Spencer Heath Archives

Item 87

Penciled start of a letter by Heath on notepad paper to Oliver Carmichael

November 1949?

Dear Dr. Carmichael:

     Your Carnegie Foundation report of November 16, 1949, as reported in the New York Times, calls for a Science of Society based on hypotheses similar to those of Newton and Galileo.

     Such a science does exist, as chemistry exists, wherever its special phenomena occur. It only remains to elucidate it, and for this no new “basic assumptions” are required. For all sciences — meaning objective sciences — rest upon these assumptions: (l) That there is an objective reality which consists of events that take place outside of and not dependent upon the personality that observes or experiences them. (2) That such events are discontinuous and thereby distinguishable one from another, rhythmic and repetitional. (3) That events are constituted of their characteristics; that these characteristics are measurable and thus numerically quantitative, hence (as Galileo held) rational, for their respective quantities are in numerical ratios one to another in terms of established standards or units of measure. (4) That the characteristics of any event are three in number — three numerical quantities of — mass, motion and time, or of force (or inertia), distance (space) and rhythm (or repetition). (5) That mass and motion (force and distance) constitute energy (but not any event). The quantity of energy in an event is the product of its mass and motion, irrespective of their ratio. The kind or quality of the energy is determined by their ratio or proportion irrespective of this product. (6) That when any quantity of energy is multiplied by the time or period through which it acts (and it cannot act without time) then this product is the magnitude of the event or quantity of action that takes place.

     The magnitude of any event is determined only by the product of its energy and time. The kind or quality of the action or event is determined by its ratios or proportions of mass, motion and time irrespective of the product. Any change in these ratios is a qualitative change, but only such change as tends to promote human aspirations or desires is a positively qualitative change. All rational technology consists in transforming events by changing their ratios, reproportioning their basic elements of mass, motion and time.

     There is the same quantity of action or event of the same magnitude at both ends of a lever but, the arms being unequal, there is a change or difference in the kind of action, a qualitative change. The time element and also the energy element (mass-motion) is the same at both ends, but the ratio of mass to motion is changed. There is the same quantity of action or event of the same magnitude when equal volumes of water flow from one elevation to another but if the rate of flow is unequal then there is a qualitative change due to

                            /Breaks off/