Richards, Stevenson, Holton Discuss Means To Approach Reality

"There is no gap between the poet and the ordinary man," since "most of what they live in is the product of poetic activities," I. A. Richards, University Professor, said last night.

Speaking at a forum sponsored by the Adams House Discussion Group on the topic, "Poety, Philosophy, and Science Approaches to Reality," Richards said that the lot of mankind was "to live in bad poetry or in better poetry."

Reality is separated from us by a curtain, but there is "nothing behind this curtain which was not in front of it," he continued.

Representing philosophy as an approach to reality, Charles L. Stevenson, visiting professor of Philosophy, attacked the Cartesian method of suspended judgment.

Rather, we should accept all things as reality until they are shown to be not real, he said.

Gerald J. Holton, assistant professor of Physics, explained that reality in the natural sciences consists of the mathematical principles used in the establishment and explanation of scientific theories.

Philipp G. Frank, lecturer on Physics and Mathematics, was moderator.