This just arrive on a history and philosophy of science list that I'm
on. Given that a brave new world is being constructed, we might as
well celebrate its architects.
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First Run / Icarus Films would like to bring to your attention a new
documentary film about three 19th century intellectuals who envisioned the
modern genetic revolution and greatly influenced current scientific thought
and application, that we believe would be of interest to you.
If you would like more information on this film, please feel free to
contact me at the email address or phone number provided below.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Ryan Krivoshey
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OPTIMUM: THE CRUSADE FOR EFFICIENCY
Directed by Henry Colomer
OPTIMUM is an exploration into the legacies of three 19th century
visionaries who helped shape modern industrial society. Influenced by the
maxim, "Everything should be useful, all human resources should be
optimized and made profitable", each man played an integral role in the
formation of a universal philosophy that would allow humanity to become
more efficient, more productive, and more powerful. One discovered the
principle, the second a tool, and the third, the ideal field of application
for this tool.
Jeremy Bentham, a jurist by trade, held the first key in the formula. One
of the founders of Utilitarianism ("The pursuit of selfish interest leads
to the common good"), Bentham, through a serious of published works, laid
the foundations of liberalism and constituted a universal system for
increasing the potential usefulness of all individuals.
Charles Babbage, a mathematician and inventor, was the second to help lay
the cornerstone for the optimization of all human activities. An obsessive
classifier (he once calculated the 464 reasons for the breaking of a plate
glass window), Babbage invented a litany of common gadgets and tools, from
the speedometer to the standardized postal rate, but his most important
contribution, came with the design for the Analytical Engine. A device
capable of calculating any mathematical operation, it is the genuine
forerunner of the computer.
The Analytical Engine would open up humanity's horizons of efficiency, but
it was Francis Galton, the son of a baker, who would indicate the ideal
field to which it could be applied: Genetics. A vocal proponent of
eugenics, Galton devoted his life to the study of genetically transmitted
traits and characteristics, in the hope, of identifying and eliminating
'undesirable' or criminal tendencies. His findings, though flawed, outlined
the ultimate phase in the Utilitarian crusade: the creation of a customized
biologically programmed human being.
Through archival photographs and a treasure trove of scientific diagrams,
blue prints, and drawings, the film traces the development of their
greatest ideas and materializes, via animation, their most audacious
inventions.
Employing a sardonic wit, OPTIMUM takes the viewer on a fascinating journey
into the world of 19th century science. Meticulously researched, the film
illustrates how three eccentric European intellectuals envisioned the
current genetic revolution even at the dawn of the industrial age.
For more information: http://www.frif.com/new2001/opt.html
Ryan Krivoshey
First Run / Icarus Films
32 Court Street, 21st Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Tel. 718-488-8900
Fax. 718-488-8642
Web: http://www.frif.com
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
