Comments on: Code mining http://www.wordyard.com/2008/02/26/code-mining/ Technology, politics, culture Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:43:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Ben Pritchett http://www.wordyard.com/2008/02/26/code-mining/comment-page-1/#comment-9510 Ben Pritchett Wed, 11 Mar 2009 01:18:10 +0000 http://www.wordyard.com/2008/02/26/code-mining/#comment-9510 Interesting. This seems quite complicated, as my googling turned up a different reference - it may then be a double citation. As well as the chesterton vs. shaw debate, it sounds like a materialist riposte to the following statement by Chesterton, in his article 'a defence of penny dreadfuls': "Ordinary men will always be sentimentalists: for a sentimentalist is simply a man who has feelings and does not trouble to invent a new way of expressing them. These common and current publications have nothing essentially evil about them. They express the sanguine and heroic truisms on which civilisation is built; for it is clear that unless civilisation is built on truisms, it is not built at all. Clearly, there could be no safety for a society in which the remark by the Chief Justice that murder was wrong was regarded as an original and dazzling epigram." http://www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/~mward/gkc/books/penny-dreadfuls.html This is quite apposite to your interests, as Chesterton seems to posit the foundational value of a linguistic and moral code of ethical axioms, over and above the material economic basis of social life. Interesting. This seems quite complicated, as my googling turned up a different reference – it may then be a double citation. As well as the chesterton vs. shaw debate, it sounds like a materialist riposte to the following statement by Chesterton, in his article ‘a defence of penny dreadfuls’:

“Ordinary men will always be sentimentalists: for a sentimentalist is simply a man who has feelings and does not trouble to invent a new way of expressing them. These common and current publications have nothing essentially evil about them. They express the sanguine and heroic truisms on which civilisation is built; for it is clear that unless civilisation is built on truisms, it is not built at all. Clearly, there could be no safety for a society in which the remark by the Chief Justice that murder was wrong was regarded as an original and dazzling epigram.”

http://www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/~mward/gkc/books/penny-dreadfuls.html

This is quite apposite to your interests, as Chesterton seems to posit the foundational value of a linguistic and moral code of ethical axioms, over and above the material economic basis of social life.

]]> By: Scott Rosenberg’s Wordyard » Blog Archive » Chesterton quote archeology http://www.wordyard.com/2008/02/26/code-mining/comment-page-1/#comment-2169 Scott Rosenberg’s Wordyard » Blog Archive » Chesterton quote archeology Thu, 28 Feb 2008 22:41:50 +0000 http://www.wordyard.com/2008/02/26/code-mining/#comment-2169 [...] Orwell quote earlier this week that began “Our civilization is founded on coal” had a “pace Chesterton” at [...] [...] Orwell quote earlier this week that began “Our civilization is founded on coal” had a “pace Chesterton” at [...]

]]> By: Amos Anan http://www.wordyard.com/2008/02/26/code-mining/comment-page-1/#comment-2140 Amos Anan Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:24:16 +0000 http://www.wordyard.com/2008/02/26/code-mining/#comment-2140 You've probably seen this since it only took a quick google search to find it. It's a poem recited by a friend of Chesterton at the end of a debate between Chesterton and George Bernard Shaw. The poem was written and spoken by a friend of Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc, who was moderating the debate. http://www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/~mward/gkc/books/debate.txt http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Do_We_Agree%3F ........................................ "Our civilization Is built upon coal. Let us chant in rotation Our civilization That lump of damnation Without any soul, Our civilization Is built upon coal. "In a very few years, It will float upon oil. Then give three hearty cheers, In a very few years We shall mop up our tears And have done with our toil. In a very few years It will float upon oil." ........................................ The debate was sponsored by the Distributist League which was formed by Chesterton. Chesterton apparently was in favor of nationalizing the coal mines. The debate seemed to center around the difference in views on the subject between socialist Shaw and "Distributist" Chesterton. It's certainly possible that both Orwell and Belloc refer to some prior published views expressed by Chesterton. You’ve probably seen this since it only took a quick google search to find it. It’s a poem recited by a friend of Chesterton at the end of a debate between Chesterton and George Bernard Shaw. The poem was written and spoken by a friend of Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc, who was moderating the debate.

http://www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/~mward/gkc/books/debate.txt
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Do_We_Agree%3F

………………………………….
“Our civilization
Is built upon coal.
Let us chant in rotation
Our civilization
That lump of damnation
Without any soul,
Our civilization
Is built upon coal.

“In a very few years,
It will float upon oil.
Then give three hearty cheers,
In a very few years
We shall mop up our tears
And have done with our toil.
In a very few years
It will float upon oil.”
………………………………….

The debate was sponsored by the Distributist League which was formed by Chesterton. Chesterton apparently was in favor of nationalizing the coal mines. The debate seemed to center around the difference in views on the subject between socialist Shaw and “Distributist” Chesterton.

It’s certainly possible that both Orwell and Belloc refer to some prior published views expressed by Chesterton.

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