A Paper on the Difficulties of
Researching in the Humanities
(continued)

I took whatever mathematics and physics were offered at a university. But then was stopped largely by lack of further academic subjects to study. I recall that my mind crystallized on the project when I found that the psychology and philosophy courses taught were inadequate to the research task I had in mind, as in neither one could I find any students or professors who had studied modern mathematics or physics or who used what I had been trained to regard as scientific methodology and who as far as I could find would admit to the errors in logic (mathematics) I found in them. In his own orderly world, the physical scientist would not credit the confusion which existed in the humanities.

So I went off on an expedition and began to study Life. Primitive cultures seemed to be a place to start.

Never was any modern researcher confronted with so many conflicting data or subjects and so little result amongst them.

Yet obviously the past century of sprint by the physical sciences, which was even then speeding up, would overreach what were known as the humanities and even overwhelm them. And so it has proven.

Burdened by researching during the pre-war period’s utter lack of research grants and funds, I had to solve the economics of it all. I did so mainly by writing and movies and did very well at it, at least enough to finance what else I was doing.

I wrote a book in the late nineteen thirties after a breakthrough on the subject, but the book was never published.

Eventually I had gone back through all the mirror mazes and plain fog of the humanities and worked with cytology. I had to study the subject in the fleeting moments left in a life overworked and overstressed. I found some clues to cellular memory and retention of patterns and originated and abandoned as impossible a theory you still see around about memory storage in molecules.

Rumors of the book and some papers brought me to the attention of Russia (via Amtorg) which made me a research offer. As it unfortunately was conditional upon going to Russia (which was still fashionable) and required of me a system of measuring the work potential of workers there, I had to decline. This was fortunate as the date was 1939.

Ideological considerations and requirements of better control or subservience of people was not on my work schedule.

| Prior | Contents | Survey | Related Sites | L. Ron Hubbard Home Page | Bookstore | Next |

© 1996-2008 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

For Trademark Information