Page 1ght THE MICHIGAN DAILY Saturday, March 23, 1968 Page ~1g19 THE MiCHIGAN DAILY - - - - --I r - , , -, - " - --,- I - - - - Mind-solving A dizzying voyage By NEAL BRUSS The Ghost in the Machine, by Arthur Koestler. Macmillan, $6.95. The triple threat of expansion comes all at once, all now: -Humanity multiplies on an increasingly polluted and barren land at a rate which promises seven billion persons-if not seven billion souls-by the year 2000. -Knowledge doubles every ten years, along with learned dem- onstrations that the new knowledge is boring and trivial and some- how irrelevant to human needs. -Nuclear weapons are machined and stored in quantities cap- able of destroying and re-destroying life again and again, and ultimately, through the cobalt bomb, sending a killing cloud whizzing around the earth forever. You do not simply contemplate and devise rational solutions for these three objects of terror; you live with them just as you live with your consciousness. You confront them as you confront your face in a mirror, knowing they will always be there, unchangeable, if only you happen to glance at them. Arthur Koestler sees the problems as even more serious. Due to a faulty coordination of old and new portions of the brain, man cannot reconcile his emotions and reason. Biochemists must pro- vide medicine to cure a botched job of evolution. "What we are con- cerned with," says Koestler, "is a cure for the paranoiac streak in what we call normal people, i.e., mankind as a whole: an artificially simulated, adaptive mutation to bridge the rifht between the phylogeniticlly old and new brain, between instinct and intellect, emotion and reason." A mind-settling drug wouldn't merely solve problems. It would also adjust the human mechanisms which cause the problems. Once biochemistry dissolved the paranoiac blockages of the mind, man would clearly see the need to control population, to direct and make meaningful the search for knowledge, and to stop the mass production of nuclear overkill devices. Man's greatest acts of inhumanity, Koestler believes, do not occur when man is most self-assertive, when he willfully seeks to exploit others for his own sake. The true atrocities occur when man seeks to satisfy the "integrative" rather than the "self- assertive" urge-and when he is willing to sacrifice both others and himself. In general, Koestler advocates a view that sees human struc- tures and actions as both complete in themselves and as com- ponents of larger structures. He suggests a hierarchy of actions replace the stimulus-response chain model of behavioralism to more effectively show the complexity of the dynamics of structure and action. It is unlikely that any author could have covered as much intellectutal and theoretical history as Koestler, and his book is certainly an excellent categorization of controversial topics. But, given the weath of material Koestler covers, his analysis of individ- ual topics tends to be fleeting and somewhat superficial. Koestler attacks his expansive task with a combination of scientific jargon and metaphor. One fears that he is not adequately representing scientific concepts and that his metaphors, even though clever, obscure important theoretical points he wishes to make. This is to say that Koestler's work is well-directed and his in- sights are important, but that given the scope of his project and his eagerness to turn phrases, he rarely delves below the level of intuition. Even if one were to feel comfortable with Koesler's exposition, one is left to face his plea for the salvation of man through chem- istry. Despite Koestler's asurances, one wonders whether biochem- istry Is in-or even could be in-the position of providing the Mes- sianic medicine. One further wonders what sort of human world would emerge from the doctor's office, even granting Koestler's cautionary note that his proposed drug would not be either a brain- wash or hallucinogen.