

In addition to "How?", we have also know "Why?"

Instead of the mere dissemination of prior Knowledge, the emphasis changed markedly to explaining why things behaved as they did, and my writing became Original Theoretical Research.

As a qualified physicist, I tackled the infamous Double Slit Experiments, in Sub Atomic Physics, and managed to arrive at a comprehensive Explanatory Theory, at variance with the now consensus Copenhagen Interpretation.

In research into the work of the philosopher GWF Hegel, and his famous student Karl Marx, I finally arrived at an original Theory of Emergences.

And, elsewhere, also managed enhancements to Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection, as well as significant improvements in Stanley Miller's famous Primeval Atmosphere Emulation Experiment, which had naturally generated the absolutely vital amino acids in less than a week.

Having had a very wide experience over a long career, I was able to not only write, but also make original contributions across a range of disciplines, and despite my increasing blindness (I have advanced Macular Degeneration), I have accelerated my rate of production considerably.

In the coming Summer (2017) we will celebrate with the 100th Issue of the SHAPE Journal online, which will be a Special - composed entirely of the Illustrations, Montages, Diagrams, Graphic Art and even YouTube videos - all selected or created by my son and colleague, Michael Schofield, who is currently studying for his Ph.D. in Photography at Leeds University, England.

It will be quite an issue!

The Tortuous Ascent?

Changes of Evolutionary Mode

It is vital that we are aware both of our shortcomings, as well as our remarkable abilities, when it comes to a sound assessment of our devised concepts, beliefs and models of the Reality that we both inhabit, and attempt to understand.

For, human beings don't (and indeed can't) deal directly in Absolute, Unquestioned Truth.

Indeed, most of what we juggle with and cleverly manipulate, are, at best, useful human inventions, which contain only parts or aspects of that unobtainable Absolute.

Though, often brilliant, and even occasionally wonderful, they are always constructs that, in various ways, attempt to reflect ever more of that existing Reality, but always via means, which can and do, to a significant extent, mislead us.

We have to put away our homocentric prejudices, and significantly change our own assessments to get a developable handle on our "supposed understanding". For, we were not "added-in", as the final, finishing touch, adequately-equipped to both understand and employ that Reality, in the best possible ways.

On the contrary, we evolved via the same selective mechanisms as all other Life to merely survive and maybe prosper, but, certainly not to understand, necessarily!

What was truly remarkable, was that actual evolutionary processes should, in the case of Mankind, be redirected, in a wholly new way, which took our species away from an animalistic, practical set of characterisations and methods to a "GOD-like" attempt to solve problems by attempting to understand them. It involved a crucial, revolutionary redirection, because it was more general, and delivered the possibility of many more solutions than could be amassed by mere individual experiences.

Now, such a redirection has revealed many unpredictable theories and methods, which have literally overthrown the usual strategy-for-survival, (basically the same as for all other life forms), into one in which the Brain, and what we call Thinking became our primary asset.

Ancient Mathematics

We, no longer, merely learn-and-repeat: we also strive to find reasons and causes for what we observe: We attempt to redefine our observations into forms that underlie whole ranges of behaviours. We attempt to understand!

But, of course, that is much easier said than done, and the trajectory of development has not, and, indeed, could not be either direct or self evident.

On the contrary, it is full of misconceptions, many of which lead, inevitably, to dead ends. There has appeared NO direct stairway to Understanding.

What is remarkable is that many very clever inventions have been achieved, which, though including ever more Objective Content, certainly with increasing effectiveness in use, but also often leading us astray theoretically. Indeed, many means have been such, as to only ever be local to a particular area of study - and, so much so, that, in every area, the considerations have always, fairly quickly, reached terminating situations - characterised by the emergence of Dichotomous Pairs of concepts - alternative contradictory ideas that cannot both be true!

Now, this is crucial!

To make any sort of progress in our objective of understanding Reality, Mankind had to do several remarkable things. They had to arrive at a set of premises - basic assumptions, supposedly common to the current area of study, which clarified a seemingly complex situation, into one that could be investigated. There was no avoiding this route!

Reality was too complex and too holistic to be addressed "as is".

