Psychology and Dr. Strangelove? Ptak!

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My friend Jane sent me this link to a wonderful blog, Ptak Science Books, which declares itself "A Blog of the History of Ideas--unusual connections in the history of science and mathematics with the arts and social history."

It's fabulous and bizarre. Witness the latest post, "Fantastic and Unreachable Intellectual Claims: Psychology and Dr. Strangelove":

How could one argue with the simplex simplicity of this slightly mechanical reader's aids, "The Mental Chart, How Your Mind Works"? It continues "The Original and Only Chart of its Kind Ever Published to Simplify the Study of Psychology and Mental Phenomenon". Indeed. It was issued to simplify the ideas contained in the 1936 pamphlet entitled "Psychology Simplified", by Dr. Matthew Ranoe, itself a pretty uncomplicated and unpaginated affair of 18 pages. I bought it and 94,000 other or so pamphlets from the Library of Congress some years ago, which explains why I have this table-top production copy sent by Dr. Ranoe to secure and protect his copyright; and it also explains why any copy of this exists at all, as the pamphlet/screed/contemplation never did get published.

read more at Ptak Science Books.

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