° Koestler ignores the possibility that life without the mad capa- cities he wishes to control may not be life at all. He risks denying man the monumental struggle to humanely control his fate. One wonders what would be left of life once the mind-quelling drug had phased out the universal quest for the best in man. "The Ghost in the Machine" itself is Gilbert Ryle's metaphor for the Cartesian dualism of mind and body. Koestler only briefly touches on the mind-body problem of modern philosophy, and he never fully explains how Ryle's expression applies to his concept of man. Ryle's own explication was in several ways defective. Koestler, however, might pick it up to represent current-and ancient-man as "The Minotaur in the Machine." However one wishes to play with the imagery, the impression is that Koestler's view denies the ghost in the machine. And thus he denies, in some ways, what is holy. -------- ---- - 0sbooksbooksbooksbooksb And off goes Roif Hochhuth,- doing it once again By FRITZ LYON Soldiers, by Rolf Hochhuth. Grove Press, $5.95. "Well, Rolf, now that you've finished The Deputy and your new play, Soldiers, what's your next project?" "Oh, I thought I'd write a play about Christ's incest with his mom." At least he isn't timid. He doesn't bother with ordinary sacred cows; he takes on the gods themselves. Or close to it. First Pope Pius XII, now Win- ston Churchill. What man, re- sponsible for genocide but still worshipped by the people, will qualify as protagonist for the next play? Hochhuth should be classified as historian, or radical historian, rather than playwright. The stage directions-including his- torical notes, supporting evi- dence and relevant miscellany -cover as many pages as the dialogue. Perhaps he disguises his treatise as fiction because he can't prove, legally and objec- tively, his allegations. As play, his history can be published; as drama, his opinion has addi- tional impact. Hochhuth is not an interpretive recorder, either; he is a muckraker of Prome- thean proportions. Obviously, the nature of the work excludes a dispassionate treatment or a dispassionate re- sponse. Although Soldiers has been predictably banned in Eng- land, the play itself does not impress the reader as an ir- responsible defamation of char- acter. The extensive research in- dicated by constant notes and references lends the fiction an almost plausible veracity, and the moralistic tone is convin- cingly honest, lending respect- ability to the Quakerish fana- Rolf Hochhuth Oh, the English, poor English ticism. Hochhuth is a fanatic, but because of his ethical prem- ises, the (non-British) reader is tempted to sympathize, in part, with Hochhuth's inten- tions. Still, for most readers, the sympathy ends there. The play is really about Churchill's role as the instiga- tor and father, though not the inventor, of saturation bombing of open cities (the bombing of civilian, rather than military, populations) as accepted mili- tary practice. But along the way, Hochhuth, alias David Hemmings, discovers a corpse in the bush, and another plot pushes its way into the action. The play implies that Church- ill arranged the assassination of exiled Polish Prime Minister Sikorski. Churchill is still the saviour of the free world, but "to be great, one must be ruth- less." Churchill is therefore portrayed as capable of murder, if murder is politically expe- dient, and capable of mass mur- der, if mass murder is militarily expedient. Killing a soldier in war is justified (says Hochhuth) be- cause the soldier volunteered to risk his life. Killing a bystander accidentally is tragic. Killing a civilian intentionally, in order to demoralize the enemy, is criminal. In the process of condemning the bombing of open cities, Hochhuth presents the grisly evidence of its effectiveness. He quotes Air Marshal Harris, re- porting in his memoirs the re- sults of the raid on "Gomorrah" which produced firestorms (suc- tion drafts on the perimeter of the fire which draw oxygen to its center) that reached a force of 160 mph: Trees three feet thick were broken off or uprooted, hu- man beings were flung alive into the flames . . . Once in- side the shelters, the panic- stricken citizens were suffo- cated by carbon-monoxide- poisoning . . . in a cremato- rium which was what each shelter proved to be. The indirect effects of the bombing-that is, fire-took far more lives than the bomb- ing itself. In contrast to nu- clear w e a p o n s, incendiary bombing is less dirty and more efficient. But the play itself is divided between Churchill as a person- ality and the message. The mes- sage is divided between the is- sue of open-city bombing and the assassination of Sikorski. Churchill (like Pope Pius in The Deputy) is responsible for both a murder and a collective atrocity. The former is a crime of political necessity, the latter, an unnecessary crime of moral conscience. The two events are different plays. And although the bomb- ing of