Bulletin, "the method as the ism" and "the method as the method"
Yusuke Shindo (Bigakko graduate)

to Japanese

Bulletin, "the method as the ism" and "the method as the method"
Yusuke Shindo (Bigakko graduate)

This paper aims at articulating a way to understand characteristics of former Method (hereinafter Old Method) and New-Method, by bringing it into relief through contrast of their bulletins.

To begin with, let's confirm the basic standpoint of Methodicism.  It can be said that Methodicism employs "logic" as the first principle.  Methodicism in this understanding can be separated into "method" and "ism", and it is important that "logic" is more compatible with "method" than with "ism." Their bulletins, which could be regarded as the most significant work in a way, suggest a border between Old Method and New-Method in their different relations with "method" and "ism." The difference stands out most obviously in "Method" bulletin No.11 and No. 21 issues and "New-Method" bulletin No.7 issue.  The focus point here is how Methodicism deals with intervention from the real society that for them is "chance and improvisation" [as so described in Methodicist Manifest].

As objects [topics] of their activities, "Method" bulletin refers to September 11 attacks in No.11 issue and to a regional moratorium on the use of Depleted uranium bullets in No.21 issue.  What should be noticed here is that these two issues of their bulletin do not use the method as the principle to deal with these objects, but inversely have the method drawn to these objects.  In other words, their ism is confronted with necessity to respond to the real society, drawn to the objects emerging out of chance and improvisation, and led to make a small crack in the principle of their logic.  The method here happens to be applied in accordance with the cracked logic.  Therefore, the method has been applied with deviation from the logic of "Methodicism" by the ism being swallowed in chance and improvisation.

In contrast, "New-Method" bulletin witnessed a diastrophism when No.7 issue was published, but its content remains same as ever before.  What was done at the time was distribution of their work that executed the method taking this diastrophism as an object.  Their work "Application for Disaster Relief Volunteer" released on 26 March 2011 was nothing but a result of their application of the method as their logic (their loyalty to execution of the method), which brought about the choice of the object.  It uses the framework of the method to process chance and improvisation, or even sensory stimuli and their emotion itself as well.

Before concluding this paper, let's make a simple confirmation about the bulletin.  First of all, there is certainly one great difference between Old Method and New-Method, namely the presence and absence of essays by the members themselves.  The essays in "Method" bulletin by the members were statements and clarifications of their ism.  However, it is absent in "New-Method" bulletin.  Taking this into consideration, we can understand it as follows:

Old Method turned the method into their ism, and it had a possibility to have the method subordinated to the ism.  Since the ism is a matter of one's frame of mind, it would be fairly understood that the ism is more likely to come close to the emotion than to the logic.  Although it usually does not appear on the surface, subordination of the method to the logic becomes obvious once there is an object with "chance and improvisation" that moves one's emotion.  "Method" bulletin No.11 and No.21 issues reveal such a moment, which suggests that Old Method was "the method as the ism."

On the other hand, New-Method does not put the ism prior to the method.  The method is the method itself to the end, and their attitude suggests that the method is achieved by only its execution.  Thus, they just make application and execution of the method to process even an object with "chance and improvisation" that moves one's emotion.  "New-Method" bulletin No.7 issue can be understood as such, and it can be said that New-Method is "the method as the method."

As discussed above, difference and change between two schools of Methodicism visible through their bulletins can be understood as transition from "the method as the ism" to "the method as the method" that has understood and undertaken its difficulty.  And precisely in itself, their Third New-Methodicist Manifesto would be demonstrating difficulty intrinsic to "the method as the method."

Appeared in the Bulletin "New-Method" No.  24