Gulf Stream Wealth Predictor, 1939--Outsider Logic from the Inside

JF Ptak Science Books  Post 320

I've found many remarkable statements contributed by seekers and the curious whose efforts have found their way into print and then into my Naive Surreal and Outsider Logic pamphlet collections.  In the ungainly-titled Gulf Stream of the Air or the Principles of Wealth Prediction with Twelve Years of Weather Forecast 1939 to 1951 (printed in 1939), written by an unnamed group (!?) called the "associates of Prof. Selby Maxwell", the title was good enough to guide this pamphlet to its just reward.  Just before adding it the the hoard I opened the pamphlet at random and found this sensational "what if" sentence: 

"If the high Plateau and the Rocky Mountains did not exist there is little doubt that Mexico and our Western States would not differ appreciably..."

Wow.

Mr. Maxwell was indeed a real meteorologist, and perhaps this Bourbaki-like crew absconded with his good name into the bleak night of weather wealth, leaving sentence fragments like the one above in their wake.

As bizarre as it is though this might be a fantastic way of getting the attention of a group of kids in a classroom.  Its all fine and well to classify this as "bizarre", but what are the components that make it so?   Why is it bizarre to entertain such a thought, and how could it possibly be that it wouldn't affect much and what would the other consequences be of not having the formation of the Rocky Mountains take place, and on and on.  It is junky in its way, thinking like this, but I've got to admit that I've  never thought about this situation before; and in its own way, the statement is fascinating in its turn-right-to-loosen-left -to-tighten way. 

Comments

[Betsy]

Are they completely cutting out the mass of land on which the High Plateau and Rockies sit (stand?), making the Northern Hemisphere narrower? Or are they just shaving them down to be of no greater altitude?

I suppose if the High Plateau and Rockies matter not to Mexico and the Western States either way, the "associates" don't really need to specify why or how they don't exist.

So, if a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it...

[John Ptak]

Yes, this is true. Ultimately, these folks are bonkers, as, after all, they're writing this pamphlet to somehow connect the Gulf Stream with making money. But here's the deal: the only reason I spend any time with this insane material is that they usually come across with the delivery of a "wow", a very unexpected thought, something that I wouldn't've thought of on my own. Like right-wing radio. Like in this instance with removing the Rockies--gadzooks! WHat a high-flying bombshell piece of thinking! SO instead of asking something like, "what would've happened if FDR was assassinated in 1943" or something like that, one of these pamphlets might ask "what if everyone but FDR was shrunk to 3-inches tall in 1943--how would that have affected the war effort? How would the war have been fought, and who would've won?" Granted this is Marvel Comics sort of stuff and on the face of it sounds utterly useless, but any time you force your brain to think a little differently, the potential for new thought grows high. USually.

[Jeff]

(I've got a paperback copy of Bourbaki about to go in the book sale, if you want it. I think volume one is pretty beat up.)

[George]

John,

Just curious. Is this pamphlet something that you still have and available for sale?