Monday, January 31, 2000

Thanks so much for writing, and please forgive me for having thought about your message for a few days before responding.

I must say it's letters like yours that really keep me going in this work. Paul Rosenfels was truly an amazing man, a philosopher, a psychotherapist, and my best friend for 19 years — precisely the sort of wise man that we all assume doesn't really exist anymore. Like all truly creative minds, he pulled back in disgust from the conventional (and cynical) teachings he found in academic circles, and developed his own viewpoint concerning human nature. Of course ever since the Enlightenment, a science of human nature has been sought by deep thinkers, but our contemporary army of industrial psychologists — each too satisfied by high pay and drugged patients who have no further need for an identity — seem to have forgotten this goal. Paul's system of ideas addresses, as I think you've just found out, problems that have historically plagued not only psychology but philosophy as well. I believe that in the coming centuries he will be regarded as the greatest philosopher of the 20th century, and perhaps the second millenium as well.

Anyway, I don't want to write a book this morning. I only wanted to welcome you to the growing worldwide movement of independent thinkers who are finding insights and inspiration from this work. The Ninth Street Center has just started, in fact, an online discussion group that meets "in cyberspace" as they say every two months. May I add you to my mailing list so that you can be reminded a week before we meet? The next chat will be Sunday February 20 at 2PM EST, 7PM GMT. In the meantime you can find further information, including setup instructions, at http://geocities.com/nscenter/Chats.htm

Please tell me what you do, Ian. You sound very sophisticated. Are you a writer or a teacher or a therapist? You must visit us the next time you're in the states.