civilians is the crucial issue, the Sikorski plot takes popular precedence due to the personal accusation of Chur- chill. Split between the two, the play loses force. In fact, not much can be said for the play aesthetically. It contains little subtlety and less art. Further, it isn't a play; it is a tract. The dialogue and characters are blatantly didactic, perhaps because they speak reality and not play-fantasy. The enormity of the crime pre- vents subtlety. When a play character talks of hundreds of thousands consumed in a giant blast furnace as effective mili- i - - tary strategy, no audience can recognize him as a real char- acter, much less as a real his- torical figure. The predictable reaction to this monumental in- sult is repulsion, righteous in- dignation. Hochhuth must expect the magnitude of his revelations to change the world. Instead, the righteous indignation will be trained against the author him- self, not. against the venerable political genius who, as Hoch- huth recognizes, saved the world from Hitler. As one of the char- acters admits: "The history of our century will be one and the same as (Churchill's) autobio- graphy." I can only guess as to whether Hochhuth's play is, or was, true in fact. He may be a historian. He is not a playwright. He is not (unless the translation is at fault) a poet. His only vir- tues are audacity, integrity and being right, none of which count. Like the priest, he will be despised. Like the pacifist, he will be ignored. A few people, mostly the Bertrand Russell fans, will listen. He sees too clearly, and the immensity of his vision is beyond the recog- nition of bookreaders and play- goers. 4 By SHARON FITZHENRY The English, by David Frost and Anthony Jay, Stein and Day, $5.95. The English are having a hard time. They can't get into the Common Market; their pound. sterling has lost its monetary potency; and English pop music is giving way to Ravi Shankar. Things look really bad. But do they care? Or, does it matter? Has it ever matter- ed? The English are a funny folk. They live in two worlds, dreaming of the glory that was Trafalgar as they piddle a- round the Serpetine at Hyde Park in their quaint rowboats. They have the most unimagin- ative cuisine, preferring pork pie to pate de fois gras. They scoot about town in minicabs and Bentleys, battling each other for road space with de- monical concentration. They have been alternately hated and revered to great ex- cess by the various populat- ions of this earth, and for all practical purposes it would seem as if they don't give a damn. But, then, who does? That is the way it is. David Frost and Anthony Jay are concerned about the plight of the Englishman in the twentieth century, and they have written, a sarcastically funny book, The English, to prove it. Frost and Jay explain the dilemma of the E n g I i s h people as "classism," or the presence of a subtle but very rigid and very competitive class system. In this context, the au- thors pose a rhetorical ques- tion: "The three most rendur- ing English characteristics, ac- cording to foreign observers, have always been hypocrisy, frigidity and snobbery. Have they disappeared, submerged beneath a tide of honesty, warmth and friendliness?" No, the authors reply, they have not. Frost and Jay cover a wide variety of topics in their book, ranging from English sex. ("The new archetype is a love song without love. It's not about a lifetime in heaven, it's about a night in bed."), to figures of authority (persons "who have always avoided uttering words or taking action that contain- ed an element of risk."). The authors also attack the English medical practices as substitutes for religion. Where once the priest was almighty, the doctor reigns in crowning glory. To supporttheir obser- vations, Frost and Jay quote the following item from The Sun: "'A husband suffering from the flu saw the doctor, who had just visited him, kiss his wife at the foot of the stairs. The husband 'under great provocation' _nearly bit him with a milk bottle. But out of respect for the doctor's profession, he refrained and hit his wife instead.'" The English is actually an awkward book, awkward be- cause the reader is unsure just how it is he ought to feel. The points under discussion in the book are valid ones. To be sure, the Englishman is a snob. We know this though be- cause we find similar snobbery in America. And because we are familar with many, "English" attitudes, we find ourselves somewhat chagrinned to see our sires attacked so vehemently for them. YOU CAN FIND- The Ghost in the Machine-Arthur Koestler Soldiers-Rolf Hochhuth The English-David Frost & Anthony Jay and other fiction and non-fiction books at TRADE BOOK DEPARTMENT ULJUICH'S on the 2nd floor Subscribe To THE MICHIGAN DAILY Call 764-0558 i>- I - 1 f --________ WORSHIP Zen, Yoga, Tarot, Alchemy, Astrology, Theosophy, Tarot, Magic, Parapsychology THE CIRCLE BOOK STORE 215 S. State 2nd Floor LUTHERAN STUDENT CENTER AND CHAPEL National Lutheran Council Hill St. at S. Forest Ave. Dr. H. O. Yoder, Pastor SUNDAY 9:30 and 11:00 a.m.