We would have to simplify it, to make it more amenable for study, and indeed for use. But, such modifications had two very different effects. First, it did make things easier. But, second, it would inevitably end by leading us into a cul-de-sac - an insurmountable impasse in our formal reasoning.
These crucial areas of real development, led us, inevitably, into very different qualitatively evolving trajectories.

Formal reasoning would get us absolutely nowhere!

First, these impasses divided Reality up into many different areas, within which some objectives could be achieved, but which were always limited in extent, and surrounded by these impasses.

And, such a patchwork, of separate areas, forced us to seek something common to them all as a unifier!

Mankind did find something in Forms and Patterns, so there were these universal formal features that could be recognised, as occurring, across all of these areas. But, though these formal commonalities certainly did recur literally everywhere, they were altogether too common, too simple, and clearly too merely descriptive to be seen as the actual causes.

But, the inviting hole was there to be fallen into, and everyone followed one another "over the edge like lemmings", and soon everyone began to see "Form as Cause", which it most certainly was not!

Of course, such mistakes did nothing to assist in the problem being attempted here. MANY a false path concerned with form alone, often misled those in pursuit of the Dichotomous Pairs.

The only way forward was Hegel's pursuit of these crucial stumbling blocks, followed by the exposure of their causing premises, and their consequent replacement. Only by such a route could the contradictions finally get explained, making further progress possible beyond these tiresome contradictions.

Let us try to make things somewhat clearer.

Man. as with all other living things, evolved by means of Natural Selection. But, in this very special case, where the Brains and Thinking of living human beings became the crucial factors, for mere physical adaptions could do nothing in solving problems like Dichotomous Pairs and their unavoidable impasses. Very different means had to be developed consciously by living human beings for themselves.

It became a very different problem, and took Mankind into a very different sphere of evolution. It wasn't appropriate physical adaptions which enabled development via genes, but new ways of thinking that had to be invented.

If Man was to crack such problems as this one, Natural Selection had to do a very different job, somehow. It had to select for general intelligence, which would "succeed" by achieving wholly new concepts, and new ways of thinking.

And, the most likely areas for that to begin to work would be in hunting strategy successes.

In other words, it would be another kind of intelligence that would be selected for. And, the sought for intelligence, we are considering here, would have to be provided indirectly, and so would involve a whole evolutionary development of a new kind to finally deliver what was required. 

Genetics alone would be insufficient: it is clear that social teaching would be essential too!

Indeed, the idea that there could be different genes, for different "knowledge" is certainly mistaken. More and more characteristics of a new offspring would have to be taught to it as it matures. They could never be coded for in the genes of that individual.

To pass on such things would always have to be achieved ater birth in subsequent education.

Of course, certain mental abilities required to cope with such learning will be inherited, but without the necessary teaching, such abilities will never come to fruition.

Clearly, a wholly new phase in evolution has occurred, when it comes to Mankind. For, though both teaching and learning occur in many animls, it is language and literacy that enable a colossal leap forward. New generations don't only learn from their parents and teachers, but also from long dead thinkers' published writings.

Brotherton Library, University of Leeds

A mammoth step change in communicated knowledge and understanding occurs with language and literacy. No longer was all evolution solely determined by Natural Selection, and limited to purely adaptive improvements, in the actual forms of living things, via living success in survival and reproduction. With Mankind, a whole new trajectory, much less pragmatic than Selection, began to be increasingly significant.

But, clearly, such gains could NOT be passed on genetically, so quite different means were employed by living humans attempting to do the impossible - consciously understand aspects of Reality and passing them on by teaching the new generation. And, of course, doing it entirely without the tailor-made, inherited means of genetics, many mistakes and misinterpretations were inevitable.

What was passed on wasn't always right! Indeed, it may have contained something of real value, but would always be insufficient.

The process wasn't only concerned with effective teaching. It also had to be how Reality was investigated, and how discoveries were made. And, even more difficult, the necessary informed criticism of premises and methods. As it is so poetically put by some thinkers - "Man had to pull himself up by his own bootlaces!" 

The gap between Zeno of Elea and Friedrich Hegel took 2,300 years for the crucial next step to be realised. And from Hegel to now is 200 years (and counting).

The necessary developments are not easy.

Indeed, in perhaps the most advanced Science - Modern Physics, the majority of participants have been idealists for almost 100 years, and with no sign of a change being immanent, it will take even more time to remedy that "backwards step" in our evolution!