Writing Excuses - 10

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Homework: Take a favorite piece of media (but not something YOU created), and reverse engineer an outline from it.


Outline: The Shape of Everything

I. Introduction

  • Reference to a past video titled The Shape of Everything (now private).

  • Motivation for revisiting the content: to preserve and expand on key insights.

II. Etymology and Symbolism of Vertical

  • Vertical comes from Latin verto, to turn.

  • Related words: vertebrae, vortex, invert, revert, conversation.

  • Verticality implies a center point around which things rotate.

  • Opposition only makes sense relative to a center (what is the opposite of water? answer: it depends). Anti-water, fire.

  • Versus, as in black versus white. Opposing partners taking turns. Verse, version, revolutionary.

III. Etymology and Symbolism of Horizontal

  • Horizontal comes from horizon (Greek horos, boundary).

  • Horizon marks the space where transformation occurs (night to day).

  • Horizontality represents flux, change, and context.

  • Language reflects this: “about” means “around” a central point.

IV. Meaning as Geometry

  • Symbols (like numbers or letters) have form and reference.

  • Dozenal systems illustrate how signifiers can change while preserving signified meaning.

  • Language and math are symbolic systems mapping meaning through flexible structures.

V. Color as Semiotic

  • Color categorization is not strictly about wavelengths; it’s about experiential meaning.

  • Example: English distinguishes blue and green; Vietnamese uses a single word ("Blue of Sky" and "Leaf Green." The term "xanh" can mean either color.).

  • Color is not an optical phenomenon, it is a semiotic one.
  • Colors function like teleological objects, perceptual categories with internal coherence.

VI. Symbolism in Music

  • Music also expresses symbolic meanings.

  • Comparison of heroic vs. villainous themes in symphonies.

  • Like color, music carries consistent symbolic resonance across expressions.

VII. Verticality versus Horizontality in Physics and Perception

  • Gravity makes vertical movement inherently unequal; horizontal is more neutral.

  • Verticality maps onto hierarchy, fixity, and value.

  • Horizontal movement maps onto equality, possibility, and change.

VIII. Applications in Symbolism and Language

  • The vertical is used for importance (top of a list, towers).

  • The horizontal is used for time and movement (graphs, timelines).

  • These orientations mirror cosmic structures: sun’s path, city designs, mythology.

IX. Color and Vertical-Horizontal Symbolism

  • Red = low, horizontal, widespread (long wavelength, common).

  • Red activates the sympathetic nervous system more than other colors: stop signs, notifications, fast food logos, ‘sale’ stickers and lipstick.

  • Blue = high, vertical, rare (short wavelength, high energy).

  • Cosmological patterns mirror this (redshift, star brightness, element stratification).

X. Philosophical

  • The vertical and horizontal axes form the basis of symbolic systems.

  • Examples from cosmology, theology, and ancient symbology reinforce this.

  • The vertical = structure, constraint, purpose; the horizontal = context, potential, movement.

XI. Conclusion

  • The vertical/horizontal dynamic is a key to understanding symbolism, language, and experience.

  • Reassertion of the importance of making this information available after the video’s removal.



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