California Journal

by Edgar Morin, Alfonso Montuori (Foreword), Deborah Cowell (Translator)

In 1969, California is not just the new it is the crucible where civilisation is accelerating, self-destructs, and is reborn. It's the probe of Spaceship Earth. The hippy phenomenon, communes, the ecological movement, great collective ceremonies like park-ins and rock concerts, the flourishing of sects ranging from mystics to Marxists, the experience of 'weed' and 'acid', are temporary images and elements of a search for a new truth, a new religion, a new society. Long before it became fashionable for European intellectuals to write about their voyages to the United States, Edgar Morin, one of France's leading intellectual figures and at that time known as a path-breaking and innovative sociologist and researcher of popular culture, recounts the story of his experiences in the cauldron of change that was California, including his encounters with some of the leading minds of that time. The book combines Morin's accounts of his experiences with his own search for answers to fundamental questions about the human condition. For a few months, the author had a profound feeling of being drawn into the heart of the 'great questions', played out personally and societally. The result is an engaging and prophetic work that has as much if not more to offer today than it did when it was first published in French.

162 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1983

About the author

Edgar Morin (born Edgar Nahoum, 1921-2026) was a French philosopher and sociologist of the theory of information who has been recognised for his work on complexity and "complex thought" (pensée complexe), and for his scholarly contributions to such diverse fields as media studies, politics, sociology, visual anthropology, ecology, education, and systems biology. He held two bachelors, one in history and geography and one in law, and never did a Ph.D.

During his academic career, Morin was primarily associated with the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) in Paris. Although less well known in the Anglophone world due to the limited availability of English translations of his over 60 books, Morin is renowned in the French-speaking world, Europe, and Latin America.

Reviews

[Peter Zomer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The diary makes us witness of his yearlong stay in California in 1970. His inspiration gets tangible. We are witness of some of his most important concepts being born, under the influence of the Salk institute; those concepts with which he will set up La Methode. But is is not only that. There is a lot in it: a meeting with in the background a Janis Joplin concert, the perils of California housing, a short description of L.A. Impressions from him as an outsider to America, European prejudices, European idolatry. But also: a lot of self-observation: 'J'ai toujours trop voulu les choses contradictoires ensemble'. His complexity theory was born out of practical self-experience.

The book is so versatile: for instance, he talks about dreams, his own dreams, and also the things that are caused by dreams. His report of his visit to H. reveals how romantic his soul basically is. Then he quickly switches to observations of hippiedom: 'C'est un neo-tribalisme, quelque chose de tres archaique qui surgit de la pointe avancee de la modernite.' Or 'L'hedonisme d'etre (revolution culturelle) s'oppose radicalement a l'hedonisme de l'avoir (societe bourgoise).' Contemporary political philosophy joins a joie de vivre so typical of those times. This document makes the atmosphere and sense of urgency of that period palpable and reviable.

Page 127 to 141 (Seuil edition) offers an analysis of hippiedom that I found brilliant. He is in the midst of it, but he can rise above it too and look at it from a distance. Isn't this is exactly what La Methode does when it tries to speak of complexity? His dissection of hippiedom explores its roots and reaffirms its character of a counter-movement that wants to give air to what has been (and is) suppressed for so long in our technology- and profit-driven society. Of course, this romanticism is still alive today. In fact, hippiedom has never gone away.

The continuous sunshine in this text. Openly sharing feelings and thoughts that are not particularly socially desirable. His vision of ideas as having an ecosystem of their own, in statu nascendi in this text. Casual observations. Then, aphorisms, why not. And in the end of the book a description of a personal catharsis, bringing him into a euphoric state, where he finds the inner peace to get to work...
Back there, in California, everything came together. His heyday, in fact the birth of La Methode.

Quite intense, this whole thing. Nice to have this inspiration so well conveyed. This is an essential text for every Morin-fan.