Alienation

The English version of the model

Scroll down for video’s

First of all, a riddle.

The philosopher Wittgenstein added the following metaphor to his now famous Tractatus: compare this writing with a ladder, which must first be climbed in order to arrive at a different level of thinking. After climbing the ladder, after understanding, this ladder can actually be removed again.

The latter is not the case with regard to the following – on the contrary! What is equal is that in this game “Alienation” the reader is first asked to climb one ladder step by step. Gradually, it will become clear to the patient reader that there are then not one but two ladders: one up and one down.

Ten steps up and ten steps down. Only when the reader has both climbed and descended these two ladders will it become clear that other figures are also possible. We can also lay these steps in a circle. To stick with the metaphor, perhaps these are rope ladders. Anyway, the ten steps up can just as well be seen as a circle, just like the ten steps down, so two circles with ten “steps”.

If the reader, who no longer understands it, because this is all completely abstract, has started to become curious and wants to know what this is about, he will first have to go up the first ten steps (Part I) and then the ten more steps down again (Part II). Only then, after reading these two times ten steps, will the circle also gradually begin to round out for the reader.

Dr. Siebe Drieman, Amsterdam 2009

Watch the video’s as introduction of the model and game:

Choose English subtitles via Preferences