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• Science and Sanity Sixth Edition Reading Group

  • Start
    30 Sep 2024
  •  
  • End
    30 Dec 2024
  •  
  • Schedule
    19 sessions
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  Science and Sanity

  Sixth Edition

  Reading Group

  The Institute of General Semantics is pleased to announce that our long-awaited reading group devoted to the new edition of Alfred Korzybski's magnum opus will be held this autumn, following our annual Alfred Korzybski Memorial Lecture and symposium. The reading group will be led by IGS President Lance Strate on Monday evenings beginning September 30th, and continuing through to December 23rd.

  Alfred Korzybski's Science and Sanity: An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics was first published in 1933, and has remained in print for over 90 years now, with the Sixth Edition having been published in 2023, and available in the traditional hardcover version, and new paperback and searchable ebook versions.

  As the work that introduced general semantics to the world, Science and Sanity is essential reading for anyone interested in the topic, and remains highly influential in many other fields and disciplines. And yet, this is a book that has often been misunderstood, and universally acknowledged as challenging and difficult to read. For this reason, we will bring together new readers and seasoned veterans for the first time to discuss Korzybski's work in an online live forum via Zoom.

  All references and page numbers in the discussion will be based on print versions of the Sixth Edition, which differs somewhat from previous editions. If you do not have a copy of the new edition, you can obtain one through any major online bookseller, and via the IGS's online bookstore (IGS members can obtain a 15% discount by emailing orders at generalsemantics.org for the coupon code). 

  Registration is free and open to the public. You do not have to be a member of the Institute of General Semantics to join the reading group, but it is strongly encouraged. Registrants will receive information for joining the Zoom session in an email reminder. Sessions will be recorded and made available for viewing to IGS members. 

  Schedule

  Note that every session will run from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM New York Time. For the sessions scheduled from Sept. 30th to Oct. 28th this will be Eastern Daylight Time (GMT -4), and from Nov. 4th to Dec. 23rd it will be Eastern Standard Time (GMT -5).

  The following are the dates and sections of the book to be discussed:

  September 30: All front matter, including Prefaces to the 6th, 5th, 4th, & 3rd editions, Introduction to the 2nd edition, and Preface to the 1st edition

  October 7: Book 1 Part 1

  October 14: Book 1 Part 2

  October 21: Book 1 Part 3

  October 28: Book 1 Part 4

  November 4: Book 1 Part 5

  November 11: No Meeting

  November 18: Book 1 Part 6

  November 25: Book 2 Part 7, Chaps. XXIV-XXVIII

  December 2: Book 2 Part 7, Chaps.XXIX-XXXI

  December 9: Book 3 Prefatory Remarks & Part 8

  December 16: Book 3 Part 9

  December 23: Book 3 Part 10

  December 30: Supplements

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• Language and Thought Online Course

  • Start
    10 Feb 2025
  • End
    21 Feb 2025
  • Location
    Canvas
  • Spaces left
    19

  Register

  Language and Thought

  An Online Course

  February 10-21

  Dr. Mary P. Lahman, Instructor

  The Institute of General Semantics is pleased to sponsor an online asynchronous course on general semantics to be taught by IGS Trustee Mary P. Lahman, Professor Emerita of Communication Studies at Manchester University and author of Awareness and Action. As an asynchronous course, students will have opportunities to engage with the course material and interact from anywhere in the world, completing daily assignments at their convenience each day.  The course is being offered via the Canvas learning management system. 

  Course Description: This course explores the relationship between language and thought, specifically how positions that may seem diverse and incompatible stem from inferences based on limited experience. We discover language behaviors that help us delay responding to automatic thinking and listening habits. By learning to pause, we gain awareness of our perceptions and emotional responses, which can increase our ability to engage in civil discourse about controversial topics. We explore how unexamined language behaviors perpetuate misperceptions of past and present controversies in professional and personal spaces. We determine which language and listening behaviors respect the infinite worth of each person in the interaction.

  An ebook edition of the required text, Lahman, M. P. (2018). Action and Awareness: A Travel Companion, will be provided free of charge.

  The seminar fee is $100 for IGS members, $200 for non-members.
  

  We will try to accommodate everyone interested in attending the seminar, but space will necessarily be limited, so register early to ensure your participation!

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