Emily Carr College

New location. . .New College

On November Ist the provincial government approved just over 5.5 million dollars for the permanent location of the ECCA on Granville Island. The college now is able to lease and renovate three former industrial buildings on the island; the buildings will be leased from the Central Mort- gage and Housing Corporation (MCHC) at an annual cost of $110,000. Renovations and alterations to the buldings will result in 114,000 square feet of space.

In talking with Robin Mayor this week about the new college, we learned that it will not be ready for use in September 1979 as previously anticipated. It is more likely that parts of the school will be moving in during January 1980 and the rest in by May, making it September 1980 for full access.

Meanwhile plans and preparations are being made from all quarters, as in effect the transition is truly under- way. One of the changes to be expected from a student point-of-view is an increase in student tuition fees. The last increase occurred in 1974 and since then the school’s budget has increased 48%. In the months ahead there will be a presentation of the proposal for the fees increase so that there can be a general discussion of this issue directly concerning all students.

We hear that administrative changes will apparently be few, likely “two more typists’ and someone to make up the insufficient manpower in the financial department. Robin Mayor was saying the desire is for flexibility, not complicating the managing of day-to-day affairs; and this may be better achieved with a small octopus rather than a large one. As yet it is impossible to determine the energy to be taken up by fulfilling the reporting system to the provincial government each month. The government wants pont] data to analyze costs across the province, so t it catmove ahead with “stabilizing” those costs.

‘Ihe collégg& seems about to enter into a five-year program conce aging aims and intentions of departments and student pr@grams. This five-year program is slated for gener: wit amid the college sometime in January 1970.

An involvement with the public will be occurring through the new Community Arts Program. The intention is to deal with the bizarre notion in our society that art is a frill. With the development of the humanities in the

John Hull

public realm will we see more support for artists and their work? More on this program and what sorts of access the public will have to materials and technology in forth- coming issues of “‘X’’.

For those of us who feel the present college looks half like a hospital and half like a garbage dump, hopefully there will be a change in the atmosphere at Granville Island. May we begin to feel that our efforts are not just piecemeal or part-time? With the school brought together in one building we can expect a real cross-pollination of thoughts, skills and techniques. As Robin Mayor put it, what we could truly make use of is an atmosphere that has the characteristic of ‘peace’. The change to the new school is a unique one; we need to keep in touch with what’s happening with it.

The X Newsletter will be printing whatever reviews people write, be it concerning books, theatre, movies, whatever.

World enough and time

Legitimization of Belief by Ernest Gellner Cambridge University Press, 1974

A logic text widely used during the 1950’s was entitled Principles of Right Reason. The archaic sound of that title is indicative of how accustomed we have become to our modernity. We balk at the thought of uniquely true principles; as well, we call into question the value of reason itself. The ambiguity of “right” as either correct or as moral seems as dated as Victorian anti-macassars.

Our modernity has dismissed, in turn, religion, state, reason, knowledge, and self. The break with the past is radical. For close to 2500 years, Western civilisation has been defined by these institutions, by these facul- ties. But now the familiar litany of world war, inhuman technology, and the innocent suffering of millions causes our skepticism of and withdrawal from the world.

It is in this context of the distrust of thought and institutions that Ernest Gellner has written his valuable Legitimization of Belief. Gellner has been an iconoclast

professor of sociology and philosophy at the London School of Economics since the late 1940’s. He has been in ‘intellectual exile” at LSE because of an early work (Words and Things, 1959) which cleverly pointed out that the Emperor (British ordinary language philosophy) had no clothes (credibility). That work and subsequent ones (The Devil in Modern Philosophy, 1974) have been largely ignored by the quiet Dons at that axis of intellect, “Oxbridge”’ (Oxford + Cambridge). During his tenure at LSE, Gellner has contributed significantly to the history of contemporary thought.

When Pontius Pilate asked after truth, we are right to suspect that he was not earnest in seeking a coherent and consistent account. Gellner believes that we are, but need not be, saddled with this abiding skepticism. Hence his search is not for right reason but for legitimate beliefs. As he says:

The term legitimacy has a further and even more important advantage; it applies not merely to the political sphere but also to any other. . . In our world it is not merely rulers and regimes, but also types of ownership, production, education, asso- ciation, expression, thought, art, and research which have, or fail to have, legitimacy. (pp. 25)

If Gellner were correct, human activity in general, and art in particular, are subject to the principle of legitimacy. He argues contrary to the reigning, liber- tarian acceptance that the value of a work of art is in the appreciation of an observer:

. .there are lines to be drawn. And once these lines are drawn and stressed, it is possible to treat some activities as more important than others. . . The legitimization invoked for the society as a whole may favor one sphere or another. (pp. 27)

We may well ask what are these lines and how are they to be applied to the evaluation of art.

