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  • On Independence
  • Peter Whitehead

The following statement is taken from a speech Whitehead gave in late 2004 to save London's Other Cinema from closure. It was originally published in Vertigo 3, no. 4 (Winter 2007).

What is in dependence and why do we need it? Every natural system in the universe, every social system, every psychological system, is trapped in a dialogue between order and adventure, order and regeneration, call it what you will. We all of us every day evolve in a certain kind of way, producing two things simultaneously. One is structure which, if it becomes too rigid, becomes fascism. The other is mutation which, if it becomes too loose, becomes anarchy. Independence is a principle of nature, and is essential to every system. It is the only way things are prevented from becoming unfree, which is what is happening in our world today. We need in dependence and freedom, not people breathing down our necks saying we have to choose between A and B, which is the basis of Western philosophy and capitalist-based society. We need in dependence to stay healthy, just as all organisms need mutation to prevent themselves from becoming so structured that they atrophy and die. [End Page 332]

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