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January 12, 2007

Fnord

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"If you think you know what the hell is going on, you're probably full of shit."

I learned more from him and from the (mainly) dead, white males to whom he introduced me than any other human being I have never met. Including Alfred Korzybski.

Wilson was particularly taken with the Polish semanticist's critique of newer European languages. "Korzybski suggested dozens of reforms in our speech and our writings, most of which I try to follow. One of them is if people said 'maybe' more often, the world would suddenly become stark, staring sane. Can you see Jerry Falwell saying: "Maybe God hates gay people. Maybe Jesus is the son of God.' Every muezzin in Islam resounding at night in booming voices: 'There is no God except maybe Allah. And maybe Mohammed is his papa. Think about how sane the world would become after a while."

Maybe it would.

"Well, yeah," says Wilson. "Maybe."

Thank you, Robert Anton Wilson, and rest in peace (this sad news via Warren Ellis).

Posted by Ghost of a flea at January 12, 2007 07:23 AM

Comments

:-( He wrote some of the more entertaining/thought provoking books I've ever read. Gonna have to go buy some more.

Posted by: urthshu [TypeKey Profile Page] at January 12, 2007 08:57 AM

I had always assumed I would meet him, if only in passing. Just goes to show that at least in some sense we are all running against the clock.

Posted by: Ghost of a flea [TypeKey Profile Page] at January 12, 2007 09:04 AM

Wow. I just spent some time reading about him and I am yet amazed that I missed his work. I think I will be looking up the Illuminatus! books soon.

thanks again Herr Flea.

Posted by: Gorthos [TypeKey Profile Page] at January 12, 2007 07:07 PM

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