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Mutant, v. 2, issue 2, May 1948
Page 10
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(3) Fort believed "we are property;" that the stars are mere holes in a screen with light shining thru them; or that the sky is made of gelatin. FALSE! His books are full of such queer "explanations" for the things which he records -- but over and over again, he states that these are hypotheses, explanations which cover the known facts fully as well as accepted theories,n o better and no worse. "Nothing could surprise me," he says, and then details an "explanation" which, if true, would not surprise him. At that, some of the Fortean theories are less bizarre than comparable aspects of the recent Shaveristic dogma. This speculative habit of Fort has perhaps done more than anything else to throw his work into disrepute. Quote Fort out of context and you have an idiot attempting to substitute fantastic chaos for the order and logic of science. You are justified in quoting Shaver int hat manner, for Shaver claims his anti-orthodox information is straight from the horse's (or dero's) mouth. But all Fort says is, "I don't know -- This and this happened; how do YOU explain it? Maybe....." Drop the introduction; drop the "maybe" and you have left the babbling of a crackpot. (4) Fort was trying to overthrow science. ONLY PARTLY TRUE! Fort did not say that science was humbug. He merely said that science is humbug when it refuses to notice evidence which does not agree with accepted theory. Fort knew he would never accomplish a scientific revolution. He pokes fun at you as you read his books; "Remember such-and-such an incident from an earlier chapter?" he asks, "What, have you forgotten so soon? It is always easier to forget than to explain." Fort admitted that science is indispensable to practical affairs; but refuses to accept science (or anything else) as a final authority. I have a question: Why isn't Fort universally known to fandom? true, his philosophy is unsatisfying -- you can't conceive a perfect world based on the premise that nothing is perfect. True, if you cannot accept his fantastic hypotheses, you have the annoying job of formulating hypotheses of your own. True, science finds it easier to ignore Fort than to discredit him. But science has forgotten (?) the flying discs -- and fandom speculates. And Fort speculates..... Science is vague about extra-terrestial life -- and fandom speculates. And Fort speculates..... Science did not notice that the recent spectacular meteor that flashed across midwestern U.S. occurred the night Mars was closer to Earth than any time in two years. A few fans noticed the co-incidence. And Fort noticed that the law of probability is working overtime on that particular coincidence..... Fort is dead, but his thoughts live on in his four books: Lo!, Wild Talents, The Book of the Damned, and New Lands. Look 'em over. - END -
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(3) Fort believed "we are property;" that the stars are mere holes in a screen with light shining thru them; or that the sky is made of gelatin. FALSE! His books are full of such queer "explanations" for the things which he records -- but over and over again, he states that these are hypotheses, explanations which cover the known facts fully as well as accepted theories,n o better and no worse. "Nothing could surprise me," he says, and then details an "explanation" which, if true, would not surprise him. At that, some of the Fortean theories are less bizarre than comparable aspects of the recent Shaveristic dogma. This speculative habit of Fort has perhaps done more than anything else to throw his work into disrepute. Quote Fort out of context and you have an idiot attempting to substitute fantastic chaos for the order and logic of science. You are justified in quoting Shaver int hat manner, for Shaver claims his anti-orthodox information is straight from the horse's (or dero's) mouth. But all Fort says is, "I don't know -- This and this happened; how do YOU explain it? Maybe....." Drop the introduction; drop the "maybe" and you have left the babbling of a crackpot. (4) Fort was trying to overthrow science. ONLY PARTLY TRUE! Fort did not say that science was humbug. He merely said that science is humbug when it refuses to notice evidence which does not agree with accepted theory. Fort knew he would never accomplish a scientific revolution. He pokes fun at you as you read his books; "Remember such-and-such an incident from an earlier chapter?" he asks, "What, have you forgotten so soon? It is always easier to forget than to explain." Fort admitted that science is indispensable to practical affairs; but refuses to accept science (or anything else) as a final authority. I have a question: Why isn't Fort universally known to fandom? true, his philosophy is unsatisfying -- you can't conceive a perfect world based on the premise that nothing is perfect. True, if you cannot accept his fantastic hypotheses, you have the annoying job of formulating hypotheses of your own. True, science finds it easier to ignore Fort than to discredit him. But science has forgotten (?) the flying discs -- and fandom speculates. And Fort speculates..... Science is vague about extra-terrestial life -- and fandom speculates. And Fort speculates..... Science did not notice that the recent spectacular meteor that flashed across midwestern U.S. occurred the night Mars was closer to Earth than any time in two years. A few fans noticed the co-incidence. And Fort noticed that the law of probability is working overtime on that particular coincidence..... Fort is dead, but his thoughts live on in his four books: Lo!, Wild Talents, The Book of the Damned, and New Lands. Look 'em over. - END -
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