Early in the Renaissance, somebody discovered that number didn't have to count a thing in order to have its own principles of order, measure, magnitude; and recently it has been shown that order and quantity rest in a context of disorder so vast that the tiny zone of even transfinite order disappears utterly.
Once number is divorced from the necessity of enumerating anything, its relation to any reality whatsoever inverts: number turns out to be what anything (materially) is ABOUT. Behind our transitory percepts lies not substance but number. And this inversion had to be in place for Money—which in the ancient world was always a synechdoche: some valuable substance, assigned a measure, made to evaluate ALL substance— this inversion had to be in place for Money to become Capital. With Capital, Money breaks free of all particular substance and becomes the universal substance that sits behind all value. All things are the cash value for which they can be exchanged. The reality of value is not use or any other valued thing, but Capital. And that inversion of the relation between things of value and the money that measures said value—would only have been possible after the previous and parallel inversion of the relation between numbers and objects had been effected.
If Capital is Hell, and it is—if Money has an Enemy—that enemy is working deep in the wells of Being to destabilize the nature of Number. Actually that has already been accomplished. It is only a mere matter of history. As Ed Dorn guessed: somebody is going to have to have ALL the money. At which point, the things get up and simply walk away.
Note (24.09): I have learned that there are some who think that the writing above is meant to be whimsical or worse. A more lucid perhaps, but definitely more long-winded exposition of my intended meaning may be read here. (cs)
Charles Stein is a poet, scholar and translator. His newest work, "Persephone Unveiled", is described by Peter Manchester ("The Syntax of Time") as "the most auhoritative book (he) has ever read on the nature and consequence of divine revelation". Thanks to Otis, we can look forward to more of Dr. Stein's always different points of view. (Hank)
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