Transparency,Opacity,An0nomy:’Pataphysics

ProfessorAndrewHugillBathSpaUniversity

PataphysicalScience

UbuRoi:’Pataphysicsisasciencewehaveinvented,andforwhichacryingneedhasgenerallybeenfelt.

BishopMendacious

Thegidouille

ʼPataphysics

An0nomy

Defini0ons•  Pataphysics[…]isthescienceofthatwhichissuperinducedupon

metaphysics,whetherwithinorbeyondthelaKer'slimita0ons,extendingasfarbeyondmetaphysicsasthelaKerextendsbeyondphysics.

•  Pataphysicswillbe,aboveall,thescienceofthepar0cular,despitethecommonopinionthattheonlyscienceisthatofthegeneral.

•  Pataphysicswillexaminethelawswhichgovernexcep0ons,andwillexplaintheuniversesupplementarytothisone;or,lessambi0ously,willdescribeauniversewhichcanbe-andperhapsshouldbe-envisagedintheplaceofthetradi0onalone[…]

•  DEFINITION.Pataphysicsisthescienceofimaginarysolu8ons,whichsymbolicallya;ributestheproper8esofobjects,describedbytheirvirtuality,totheirlineaments.(JarryGestesetopinionsduDocteurFaustroll,pataphysicien)

CollègedeʼPataphysique

Ques0ons

PataphysicalKnowledge

Shouldpataphysicsbetakenseriously?

Carelman:LesChaussonsramasse-mie;es(crumbslippers)

PataphysicsandtheAcademy

“Is there any need to wish pataphysics well in Buenos Aires?

It was there, as it was everywhere, before we came into existence and it can do without the lot of us.

It will always exist and will do without us altogether.

It can even do without existing, for it does not even need to exist in order to exist.”

(Sandomir,1957)

TwoExamples

SurfaceofGod DaysandNights

LordKelvinandPaulValéry

LordKelvin PaulValéry

FormulaThuswehave:x=∞–N–a–P.ButN=∞–0andP=0.Thereforex=∞–(∞–0)–a–0=∞–∞+0–a–0x=–a.

GODISTHETANGENTIALPOINTBETWEENZEROANDINFINITY.Pataphysicsisthescience...

BorisVian:Calculnumériquededieupardesmethodssimplesetfausses

Dieu=deux+i-x=2+i-x[…]Deux+Deux=4(Dieux-i)+(Dieux-i)=4Dieux+Dieux-2i=4Dieux-2i=4

Dieux=Deux+i=2+i2+i-2i=42-i-4=0i=-2Dieu=1–1=0.

JOOTSYCalculus

•  GeneralizedOrthographicDenota0ons(GOD)•  2+2=4•  Inverted:(9-8)(9-8)•  T-Math:2teacupsplus2teacups=40cups•  Honestcalcula0ons:oneplustwelve=1+12;sevenplusseven=7+7

DaysandNights:novelofadeserter

Romanscales

TheTacitDimension

Nonaka,I.(1991)"Theknowledgecrea0ngcompany."HarvardBusinessReview,69,(Nov-Dec),96-104

RobertSmithsonSpiralJe;y(1970)

Mode1/Mode2

Kemp,R.&Martens,P.(2007)“Sustainabledevelopment:howtomanagesomethingthatissubjec0veandcanneverbeachieved”.Sustainability:Science,Prac8ceandPolicye-journal.

TheConsola0onsofʼPataphysics

Crea0veCompu0ng

AndrewHugill/Mar0nRieserSecretGarden(2013)

PRASCAL

<Physics>ʼ+<Physics>::=Metaphysics <Metaphysics>ʼ+<Metaphysics>::=Pataphysics<Pataphysics>ʼ-<Metaphysics>::=Metaphysics<Metaphysics>ʼ-<Physics>::=Physics <Physics>ʼ*<Metaphysics>::=Pataphysics <Pataphysics>ʼ/<Metaphysics>::=Physics

Crossinglevelsofabstrac0on

frogʼ+frog=heqetheqetʼ+heqet=hoquet

hoquetʼ-heqet=heqetheqetʼ-frog=frog

frogʼ*heqet=hoquethoquetʼ/heqet=frog

Patadata

UbooleanLogic

ConjuncConX Y Z=X(AND⋀)Y

F F F

F T F

F FT F

T F F

T T T

T FT FT

FT F F

FT T FT

FT FT FT

DisjuncConX Y Z=X(OR⋁)Y

F F F

F T T

F FT FT

T F T

T T T

T FT T

FT F FT

FT T T

FT FT FT

SomePataphysicalFunc0ons•  absolu(string)→string(theabsoluvaluewillalwaysresultinacliché)

–  absolu(frog)=afroginthehandisworthtwointherefrigerator.

•  an0nomy(string)→string(thean0nomyfunc0onisself-contradictory)–  an0nomy(brother)+an0nomy(cheese)=Youdonothaveabrother

andhelikescheese(cf.Perec).•  epiphenomenon(string)→string(anepiphenomenonisaby-product)

–  epiphenomenon(spaghe�)=steam

Marxism

Thankyou!

AndrewHugillCentreforCrea0veCompu0ng

BathSpaUniversityCorshamCourt

CorshamSN130BZU.K.

a.hugill@bathspa.ac.uk

FromTheImaginaryVoyage

•  IsleofCack– ….isnotanislandbutaman….– hKp://theimaginaryvoyage.com/Islands/Cack/Isle_of_Cack1.php

LandofLaceThekingofLacedrewoutthelightasaropemakerplaitshisretrogradeline,andthethreadstroubledslightlyinthedimlight,likecobwebs.Theywovethemselvesintoforests,liketheleaveswhichhoarfrostengravesonwindowpanes;thentheyfashionedthemselvesintoaMadonnaandherChildintheChristmassnow;andthenintojewels,peacocks,andgowns,interminglinglikeaswimmingdanceoftheRhinemaidens.TheBeauxandtheBellesstruKedandpreenedinimita0onoffans,un0ltheirpa0entgatheringbrokeupwithacry.Justasthewhitejunonians,roos0nginapark,complainingraucouslywhenthelyingintrusionofalampapesprematurelythedawn’sreflec0onoftheirocelli,soanartlessshapeburgeonedintheforestofraked-overpinepitch;andasPierrotserenadestheconfusionofthemoon’sentwinedball,theparadoxofdayburrowingundergroundarosefromAliBabascreaminginthepi0lessoilandthejar’sdarkness.