Pataphysics, a term coined by the French writer Alfred Jarry, is a philosophy dedicated to studying what lies beyond the realm of metaphysics. 'Pataphysics - History. The term first appeared in print in Jarry's article "Guignol" in the 28 April 1893 issue of L'Écho de Paris littéraire illustré. Jarry later defined it as "the science of imaginary solutions, which symbolically attributes the properties of objects, described by their virtuality, to their lineaments" (Gestes et opinions du Docteur ...

Including:

• 'Pataphysics - History
• 'Pataphysics - The London Institute of 'Pataphysics

Read more here: » 'Pataphysics: Encyclopedia - 'Pataphysics

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'Pataphysics, 'Pataphysics - History, 'Pataphysics - The London Institute of 'Pataphysics

Read more here: » 'Pataphysics: Encyclopedia II - 'Pataphysics - The London Institute of 'Pataphysics

The term first appeared in print in Jarry's article "Guignol" in the 28 April 1893 issue of L'Écho de Paris littéraire illustré. Jarry later defined it as "the science of imaginary solutions, which symbolically attributes the properties of objects, described by their virtuality, to their lineaments" (Gestes et opinions du Docteur Faustroll, II, viii). Raymond Queneau has described pataphysics as resting "on the truth of contradictions and exceptions." It is a parody of the theory and methods of modern science and is often ex ...

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'Pataphysics, 'Pataphysics - History, 'Pataphysics - The London Institute of 'Pataphysics

Read more here: » 'Pataphysics: Encyclopedia II - 'Pataphysics - History

Pyrrhonism, or Pyrrhonian skepticism, was a school of skepticism founded by Pyrrho in 1st century Alexandria and recorded by Sextus Empiricus in the 3rd century. Pyrrhonism became influential during the past few centuries when the modern scientific worldview was born. "Nothing can be known, not even this". Pyrrhonian skeptics withhold assent with regard to non-evident propositions and remain in a state of perpetual inquiry. For example, Pyrrhonians might assert that a lack of proof cannot constitute disproof, and that a lack of ...

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Absurdism is a philosophy stating that the efforts of man to find meaning in the universe will ultimately fail because no such meaning exists (at least in relation to man). Absurdism is related to Existentialism, though should not be confused with it. It was born of the Existentialist movement when the French philosopher and writer Albert Camus broke from that philosophical line of thought and published his manuscript The Myth of Sisyphus. The aftermath of World War II provided the social environment that stimulated absu ...

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• Absurdism - What's the point?
• Absurdism - Examples

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By category Medieval 16th Century - 17th Century 18th Century -19th Century 20th Century - Contemporary Chronological list Writers by category Novelists - Playwrights Poets - Essayists Short Story Writers Alfred Jarry (September 8, 1873 – November 1, 1907) was a French writer born in Laval, Mayenne, France, not far from the border of Britt ...

Including:

• Alfred Jarry - Biography and works
• Alfred Jarry - Selected Jarry works
• Alfred Jarry - Plays
• Alfred Jarry - Novels
• Alfred Jarry - Other notable works
• Alfred Jarry - Bibliography

Read more here: » Alfred Jarry: Encyclopedia - Alfred Jarry

André the Giant Has a Posse is a street art campaign based on an original design by Frank Shepard Fairey and Michael Meinhart, created in 1989 while Fairey was a student at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). At the time Fairey declared the campaign to be "an experiment in phenomenology." Over time the artwork has been reused in a number of ways and has become a world-wide pataphysical movement, following in the footsteps of Ivan Stang's Church of the SubGenius and populist WWII icon Kilroy Was Here. At the same time, Fairey's ...

Including:

• André the Giant Has a Posse - History
• André the Giant Has a Posse - Meaning
• André the Giant Has a Posse - Splinter movements
• André the Giant Has a Posse - Parody stickers
• André the Giant Has a Posse - Appearances in American pop culture

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Pataphor - Description. The pataphor is an unusually extended metaphor invented by writer Pablo Lopez (aka musician Paul Avion), based on Alfred Jarry's "science" of 'pataphysics. As Jarry claimed that 'pataphysics existed "as far from metaphysics as metaphysics extends from regular reality", a pataphor attempts to create a figure of speech that exists as far from metaphor as metaphor exists from non-figurative language. Differentiating it from the metaphor, a pataphor is a figurative device whose meaning is extended until it creates an entirely new context. < ...

