When I was first introduced into Scientology, in 1970, the lecturer told us what communication was: It was the consideration and action of impelling an impulse or particle from a source point across a distance to a receipt point with the intention of creating at the receipt point a duplication of what emanated from the source point. Later I found out that this was a fundamental axiom of Scientology.
AXIOM 28. COMMUNICATION IS THE CONSIDERATION AND ACTION OF COMPELLING AN IMPULSE OR PARTICLE FROM SOURCE-POINT ACROSS A DISTANCE TO RECEIPT POINT, WITH THE INTENTION OF BRINGING INTO BEING AT THE RECEIPT-POINT A DUPLICATION OF THAT WHICH EMANATED FROM THE SOURCE- POINT.
and I learned it by heart. It lasted from 1954 till 1973. It made sense in view of the definition of understanding as given in AXIOM 21. UNDERSTANDING IS COMPOSED OF AFFINITY, REALITY, AND COMMUNICATION.
Thus one had a duplication and together with agreement and alignment to what one already knew plus the necessary affinity to provide the willingness to receive the impulse or particle it added up to understanding. Let’s say the particle was a letter and reading (duplicating) it one would consult agreed upon meanings of words (reality) and like or dislike the contents (affinity) and all three components in swing would result in understanding. We called it the ARC triangle and everything was fine.
Then there was a revision, as follows.
HUBBARD COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
Saint Hill Manor, East Grinstead, Sussex
HCO BULLETIN OF 5 APRIL 1973R
REVISED 24 SEPTEMBER 1980
Remimeo
HAS Course (Revision to include the full list of the component parts of Communication)
AXIOM 28 AMENDED
AXIOM 28.
COMMUNICATION IS THE CONSIDERATION AND ACTION OF IMPELLING AN IMPULSE OR PARTICLE FROM SOURCE-POINT ACROSS A DISTANCE TO RECEIPT-POINT, WITH THE INTENTION OF BRINGING INTO BEING AT THE RECEIPT-POINT A DUPLICATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF THAT WHICH EMANATED FROM THE SOURCE-POINT.
The formula of Communication is: Cause, Distance, Effect, with Intention, Attention and Duplication WITH UNDERSTANDING.
The component parts of the full Communication cycle are:
Observation, Confront, Consideration, Intention, Attention, Cause, Source-point, Particle or Impulse or Message, Distance, Estimation of Distance, Control (Start, Change, Stop), Direction, Time, and Timing, the Velocity of the impulse or particle or message, Volume, Clarity, Interest, Impingement, Effect, Receipt-point, Duplication, Answer, Acknowledgment, Understanding, Nothingness or Somethingness.
A non-communication consists of Barriers. Barriers consist of Space, Interpositions (such as walls and screens of fast-moving particles), and Time. A communication by definition, does not need to be two-way.
When a communication is returned, the formula is repeated, with the receipt-point now becoming a source-point and the former source-point now becoming a receipt-point.
L. RON HUBBARD
Founder
LRH:dr
It was an instant ARC Break in that I duplicated the communication from the bulletin but without understanding. There was no reason given for the change, no reality. And affinity lacking as I never had a problem with the axiom as given originally. Also there was no LRH lecture explaining it.
Note that this revision was given without any explanation or justification even though that would have been warranted due to the fact that the implication of this amended axiom was that any consistency of the axioms was thereby destroyed.
If communication by itself now results in understanding why bother with affinity and reality. In particular reality would play a role in creating understanding.
Another consequence of this amendment was that it threw the axiomatic definition of communication out of alignment with other definitions such as for example given in Scn 8-8008: “An interchange of energy from one beingness to another in the thetan and in Homo Sapiens, communication is known as perception. P21.
And perception does not equate to understanding.