"Computable Theories of Morphogenesis"
Geometrical Psychology or the Science of Representation: An Abstract of the Theories and Diagrams of B. W. Betts
Notes: A curious and idiosyncratic attempt to translate concepts like beauty and reason into mathematics. A few years ago, images from a digitized version of this book made the rounds on the Internet, even landing on the website of Smithsonian Magazine ("These Geometrical Shapes Are Diagrams of Human Consciousness", November 26, 2012).
Benjamin Betts was a British architect who gave up his profession and moved to New Zealand where he tried to unravel the mysteries of life. He believed that ideas could only succeed through the partnership of men and women: "For all true work a union of the male and female mind is required" (p. 6). Fortunately for Betts and his future readers, Louisa Cook, an American who described herself as having "no special qualifications for the work beyond some natural bent of mind toward the study of spiritual philosophy" took on the publication of Betts' system. Her assistance was needed because Betts, "having lived so much apart from men" had found it "very difficult ... to make his ideas intelligible to others." That's probably an understatement.
Even Ms. Cook's simplification and wonderful geometric illustrations left Betts' philosophy beyond the ken of this cataloguer. As is his wont, your cataloguer turned to academic studies for guidance. Two architecture professors recently summarized Betts' work: "The neglected historical case of Benjamin W. Betts, an architect of the late Victorian Britain, is an early example of the effects of philosophical presuppositions on computable theories of morphogenesis in arts and architecture... Betts was under heavy influence of Idealism and Oriental thought in his symbology and the morphogenetic procedure he designed" (Rahmati and Ayatollahi, "Benjamin W. Betts and His Computable Approach toward Morphogenesis", International Journal of Architectural Computing, Vol. 21, no. 1).
Your cataloguer went to graduate school for community and regional planning in the School of Architecture at the University of Texas. He never could understand what the architects were yammering on about. But that's not important because this book is just passing through his hands, on its way to you, the hoped-for buyer of this curious work of mathematical mysticism.
99, [1] pages plus 16 plates, most with color overprinting, and a 60-page publisher's catalog.
Edition + Condition: First edition, later binding, with ads dated October 1889 inserted at the back. Original gold cloth covers spotted, else very good.
Publication: London: George Redway, 1887.
Item No: #362085
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