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• General Semantics Seminar 1937: Olivet College Lectures 4th Edition Reading Group

  • Start
    14 Oct 2025
  •  
  • End
    4 Nov 2025
  •  
  • Schedule
    4 sessions
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  General Semantics Seminar 1937:

  Olivet College Lectures

  4th Edition

  Reading Group

  The Institute of General Semantics is pleased to announce that a reading group devoted to the new 4th edition of Alfred Korzybski's General Semantics Seminar 1937: Olivet College Lectures will be held this autumn, following our annual Alfred Korzybski Memorial Lecture and symposium. The reading group will be led by IGS Vice-President Corey Anton on Tuesday evenings starting on the October 14th, and continuing through November 4th.

  In contrast to the daunting persona and technical vocabulary of Science and Sanity, we here find a more approachable Korzybski, one offering lively examples in a much more accessible style.  Because this book is a collection of transcribed speaking notes from lectures given to students, we not only learn about general semantics, but also we get to watch Korzybski’s thought-in-action unfold. We can glean a sense of the students who were there and their concerns at that time. In this regard, the book has value not merely for the ideas it conveys but also for the way it gives the flavor of the times and provides a small taste of how Korzybski lectured.

  The Olivet lectures cover foundational concepts in general semantics such as the relationship between language and thought, the importance of non-Aristotelian logic, extensional devices, and Korzybski’s extensional theory of happiness. Additionally, the lectures provide practical applications of general semantics, such as techniques for improving communication and reducing misunderstandings.

  All references and page numbers in the discussion will be based on print versions of the new 4th  Edition, which differs a bit from previous editions as it now contains an index. If you do not have a copy of the new edition, you can obtain one through any major online bookseller, and via the IGS's online bookstore (IGS members can obtain a 15% discount by emailing orders at generalsemantics.org for the coupon code).

  Registration is free and open to the public. You do not have to be a member of the Institute of General Semantics to join the reading group, but it is strongly encouraged. Registrants will receive information for joining the Zoom session in an email reminder. Sessions will be recorded and made available for viewing to IGS members.

  Schedule

  Note that every session will run from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM New York Time.

  The following are the dates and sections of the book to be discussed:

  October 14th: All front matter and the first three lectures

  October 21st: Lectures four through seven

  October 28th: Lectures eight through twelve

  November 4th: Lectures thirteen through end, and final reflections

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