Spencer Heath Archive

Item 3194

Several drafts or finals of public discussion topics directed by Heath

1930s

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION

Social Change and Growth and the Individual Life

From the Standpoint of a Dynamic Liberalism

1. Society as a Super-Organism. — An emergence of Life from the Animal Level of Action to the Human or Capital Economy.

2. The Sovereignty of a Society. — How it is Exercised and Apportioned over its Territory. Jurisdiction by Officers and Proprietors.

3. Government as an Organ or Agent of Society for the Performance of Public Services. — The Creative side of Government.

3. The Economic Functions of Society. — Mutual Exchange of Services. Capital the Instruments of and Vehicle for Conveying Services.  Credit and Banking Functions Essential to Production and Keeping Accounts.

3. Speculative Enterprise. — Pursuit of Vision. The Highest Type of Productive Activity.

6.  Restrictionism and its Bitter Fruits. — Disemployment. Monopolies. Ultimate Scarcity of Consumers’ Goods. Price Inflation. Speculation. Credit Inflation. Collapse.

7. The Capital Economy. — Its Two Grand Divisions, Public and Private. Its Immaturity and its Present Bondage.

7. The Capital Economy Unbound. — Unrestricted Employment of Labor and Capital. Public and Private Finance. Public Administra­tion Redeemed.

7. The Double Heritage of Mankind. — The Animal and Destruc­tive.  The Distinctively human and Socially Creative.

10. Wars as a Biologic Necessity Under Economic Repression. — The Animal Economy at its Highest Technique. Resistance vs. Non-Resistance.

10. The Rhythm of Repression. — Absolutism to Parliamentarianism.  Democracy to Dictatorship. “Our Enemy, the State.”

10. Schopenhauer, Malthus and Ricardo. — Apostles of the Animal Economy. The “Dismal Science.”

10. Henry George. – A Herald of the Social Dawn.

10. Universal Freedom and the Aristocratic Ideal. The Quest of Gladstone and Carlyle.

10. Egoism vs. Altruism. — Inadequate Social Organization. Their Complete Synthesis in an Unrestricted Economy.

10. Religion and the Fine Arts as Inspiration to Creative Social Change.

10. Ritual and Symbolism as Factors in Personal and Social Integration.

10. Universal Principles of Organization. – The Higher Evolution of Society. Individual Life in the Higher Forms of Social Organization.

Spencer Heath

Roerich Museum Apartments

310 Riverside Drive, New York

DEVELOPMENT OF MIND AND IDEAS THBOUGH DISCUSSION

Forums – Sunday Evenings at 8.30 P.M. directed by Spencer Heath

MASTER INSTITUTE, Department of Arts and Sciences 310 Riverside Drive at 103rd Street

The following series of topics is offered as suggestive and stimulating matter for Group Discussion.

     It will be the aim of the group leader to act out the broad outlines of each topic so as to draw out individual reactions from the members of the Group, to assist each member to the most adequate expression of his particular view, and, finally, to draw together the divergent views in a harmonious integration – a new creative relationship.

     It is not necessary that participants in the discussions have any special knowledge or familiarity or anything more than a genuine and serious interest in the topics.

Nov. 3rd  Myth and Fable – Poetry the Mother of Science

Nov. 10th  The Fine Arts as Avenues to International Peace

Nov. 17th  Ritual and Symbolism as Factors in Personal

      and Social Integration

Nov. 24th  Emerson – The Transcendent Vision in the

                          Market Place

Dec. 1st  The Method of Nature in Creation – From Quantity                 Through Variety to Quality and Beauty

Dec. 8th  The Soul of the Individual – Its Salvation       Through the Building of a Human Society

     For further information address Director, MASTER INSTITUTE,      Department of Arts and Sciences, 310 Riverside Drive, N.Y.

monument 2-5688

EXTENSION TELEPHONE UNIVERSITY 4-0200

Spencer Heath   

Butler Hall

morningside drive at 119th street

New York city

April 2, 1938

Dear Friend:

A small company will gather with me at Butler Hall, Apt. 9F, next Wednesday evening at eight (April 6th) to discuss:

     DEMOCRACY IN COMMUNITY LIFE

      and how it can be advanced.

A definite conception of the democratic prin­ciple that struggles for free expression in individ­ual and community affairs will be presented upon the basis of facts and experiences of which we all have common knowledge — without statistics or incon­clusive theories.

It is the firm intention that every person attending shall “get somewhere” in his thinking and take away with him some illuminating conception of the simple but universal principles upon which the social organization rests and its growth and development depends.

I am looking forward with pleasure to your joining us, either alone or perhaps with a friend or two who would be interested.

MASTER INSTITUTE

DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

310 Riverside Drive, New York

announces a series of lecture-discussions                                                conducted by

SPENCER HEATH, LLM.

Instructor in Social and Political Science, Former Research Engineer and Specialist in the Science of Society.

CREATIVE SOCIAL CHANGE

Sunday Evenings at 8:00 FREE TO THE PUBLIC

Students of the Natural and Social Sciences and Students of Business Administration are especially invited to attend and participate.

I

CREATIVE

SOCIAL

CHANGE

LECTURE – FORUMS

By SPENCER HEATH, LL.M.

EVERY SUNDAY EVENING, 8 O’CLOCK.

MASTER INSTITUTE, 310 RIVERSIDE DRIVE

Free to the Public

The Central Thought is: All Structures—Cosmic, Social, Psychic—are in process of change, both integrative and destructive. Life, Growth, Evolution are integrative change. Only integrative activities main­tain the life and growth of society. The two types of action, social and anti-social, are sharply distinguished and defined, and the form and functions of society towards which creative change leads are clearly pointed out. Social growth and improvement, even where great changes are involved, is shown to be immediately profitable and advantageous to all concerned and not inimical to any class or group. Mr. Heath lays emphasis on aesthetic inspiration as the necessary motivation and thus shows the authentic function of religion and the arts as agencies of inspiration towards all creative action and social growth. Lastly, an adequate social organization is seen as the supreme environment for spiritual growth and individual self-realization.

As a natural student and investigator, Mr. Heath possesses a rich and varied background of science and philosophy from which he projects a penetrating an­alysis of the structure and normal processes of society as the reference basis for understanding and avoiding its present maladjustments. He is no idle theorist, having spent much of his life in active business and professional pursuits. The operation of creative prin­ciples is described in the simple language of daily life and by illustrations drawn from the most obvious facts of business experience and ordinary affairs.

Mr. Heath is available for formal or informal dis­cussion with educational, professional and business organizations and other groups who are interested in creative social change. Apply Master Institute.

SUBJECTS

The Method of Nature in Creation—Quantity, Variety, Beauty.

Society the Crown of Creation—The Emerging Science.

The Basic Social Process—Creation by Exchange of Services.

Governmental Disemployment of Capital and of Men—Monopoly, Speculation, Collapse, De­pression.

The Structure of Social Sovereignty—Proprietors and Public Servants.

The Place and Function of Democracy as a Social Technique

Can Government Become the Servant and the Savior of Society?

Religion and the Aesthetic Arts—Inspiration to Create or Impulsion to Destroy.

Can the Democratic Technique Realize the Aristocratic Ideal?

Creative Spiritual Life—An Emergence upon Social Organization.

*Topic for Next Meeting.