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Pataphor, Pataphor - Pataphor, Pataphor - Description, Pataphor - Example 1, Pataphor - Example 2, Pataphor - Definitions, Pataphor - History

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The most common definition of "point" is that something (an object, or simply living one's life) must have a higher purpose to justify it. However, for that higher purpose to have "a point", then it, too, must have an even higher purpose. These "chains of justification" never come to an end; therefore, nothing can be considered to have ultimate purpose. If they did come to an end, they might still not satisfy us. For example, for a cow to know that its higher purpose ...

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Absurdism, Absurdism - What's the point?, Absurdism - Examples

Read more here: » Absurdism: Encyclopedia II - Absurdism - What's the point?

A precociously brilliant student, Jarry enthralled his classmates with a gift for pranks and troublemaking. At the lycée in Rennes when he was 15, he led of a group of boys who devoted much time and energy to poking fun at their well-meaning, obese and incompetent physics teacher, a man named Hébert. Jarry and classmate Charles Morin wrote a play they called Les Polonais and performed it with marionettes in the home of one of their friends. The main character, Père Heb, was a blunderer with a huge belly; three teeth ( ...

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Alfred Jarry, Alfred Jarry - Biography and works, Alfred Jarry - Selected Jarry works, Alfred Jarry - Plays, Alfred Jarry - Novels, Alfred Jarry - Other notable works, Alfred Jarry - Bibliography

Read more here: » Alfred Jarry: Encyclopedia II - Alfred Jarry - Biography and works

PATAPHYSICS

The invention of late 19th Century French humorist, Alfred Jarry, which he defined as follows:

"Pataphysics, whose etymological spelling should be epi (meta) ta  physika and actual orthography 'pataphysics, preceded by an apostrophe so as  to avoid a simple pun (patte… physique), is the science of that which is  superinduced upon metaphysics, where within or beyond the latter's  limitations, extending as far beyond metaphysics as the latter extends beyond  physics. Ex: an epiphenomenon being often accidental, pataphysics will be,  above all, the science of the particular, despite the common opinion that the  only science is that of the general."

According to Jarry, Pataphysics is the science of exceptions, and explains the universe beyond this one, or imagined to lie beyond this one, dealing entirely with accidental data comprising no "rule." Jarry's exact definition of pataphysics is: "The science of imaginary solutions, which symbolically attributes the properties of objects, described by their virtuality, to their lineaments."

Jarry proposes, for instance, that we should think of a vacuum as a "unit of non-density" rising outward, rather than of an object falling to the center. He observes that the shape of a watch is not any more round that it is rectangular (in profile). This is obviously typical 19th Century "objectivism" carried to an absurd extreme.

(See also: PATAPHYSICS, Magick, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul, )

Alfred Jarry - Plays. Ubu the King or King Turd (Ubu Roi), written at age 15 as Les Polonais. Ubu Cuckolded (Ubu cocu ), Ubu Bound (Ubu enchaíné) Alfred Jarry - Novels. The Supermale (Le Surmâle) Exploits and Opinions of Dr. Faustroll, pataphysician (Gestes et opinions du docteur Faustroll, pataphysicien) Alfred Jarry - Other notable works. Short story, The Passion Considered as an Uphill Bicycle Race, has been widely cir ...

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Alfred Jarry, Alfred Jarry - Biography and works, Alfred Jarry - Selected Jarry works, Alfred Jarry - Plays, Alfred Jarry - Novels, Alfred Jarry - Other notable works, Alfred Jarry - Bibliography

Read more here: » Alfred Jarry: Encyclopedia II - Alfred Jarry - Selected Jarry works

A Rube Goldberg machine or device is any exceedingly complex apparatus that performs a very simple task in a very indirect and convoluted way. Rube devised and drew several such pataphysical devices. The best examples of his machines have an anticipation factor. The fact that something so wacky is happening can only be topped by it happening in a suspenseful manner. The term also applies as a classification for generally over-complicated apparatus or software. It first appeared in Webster's Third New International Dictionary with the definition, "accomplishing by extremely complex roundabout ...

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Rube Goldberg, Rube Goldberg - Rube Goldberg machines

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Vian received a degree as a civil engineer and began his career at the French Association for Standardisation. This was by all accounts an undemanding post, and Vian amused himself with pataphysical conundrums, by composing songs and sketching sub-aqueous plants, and by publishing a chapbook for friends, satirising his colleagues. Vian found serious work distasteful. Vian wrote 10 novels, including popular hardboiled thrillers published under the name Vernon Sullivan, Vian's fictionalised American persona. The Sullivan oeuvre earned V ...

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Boris Vian, Boris Vian - Career, Boris Vian - Death, Boris Vian - Selected bibliography, Boris Vian - Prose, Boris Vian - Dramatic works, Boris Vian - Poetry, Boris Vian - Translations

Read more here: » Boris Vian: Encyclopedia II - Boris Vian - Career