Editing Laws of Form (section)

==The book==
The preface states that the work was first explored in 1959, and Spencer Brown cites [[Bertrand Russell]] as being supportive of his endeavour.{{efn|This is also mentioned by Russell in his autobiography, {{harvp|Russell|2014|p=664}}.}} He also thanks [[J. C. P. Miller]] of [[University College London]] for helping with the proofreading and offering other guidance. In 1963 Spencer Brown was invited by Harry Frost, staff lecturer in the physical sciences at the department of Extra-Mural Studies of the [[University of London]], to deliver a course on the mathematics of logic.{{cn|date=December 2024}}

''LoF'' emerged from work in electronic engineering its author did around 1960. Key ideas of the ''LOF'' were first outlined in his 1961 manuscript ''Design with the Nor'', which remained unpublished until 2021,{{sfnp|Spencer-Brown|2021}} and further refined during subsequent lectures on [[mathematical logic]] he gave under the auspices of the [[University of London]]'s extension program. ''LoF'' has appeared in several editions. The second series of editions appeared in 1972 with the "Preface to the First American Edition", which emphasised the use of self-referential paradoxes,<ref name="Eine Einführung">{{cite book |last1=Schönwälder-Kuntze |first1=Tatjana |last2=Wille |first2=Katrin |last3=Hölscher |first3=Thomas |last4=Spencer Brown |first4=George |title="George Spencer Brown: Eine Einführung in die ''Laws of Form'', 2. Auflage" |date=2009 |publisher=VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften |location=Wiesbaden |isbn=978-3-531-16105-1}}</ref> and the most recent being a 1997 German translation.  ''LoF'' has never gone out of print.

''LoF'''s [[mysticism|mystical]] and declamatory prose and its love of [[paradox]] make it a challenging read for all. Spencer-Brown was influenced by [[Wittgenstein]] and [[R. D. Laing]]. ''LoF'' also echoes a number of themes from the writings of [[Charles Sanders Peirce]], [[Bertrand Russell]], and [[Alfred North Whitehead]].

The work has had curious effects on some classes of its readership; for example, on obscure grounds, it has been claimed that the entire book is written in an operational way, giving instructions to the reader instead of telling them what "is", and that in accordance with G. Spencer-Brown's interest in paradoxes, the only sentence that makes a statement that something ''is'', is the statement which says no such statements are used in this book.<ref>Felix Lau: ''Die Form der Paradoxie'', 2005 Carl-Auer Verlag, {{ISBN|9783896703521}}</ref> Furthermore, the claim asserts that except for this one sentence the book can be seen as an example of [[E-Prime]]. What prompted such a claim, is obscure, either in terms of incentive, logical merit, or as a matter of fact, because the book routinely and naturally uses the verb ''to be'' throughout, and in all its grammatical forms, as may be seen both in the original and in quotes shown below.{{sfnp|Spencer-Brown|1969}}