-Worship Services. 6:00 p.m.-Supper. 7:00 p.m.-"Role of the University in Classi- fied Research." WEDNESDAY 7:15 p.m.-"A Layman Interprets Christian Faith"-Mr. William Hartman, Chrysler Motor Co. HURON HILLS BAPTIST CHURCH Presently meeting at the YM-YWCA Affiliated with the Baptist General Conf. Rev. Charles Johnson 761 -6749 9:30 a.m.-Coffee. 9:45 a.m.-U Fellowship Bible Discussion. 11:00 a.m.-"How Shall We Escape If We Neglect?!" 7:00 p.m.-"Will a Just Heavenly Father Save Infants and Other Irresponsible In- dividualIs?" UNIVERSITY LUTHERAN CHAPEL 1511 Washtenow (The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod) 'dfred T. Scheips, Pastor . SUNDAY 9:45 and 11:15 a.m.-Services with sermon by Pastor Scheips, "God's Family and Our Family." 1:00 p.m. - Parents' Day-Buffet Dinner with Program at 2:00. FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Phone 662-4466 1432 Washtenow Ave. Ministers: Ernest T. Campbell, Malcolm G. Brown, John W. Waser, Harold S. Horan SUNDAY Worship at 9:00, 10:30 a.m., and 12:00 noon. Presbyterian Campus Center located at the Church. GRACE BIBLE CHURCH Corner State and Huron Streets 663-0589 Dr. Raymond H. Saxe, Pastor Morning Services-8:30 andI11:00 a m. 9:45 a.m.-Sunday School and Alpha Omega Fellowship. 6:00 o.m.-Training Hour--Classes for all ages. 7:00 p.m.-Gospel Services. p Wednesday Prayer Meeting at 7:30 p.m. If it's Bible, you want, come to Grace Bible- Fundamental, Pre-Millenial, Biblical. PACKARD ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH Southern Baptist Convention 1131 Church St. 761-0441 Rev. Tom Bloxam 9:45 a.m.-Sunday School. 1 1:00 a.m.-Morning Worship. 6:30 p.m.-Training Union. 7:30 p.m.-Evening Worship. WEDNESDAY 7:30 p.m.-Bible Study. Transportation furnished for all NO 2-2756. CONGREGATIONALL CHURCH State and William-on the Campus Terry N. Smith, Minister Theme: Words Aroundthe Cross-What the Church Leaders Said: "Came Down." THE CHURCH OF CHRIST W. Stadium at Edgewood Across from Ann Arbor High Roy V. Palmer, Minister SUNDAY 10.00 a.m.-Bible School. 11:00 a.m.-Regular Worship. 6:00 p.m.-Evening Worship. -+ services-Coll 11 UN ION-LEAGUE SYMPOSIUM '68 NEW MOODS OF DISSENT presents FIRST METHODIST CHURCH AND WESLEY FOUNDATION At State and Huron Streets Phone 662-4536 Hoover Rupert, Minister Eugene Ransom, Campus Minister Bartlett Beavin, Associate Campus Minister SUNDAY 9:00 and 11:15 a.m.-Worship Ser'vices. Dr. Rupert: "The Eclipse of God." 6:00 p.m.-Chapel Meditations. 6:15 p.m.-Fellowship Supper, Pine Room. 7:00 p..m. - Fellowship Program, Wesley Lounge. Rev. Lloyd Putnam, Office of Religious Affairs, "Liberal Christian Theology." WEDNESDAY 8:00 a.m.-Holy Communion, Chapel, fol- lowed by breakfast in Pine Room. Out in time for 9:00 a.m. classes. LOUI LO AX Author of "The Negro Revolt" Sun., March 24 2:00 P.M. Union Ballroom n d ARTHUR R. MILLER . ~h rr~ .11 rj n FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST 1833 Washtenow Ave. SUNDAY 10:30 a.m.-Worship Services. Sunday School (2-20 years). WEDNESDAY 8:00 p m.-Testimony Meeting., Infants room available Sunday and Wednes- day. Public Reading Room, 306 E. Liberty St.- Mon. 10-9,Tues.-Sat.(10-5, Closed Sun- days and Holidays. "The Bible Speaks to You," Radio WAAM I AM C......4,.QOnAAn.rn ST. AIDEN'S EPISCOPAL CHAPEL (North Campus) 1679 Broadway 9:00 a.m.-Morning Prayer and Holy Com- munion. CAMPUS CHAPEL 1236 Washtenaw Donald Postema, Minister 10:00 p.m.-Morning Worship Service. Ser- mon: "My God . . .!" 7:00 p.m.-Evening Worship Service. Ser- mon: "Hope." ST. ANDREW'S EPSICOPAL CHURCH 306 N. Division UNIVERSITY REFORMED CHURCH 1001 East Huron Phone 662-3153 Ministers: Calvin S. Malefyt, Paul Swets 10:30 p.m.-"Breaking Paralysis," Rev. Cal- l vin Malefyt.l 7:00 p.m.-Coffee hour setting-"Changing Society." Small group discussion. 'A . .A ill f I I