Lawsonomy



Lawsonomy is an idiosyncratic philosophy developed and promoted by Alfred W. Lawson (1869-1954) who is notable for his contributions to the development of early commercial aviation. He also played professional baseball.

Encompassing many disciplines including philosophy, biology, psychology and economics under the banner of "Natural law", Lawsonomy is best remembered (when it's remembered at all) for Lawson's attempt to throw out the fundamentals of physics and replace them with his own ideas. Energy, for example, does not exist in Lawsonian "physics". Lawson viewed the concept of energy in much the same way that hardcore creationists view the concept of evolution - as an unsubstantiated and faulty idea that has become entrenched in the mainstream. Having rejected the existence of energy, Lawson instead accounted for movement with his core idea of "penetrability" in which "suction and pressure" cause "currents" that enable movement. "Zig-zag-and-swirl" describes the pattern of motion caused by the pushing of pressure and the pulling of suction on matter of varying degrees of penetrability.

Lawson's works teem with his own terminology and self-referencing jargon. Zig-Zag-and-Swirl, Menorgs and Disorgs, Equaeverpoise, Lesether, Knowledgian, Lawsonpoise, Lawsonomy, Lawsonian — a preponderance of this sort of thing, combined with Lawson's lifelong habit of praising his own greatness while writing about himself in the third person, fails to distract the reader from the fact that Lawson never offers a shred of proof to back up his claims. He advocated a raw diet, an alternative economic system of direct credit, and adherence to the principles of "penetrability" in all areas of life.

In later life he developed Lawsonomy into the Lawsonian religion, apparently hoping that his ideas would find more acceptance as spiritual teachings than they had as science. In this the progress of the movement somewhat resembles the transition of 'therapeutic' Dianetics into the cult of Scientology. Whereas Hubbard set up his organisation with the marketing tools to propagate his ideas and to become rich a self-sustaining entity, Lawson's insistence on a 30-year program of exclusive study to master Lawsonomy actively hampered the spread of his newly rebranded "religion". Although a few devoted followers eventually completed their studies to graduate with the title of "Knowledgian" after Lawson's death, Lawsonomy never caught on.

Lawson confidently predicted that the world would have embraced his teachings by the year 2000. It didn't.

He also claimed to have found the means for humans to live to 200 years. He didn't.