Distinction: Journal of Form

Distinction: Journal of Form, Volume 1, Issue 1 (Spring 2025)

ANNOUNCEMENT OF A NEW JOURNAL
The First Distinction
Distinction: Journal of Form

Distinction: Journal of Form is the official journal of the Spencer-Brown Society. It draws inspiration from Laws of Form (1969), the groundbreaking work by mathematician and polymath George Spencer-Brown (1923–2016). At its core is a radical idea: that the act of drawing a distinction is the basis of all form. From this, two laws follow—the laws of form.

This simple act has had wide-ranging influence, extending far beyond formal logic. Key fields shaped by Spencer-Brown’s insights include:
    •    Cybernetics
    •    Semiotics
    •    Systems theory

Examples include:
    •    Varela and Maturana’s theory of autopoiesis
    •    Niklas Luhmann’s social systems theory

Spencer-Brown himself explored the spiritual dimension of his work in:
    •    Only Two Can Play This Game (1971)
    •    A Lion’s Teeth (1995), where he describes Laws of Form as a vehicle for enlightenment

Distinction: Journal of Form seeks to extend this legacy and support diverse explorations of form. The journal will publish:
    •    Proceedings of the ongoing Laws of Form conference series
    •    Related events (e.g., the 2023 Thinking the Float Tank conference)
    •    Future workshops and contributions aligned with the journal’s mission

The Spencer-Brown Society also publishes the companion book series Marked States: Series on Form. Both the journal and the book series are published by College Publications Ltd.

Randolph Dible
Communications Director
The Spencer-Brown Society

Publisher: College Publications, Ltd.

Publisher Page: Marked States: Series on Form

Publisher Page: Distinction: Journal of Form

Contents: Vol. 1, Issue 1

Announcement of a New Journal – Randolph Dible
Editorial Introduction – Graham Ellsbury
Invited Keynote – Stephen Wolfram
The Myth of the Boundary – Laws of Form, Logic and Sets – Louis H Kauffman
Cellular Laws of Form – Kevin German
Forms of Decision Models in Organizations – Florian Grote
Laws of Form and Husserl’s “Strange World of the Purely Logical” – Claire Ortiz Hill
Universal Ontology and the First Distinction: Spencer-Brown, Husserl, and Conrad Martius – Randolph Dible
Practice for Distinction and Context – George Spencer-Brown’s Form of Distinction as a Tool for Psychosocial Practice – Tanja Rode
Pointing at Nothing – Fred Cummins
Laws of Form in Kindergarten – Moshe Klein
The Spencer-Brown Society Constitution