Gellner plays philosophical poker, concepts close to his vest, right to the very end of the book. He frames his legitimizing principles or “lines” not for art, but for knowledge. But we can take up his earlier challenge and ask how well these principles work for the world of art. His principles are:

1. Experience: “There are very marked and narrow limits to the extent to which it can be corrupted, and hence a reverence for experience makes an enormous and salutory difference.” (pp. 206) 2. Community: The mere fact that someone holds a work to be valuable is insufficient to warrant saying that it is a valuable work. Idiosyncratic assessments require the confirmation of community. (pp. 207) :

3. Modesty: There are no absolute judgments which are always and for all times true. Judgments must be tentative and capable of revision on the basis of new evidence. (pp. 207)

4. Epoch: We must tred our way among our choices fully aware that we are ineluctably wedded to our modernity, to our industrial/technological civil- isation. (pp. 207)

Is Gellner right? Are experience, community, modes- ty, and epoch enough? If he is, we can learn with the help of others to\make the conditional judgments, to identify the egitim tht which our owrrepgch allows. Need we

more? If not, then we ska unde d with Andrew

Marvel, “Since we cannot gpake our San stand still,/ We

shall make him run.” on = Font Kowall As gf

The world’s contagious

The Life of the Mind

two volumes, Thinking and Willing by Hannah Arendt

Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1978 - $30.00 a set

The Life of the Mind does one thing more than anything else: it prompts a review of how we think. It is a series of tiny circles linked together — yes, here are mountains and valleys, and little maps of the tunnels and caves nearby. These volumes are filled with assertions and speculations about Western civilization. Concerned with topics which have been disputed for centuries. The approaches and examples combine wit with a sense of sus- pense. Perhaps except for those who have lived with the uses and abuses of dialectics, these volumes will dety a comprehensive critique. What is all too easy to miss are the roots and stems Arendt has brought together; it is the finest music she ever made with words. The task some will be posed with is finding the proper terms for under- standing how she draws and links these tiny circles to- gether.

The scope of the volumes is immense. Everything moves together at one time in her delineation of the rela- tive position within the mind of experience, imagination, faith, intuition, time, abstraction and reason. Few books are this outrageous in scope, tone and judgments. It is this quality of outrageousness which seems so out of place in our times. This is the apprehensive and insecure 1970’s isn’t it. . . or is it? Oddly enough, this is an author who provides no-hiding place for herself. Her language and conceptions arise out of experiences common to

—y

Emily Carr College

New location. . .New College

(On November Ist the provincial government approved just over 5.5 million dollars for the permanent location of

Tease and renovate three former industrial buildings on the island; the buildings will be leased from the Central Mort sage and Housing Corporation (MCHC) at an annual cost ‘of $110,000. Renovations and alterations to the buldings ‘wil esult in 114,000 square feet of space.

Tm talking with Robin Mayor this week about the new college, we learned that it will not be ready for use in September 1979 as previously anticipated. It is more likely that parts of the school will be moving in during January 1980 and the rest in by May, makingit September 1980 for full access.

Meanwhile plans and preparations are being made from all quarters, asin effect the transition is truly und way. One of the changes to be expected from a student poincof-view is an increase in student tuition fees. The last increase occurred in 1974 and since then the school's budget has increased 48%. In the months ahead there will bbe a presentation of the proposal for the fees increase so that there can be a general discussion of this issue directly ‘concerning al students

‘We hear that administrative changes will apparently be few, likely “two more typists” and someone to make up the insufficient manpower in the financial department

ting the managing of day-to-day affairs; and d may be better achieved with a small octopus rather than a large one. As yet itis impossible to determine the energy to be taken up by falfiling the reporting system to the provincial government each month. The government

wants data to analyze costs across the province, 50 tht it calBypove ahead with stabilizing” those cos

The collegh seems about to enter into a five-year projfam concagging aims and intentions of departments and sudent prprams, This five-year program is slated for [gener Yiseystfon amid the college sometime in January 1970.

‘An involvement with the public will be occurring through the new Community Arts Program. The intention is to deal with the bizarre notion in our society that art is a frill. With the development of the humanities in the

John Hull

public realm will we see more support for artists and their work? More on this program and what sorts of access the feria and technology in forth-

For those of us who feel the present college looks half like a hospital and half like a garbage dump, hopefully there will be a change in the atmosphere at Granville Island, May we begin to feel that our efforts are not just piecemeal or part-time? With the school brought together In one building we can expect a real cross-pollination of thoughts, skills and techniques. As Robin Mayor put ‘what we could truly make use of is an atmosphere tha ye change to the

The X Newsletter will be printing whatever reviews people write, be it concerning books, theatre, movies, whatever.

