Selections from Science and Sanity

So, I don't know if you've noticed that I haven't been posting all that much lately.  I know we tend to not notice things that are absent to the same degree that we pay attention to things that are present.  And I don't imagine that all that many people are waiting for my next post with bated breath (what does "bated" mean, after all you may be thinking if you have the kind of mind that goes off on tangents a lot, and if you have the kind of mind that is a bit on the dirty side, then no, it's not what you're thinking, it's short for abated).

So maybe you think I owe you an explanation, maybe not.  And maybe I think I owe you an explanation, and maybe not.  And maybe I actually do.  Owe you.  An explanation.  Or maybe not.  But here goes.

One reason I've been less active with blogging and other new media for the past several months is that I've been involved with several book projects.  One of them was the subject of my previous post, Media and Formal Cause.  And I'll have an update on that soon, by the way.  Another will be the topic of a separate post in the near future, and a rather exciting one at that.  But this post is devoted to a book that I worked on quite extensively, as Editor of the Second Edition of Alfred Korzybski's Selections from Science and Sanity:  An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics.   With the unabridged version coming in at over 800 pages, this authorized abridgment first published in 1948 has been sorely needed, and especially prepared for classroom use.  Here is what the cover looks like:

Pretty snazzy, huh?  Special thanks to Peter Darnell and Visible Works Design on that.  

This book represents the launching of the New Non-Aristotelian Library series, for which Corey Anton is the General Editor, and this new edition includes forewords from Corey and myself, a new introduction from Korzybski biographer Bruce Kodish, and the addition of an abridged version of the preface Robert P. Pula wrote for the Fifth Edition of the unabridged work (yes, there have been five editions of Science and Sanity, which means that Selections needs three more to catch up!).


And here's a bit more about the book:

Selections from Science and Sanity represents Alfred Korzybski's authorized abridgement of his magnum opus, Science and Sanity: An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics. This second edition, published in response to the recent Korzybski revival, adds new introductory material and a revised index, providing an accessible introduction to Korzybski's arguments concerning the need for a non-Aristotelian approach to knowledge, thought, perception, and language, to coincide with our non-Newtonian physics and non-Euclidean geometries, to Korzybski's practical philosophy, applied psychology, pragmatics of human communication, and educational program. Selections from Science and Sanity serves as an excellent introduction to general semantics as a system intended to aid the individual's adjustment to reality, enhance intellectual and creative activities, and alleviate the many social ills that have plagued humanity throughout our history.

As for ordering a copy, you can get it from the Institute of General Semantics Store, or online from any major bookseller.  Below are direct links to get the book from Amazon, if you care to:

It's quite a selection, indeed, if I do say so myself.