David Jones, artist and poet (1895-1974) begins his PREFACE TO THE ANATHEMATA :

'I have made a heap of all that I could find.' (1) So wrote Nennius, or whoever composed the introductory matter to Historia Brittonum. He speaks of an 'inward wound' which was caused by the fear that certain things dear to him 'should be like smoke dissipated'. Further, he says, 'not trusting my own learning, which is none at all, but partly from writings and monuments of the ancient inhabitants of Britain, partly from the annals of the Romans and the chronicles of the sacred fathers, Isidore, Hieronymous, Prosper, Eusebius and from the histories of the Scots and Saxons although our enemies . . . I have lispingly put together this . . . about past transactions, that [this material] might not be trodden under foot'. (2)

(1) The actual words are coacervavi omne quod inveni, and occur in Prologue 2 to the Historia.
(2) Quoted from the translation of Prologue 1. See The Works of Gildas and Nennius, J.A.Giles, London 1841.


01 August 2017

If it looks like a turkey, and if you appear to be the star of a TAR tableau...


Duck test

 The Duck test is a humorous term for a form of abducktive reasoning. This is its usual expression:

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.

 The test implies that a person can identify an unknown subject by observing that subject's habitual characteristics. It is sometimes used to counter abstruse, or even valid, arguments that something is not what it appears to be.

Turkey test

 The Turkey test is a humorous term for a form of abturktive reasoning. This is its usual expression:

 If it looks like a turkey, if it excites its observer to 'talk turkey', then it probably is a turkey.

 The test implies that a person can identify an unknown matter by observing that matter's slanguistic characteristics. It is sometimes used to counter abstruse, or even valid, arguments that something is not what it appears to be.

UN AMATEUR SURVIENT, L'ARTISTE LUI MONTRE UN TABLEAU
Theatre of the Actors of Regard   
TAR tableau test

 The TAR tableau test is a humorous term for a form of abTARk'tive meta-reasoning. This is its usual expression :

 If it looks like a TAR tableau, sounds like a TAR tableau, and smells like a TAR tableau, then it probably is a TAR tableau.

 The test implies that a person can identify an unknown meta-maTAR by observing that maTAR's TAR-bi-TARy characteristics. It is sometimes used to counter abstruse, or even valid, arguments that something is not what it appears to be.

Theatre of the Actors of Regard  
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 A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
 someone looks at something... 
         
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