Levels of Knowing and Existence - Subject Matter

Subject Matter

Levels of Knowing and Existence is concerned with the principle of general semantics and toward that end provides “invariable contextual insights into understanding Alfred Korzybski's Science and Sanity, discussing epistemological, ethical, aesthetic, etc., problems.” Given the subject matter, the book’s approach, structure, and language are remarkably straightforward and relatively easy to grasp without prior study in the field. This aspect of the book is even more pronounced when compared to Korzybski’s Science and Sanity, which is invariably considered a very difficult book to understand. Furthermore, unlike Science and Sanity, Mr. Weinberg uses almost no mathematical formulas in his text. Notwithstanding these differences the two books cover the same basic material and arrive at the same basic conclusions with regard to the central nervous system’s abstraction process in general and the uses and limitations of language in particular. Some of those conclusions are summarized as follows:

• Non-additivity: The whole is more than the sum of the parts. Under the Aristotelian concept of “additively,” C contains only the characteristics present in “A or B”; whereas, in reality “C” is a new structure with unique characteristics.

• Non-identity: The Aristotelian concept of identity (i.e. A = A) is postulated to be an illusion, for no two events are identical and no event can ever be perfectly repeated, because each event takes place at a given time. Non-identity, coupled with Werner Heisenberg's uncertainty principle upends strict determinism: not only is everything incredibly complex, “Everything happens just once and verification requires duplication.” (p. 115)

• Consciousness of abstraction: Awareness of the abstracting process causes many perceived differences and problems to vanish. For example, color does not exist in and of itself but rather results from abstracting certain wavelengths upon our retina. Another somewhat related example offered in the book concerns the old quandary of whether a tree falling in the forest makes any sound if there is no one to hear. The answer lies in how “sound” is defined. If sound is the creation of sound waves, then yes a “sound” is made for a recording device could detect them. If a sound, however, is defined as the reception of those waves upon an ear drum, then a “sound” is not made.

• Time-binding theory: A comparison is established between Korzybski's “Time-binding” and Abraham Maslow's theory of hierarchical needs.

• In stepping beyond the usual ambit of textbooks on the subject, Levels of Knowing and Existence also elucidates how general semantics can be used to analyze and better understand other disciplines that seek to explain human life on their own terms. Notably the book includes sections analyzing religion, cybernetics, decision-making, and psychotherapy, among others. Of particular interest to many readers are the final sections of Chapter 9, which connect Korzybski’ s extensionalizing (factual evaluating) of the non-verbal levels with Zen Buddhism’s satori. The book attempts to demonstrate that both systems result in a spiritual enlightenment attained by insight into the dynamic, non-symbolic reality.