Download pdf file - Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy

Feringer Notes - CIRCULATION OF THOUGHT - 1954 10 of 65
by this process. "In social science something is truer in the more various ways it is expressed."
p.5Contrary to science (mathematics in particular).
5.ERH gets into a long discussion of government and power, the sum of which seems to be that
the "church" and government are different,separate entities, and that government cannot be
controlled by the church.This is because religion is an inner spirit of people, and government is
an entity that must be based on fear of losing its power.The more people instilled with true
religion, the less government is needed because government is for those who conduct themselves
in a way that destroys the community, i.e. murder, theft, assault.THIS IS WHY THE
ULTIMATE MEANING OF RELIGION IS TO MOTIVATE THE NECESSITIES TO
CREATING A TRUE COMMUNITY.
6.The Communion in church, the service, illuminates or is intended to illuminate, the meaning of
our acts. And forgiveness for our transgressions is a necessity, freeing us to "...start life again." It
is a gateway to revelation of life to ourselves.
Supplication breeds more government, faith breeds peace.Nothing is more expensive than war,
nor as cheap as peace. "War is normal when we don't behave as human beings." (p.18)It is when
we expect to get something for nothing that we germinate wars.
America (and most other countries?) ERH claims is based on cheating, on selling people things
they don't need, or misrepresenting (Let the buyer beware) and all that!This is why we need so
many laws, so much government. We act this way because we lack real religion.
7.This section essentially describes the "12 tones of the spirit,"the commands for learning, for
coming alive, for fulfilling life;
1) Listen, accept one's name, learn from the past, receive first commands from parents. 2) Read,
expand beyond one's own family into society and history. 3) Playwith the ideas, early on when
one is learning (when one has no social burden to perform), test, experiment,suspend
judgment,wait to be called. "The playing is only important if you have something to live for
which is serious." (p.23)4) Doubt, to raise the question, "Does the present situation call for
applying the rule, or an exception?"At one time or another almost everything must be open to
doubt.Life is not nice, war the rule, peacethe exception.
8.Perhaps our most fundamental doubt isasking ourselves, "Are we loved?"By our family, our
friends.We have reasons to be happy when people love us; then we are reverential, worshipful,
poetical, lyrical and peaceful.Doubt is always this side of fulfillment, or certainty.Ideally, what
we think of ourselves should coincide with what others think of us (and vice versa one might say;
what others think of us is largely influenced by their perception of how we think of ourselves).
Cynical doubt, especially of how others love us, leads to jealousy.Thus, we need friends, family,
colleagues. We must always be joining up with something for a sane and fulfilling life. To be
isolated because of individualism is a terrible fate.