World enough and time

Legitimization of Belief by Ernest Gellner Cambridge University Press, 1974

A logic text widely used during the 1950's was entitled Principles of Right Reason. The archaic sound of that title is indicative of how accustomed we have become to ‘our modernity. We balk at the thought of uniquely true principles; as well, we call into question the value of reason itself, The ambiguity of “right” as either correct, ‘or as moral seems as dated as Vietorian ant ‘Our modernity has dismissed, in turn, rl reason, knowledge, and self. The break with the past is radical. For close to 2500 years, Western civilisation has been defined by these institutions, by these facul- jes. But now the familiar litany of world war, inhuman technology, anid the innocent suffering of millions causes ‘our skepticism of and withdrawal from the world. It is in this context of the distrust of thought and institutions chat Ernest Gelluer has written Legitimization of Belief. Geliner has been an iconoclast

professor of sociology and philosophy at the London School of Economics since the late 1940's. He has been “intellectual exile" at LSE because of an early work (Words and Things, 1959) which cleverly pointed out that the Emperor (British ordinary language philosophy) hhad no clothes (credibility). That work and subsequent ‘ones (The Devil in Modern Philosophy, 1974) have been

rgely ignored by the quiet Dons at that axis of intellect, ‘Oxbridge”” (Oxford + Cambridge). During his tenure at LSE, Gellner has contributed significantly to the history ‘of contemporary thought.

‘When Pontius Pilate asked after truth, we are right to suspect that he was not earnest in seeking a coherent and ‘consistent account. Gellner believes that we are, but need not be, saddled skepticism. Hence search is not for right reason but for legitimate beliefs. Ashe says:

‘The term legitimacy has a further and even more important advantage, it applies not merely to the political sphere but also to any other. . . In our world it is not merely rulers and regimes, but also types of ownership, production, education, asso- ciation, expression, thought, art, and research which have, or fail co have, legitimacy. (pp. 25)

If Gellner were correct, human activity in general, and art in particular, are subject to the principle of legitimacy. He argues contrary to the reigning, liber- tarian acceptance that the value of a work of artis in the appreciation of an observer

there are lines to be drawn. And once these lines are drawn and stressed, it is possible to treat some activities as more important than others. ‘The legitimization invoked for the society as a ‘whole may favor one sphere or another. (pp. 27) We may well ask what are these lines and how are they t0 bbe applied to the evaluation of art.

‘Gellner plays philosophical poker, concepts close to his vest, right co the very end of the book. He frames his legitimizing principles or “ines” not for art, but for knowledge. But we can take up his earlier challenge and ask how well these principles work for the world of at. His principles are:

1, Experience: “There are very marked and narrow limits to the extent to which i ean be corrupted, and hence a reverence for experience makes an enormous and salutory difference.” (pp. 206) 2. Community: The mere fact that someone holds ‘@ work to be valuable is insufficient to warrant saying that it is a valuable work, Idiosyncratic ‘assessments require the confirmation of community. (pp.207)

3. Modesty: There are no absolute judgments which fare always and for all times true. Judgments must be tentative and capable of revision on the basis of new evidence. (pp. 207)

4. Epoch: We must tred our way among our choices fully aware that we are incluctably wedded to our modernity, to our industrial/technological civil isation. (pp. 207)

Is Gellner right? Are experience, community, modes- ty, and epoch enough? If he is, we can learn with the help

of others toymake the conditional judgments, to identify the legit , which our, owarepgch allows. Need we more? If not, then we sill undedand with Andrew

Marvel, ‘Since we cannot shall make him run.”

tke our fn stand stil,/ We

Tom Kowall

The world’s contagious

The Life of the Mind

‘two volumes, Thinking and Willing by Hannah Arendt

Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1978 $30.00 a set

The Life of the Mind does one thing more than anything else: it prompts a review of how we think. Its 4 series of tiny circles linked together — yes, here are ‘mountains and valleys, and litte maps of the tunnels and ceaves nearby. These volumes are filled with assertions and speculations about Westem civilization. Concerned with topics which have been disputed for centuries. The approaches and examples combine wit with a sense of sus- pense. Pethaps except for those who have lived with the Uses and abuses of dialectics, these volumes will dety a comprehensive critique. What is all too easy t0 miss are the roots and stems Arendt has brought together; i is the finest music she ever made with words. The task some will be posed with is finding the proper terms for under- standing how she draws and links these tiny circles to- Fein The scope of the volumes is moves together at one time in her del tive position within the mind of experience, imagination,

m, time, abstraction and reason. Few books are this outrageous in seope, tone and judgments. It is this quality of outrageousness which seems so out of place in our times. This is the apprehensive and insecure 1970's isn't it. .. or is it? Oddly enough, this isan author who provides no-hiding place for herself. Her language and conceptions arise out of experiences common to