Alexander Matthews
Avoiding Extinction
by Gordon Ellis & Dr Alexander Matthews
There is a tendency to wait until something becomes so problematic that it can no longer be ignored and then to ‘fire-fight’ it. This reflects an attitude that the status quo must be maintained and any problems solved within the existing framework. The effect of delay can be catastrophic, as in the cases of global heating and biodiversity loss, and addressing such problems in this way can simply displace, proliferate, and substitute other problems, sometimes with the so-called ‘cure’ also having toxic effects that only later come to light, such is the urgency of a ‘quick-fix’. While technology can have a role to play, it is not sufficient the authors argue, and does not address the roots of the problem. In this short work, some of the core issues that need to be addressed are identified, such as limits to growth and redistribution of wealth and power, what it is to be human, and to live a meaningful and fulfilling life, social justice, the role of the media, including social media, and the effects of scientism and the increasing domination of technological thinking. The climate emergency cannot be separated out from the dysfunctional nature of current dominant ideologies and economic models, and the situation needs to be seen as a whole, with the different factors being recognised as interdependent, requiring a holistic approach.
My One True Friend
This is a story of racism and reconciliation inspired and made up by my time spent in Rhodesia (1976-1985). There seemed a lot of pathos - which I hope comes across in the play - about the treatment of domestic ‘help’ in Rhodesia. Their lives were brushed under the carpet - not even thought of. In the meantime they had to cater to every whim of those they served. This situation is summed up in the character of Kapenie, who is coming to the end of his life. He is grateful to Lady L for keeping him on when they both know that he is well past his usefulness. But this ‘favour’ by Lady L gives her psychological room to bully him even more. His dilemma is how to be a ‘good man’ in his own eyes, and yet stand up for his own rights. Somehow, because of his situation, the two aims clash. They are reconciled by a change of heart in Lady L. The theme behind this play is that if we take the time and make the effort to see into other peoples’ lives more fully, the empathy grows our own life - makes it richer. It is by tolerance that we will survive. Tolerance isn’t just a luxury, I think of it as a necessity for the future of the human race.
Lazarus Revived
This book offers arguments on the nature of consciousness, that it’s not really in the brain but in something in some man-made artificial entities. It talks about pluriverses as opposed to the universe and argues against the Big Bang theory. As such it is a quick tour among some of the fundamental questions of our times. It points out the problems of E=MC2 as an equation. And that epistemology is far more subjective than we normally realise. In short, it is intended as a tour through some of the most troubled thoughts that we are likely to have. It may be that, as a result of this book, some of your attitudes to life will be altered. Good luck with it.
Do You Love This Planet?
Format: Paperback | Price: £6.99 + £3.99 P&PDo you really love this planet? Enough to be a whistleblower? Because that is what is required if you answer YES. We’ve come to such critical times; so threatened by Armageddon, that you whistleblowers must rise up and ruin your lives and those of your loved ones, to sacrifice them for an indefinite future.
Rachel puts this question in various ways not only to her family – who like most of us – are unwilling to consider it – but also increasingly - as the play progresses, directly to the audience. Yes you. Why are there not more whistleblowers? Would you be one. Is it the ONLY way to be adult on this beautiful but damaged planet? Is Armageddon so critical that doing anything else – poetry drama – irrelevant? Rachel thinks so. But do you. And if you don’t do you really really love this planet?
Glass Roots
Format: PaperbackThis is a play about bullying. What do you do when you’re being bullied and you’re physically helpless to prevent it? This is about an Indian couple, who run an Indian restaurant and cope with the problem. The bullying is racially oriented. The couple emerge, scarred and triumphant, from their ordeal.
Screaming Secrets
Format: PaperbackSuppose your life were curtailed by a terminal illness. Would that alter a moral decision between doing exactly what you want or helping your father? Does a truncated life change the moral balance of that choice? This is the dilemma that Antonio has to face.
There is a poignant scene in the play where he turns down his father; and also a very moving scene when he says that he has to part from his pregnant girlfriend, Monica, even though he can’t tell her. Her distress is her love for him and it is pitiable and moving to see. There is catharsis and reconciliation towards the end of the play. The plot is entirely character-driven. There is also the sexually frustrated relationship between Antonio’s sister and his father. Incestuous desires are expressed, sometimes in hatred and sometimes in stymied love. Undercurrents also flourish between Antonio’s doctor and his would-be publisher, Hugo.
A Diagram of Definition
Format: PaperbackThis book shows how we resolve the paradoxes inherent in definition and in communication, and so learn to use language. It offers new versions of perception and reference, and schematic models of definition and communication. Anyone interested in language and how it got started, and what a prelinguistic state might be like, should be interested in this book.
Physics Essays
Format: Paperback | Price: £3.99 + £3.99 P&PThis paper argues that there could not have been a Big Bang, there is possibly time reversal, and that E=MC2 is not the fundamental equation of the universe. Also that mathematics can only be applied subjectively to physics, and so it is not the cutting edge tool of scientific research that it is made out to be.
Alexander Matthews
