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Science of Survival
Science of Survival
Science of Survival
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Science of Survival is a 1951 pseudoscientific book by L. Ron Hubbard which continues to be published by the Church of Scientology as part of Scientology's canon.[1]: 21  According to Jon Atack, the title Science of Survival was chosen "to appeal to readers of Korzybski's highly popular Science and Sanity", and Hubbard even acknowledged Korzybski in the book.[2]: 122  Its original subtitle was "simplified, faster dianetic techniques", although later editions were subtitled "Prediction of human behavior".

Key Information

The book set out what Hubbard called the "dynamics of behavior" and provided descriptions of new techniques of Dianetics processing that Hubbard described as being faster and simpler than those that he had advanced previously. In the book, Hubbard introduced two concepts that were later to become key elements of Scientology—theta and the tone scale—and also endorsed the concept of past lives. The book has been criticized for its inhumane suggestions that target some classes of the population.

Publication history

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The book was published in August 1951 and dedicated to his daughter Alexis Valerie Hubbard (whom he later disowned). It was dictated on SoundScriber discs in Havana, Cuba, where Hubbard took refuge when his marriage to his second wife Sara Northrup Hubbard broke down. The book Bare-faced Messiah recounts how Hubbard was unable to write and depressed over a custody dispute over Alexis, accusing his wife of "hypnotising him in his sleep and commanding him not to write".[3]: 175, 185, 194 

By the time Science of Survival was published, the public popularity of Dianetics had faded and only one Dianetics Foundation was still in existence—the Wichita foundation funded by millionaire Dianeticist Don Purcell. The foundation published the book with the first edition of only 1,250 copies, after which Hubbard blamed Purcell for poor sales of the book.[2]: 122  The Church of Scientology has continued to publish the book as a standard reference work of Scientology.

Contents

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Theta

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Although Hubbard had not yet established Scientology, which was overtly presented as a religious practice, and continued to maintain that Dianetics was a scientific subject with techniques aimed towards therapeutic results, the information on "theta" in the book clearly begins to move the subject into a religious direction. Hubbard describes theta as a sort of "life energy", and contrasts it with "MEST" – "matter, energy, space and time", the components of the physical universe. He discusses the concept of "entheta", or enturbulated theta, and "enMEST", or enturbulated MEST, as being confused or dysfunctional states of being, and describes how at low levels of the tone scale theta and MEST become overwhelmed by entheta and enMEST before ultimately death occurs and only enMEST remains, whilst as the tone scale is ascended theta and MEST act more and more in accord with each other until MEST is entirely overcome and pure theta is attained. This concept of a spiritual life energy entering and purifying the physical universe recalls the ideas of Gnostic religions.

Tests and results

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As Hubbard tells the story in Science of Survival, in 1950 the Hubbard Dianetic Research Foundation agreed to a definitive test of claims demanded by the psychological community who wanted Dianetics to validate its claims. The claims to be tested were increased IQ, the relief of psychoses, and the relief of psychosomatic illnesses.

Hubbard said that the tests had been done using psychology's strictest psychometric protocols (Minnesota Multiphasic Test and the Wechsler-Bellevue, "Form B") with examiners Gordon Southon, Peggy Southon and Dalmyra Ibanez, Ph.D., Ed.D. Hubbard also said that their witnessed signatures were affixed to each bank of tests and that all three claims were validated by these tests and these psychometrists.

In January 1951 Hubbard published a booklet by these same alleged doctors: Dianetic Processing – A Brief Survey of Research Projects and Preliminary Results by Dalmyra Ibanez, Ph.D., Ed.D., Gordon Southon, Peggy Southon and Peggy Benton In it, the authors state:

If dianetic research is to be defined as "the study of human behaviour for the purpose of discovering and removing the sources of aberration", or, in other words, as the study of mental health, a need arises for tools with which to pursue that study. Actually, such tools as do exist may or may not apply to the dynamics of Dianetics, since its methodology has no exact parallel in the history of psychology... For our present studies, therefore, use has been made of those testing instruments judged by a group of psychologists as most appropriate for dianetic purposes.

The names of the persons in this "group of psychologists" are not mentioned. The booklet presents case histories and X-rays and says that it proves that Dianetics can cure "aberrations" including manic depression, asthma, arthritis, colitis and "overt homosexuality." The booklet further says that it used twelve different tests and presents results from five, four of which came from the California Test Bureau and had according to a 1946 investigation of V. E. Ordahl of the University of California no evidence of reliability or validity.

Modern reprintings of Science of Survival (post twentieth printing) no longer contain information about this study or mention the alleged IQ gains of about ten points and other similar alleged gains. The modern version (ISBN 0-88404-418-1) bear a new subtitle: "Prediction of Human Behavior". Earlier editions were subtitled "Simplified, Faster Dianetic Techniques".[4]

Body odor and the tone scale

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In Science of Survival, Hubbard discusses the correlation between body odor, bodily substances, and one's position on the emotional tone scale:

The body is normally sweet-smelling down to 2.0 but begins to exude chronically certain unpleasant effluvia from 2.0 down. Individuals from 2.0 down commonly have bad breath. Their feet may have a considerable odour. The musk glands are very active. The sweat has a peculiar smell. Sexual organs emit a repelling odour. And various body exhaust functions are not under very good control. The person may have to urinate or defecate under slight stresses or may weep easily for no apparent cause. This column has not been added to this chart because it has not been thoroughly explored but is only known in a general way. Any slightly or greatly repulsive physical odour from an individual does, however, indicate a tone scale position below 2.0. It is amusing to note that in the Orient wives are commonly selected by the sweetness of their perspiration. This is a very reliable test for position on the tone scale. People who have bad breath as they are processed lose it when they are above 2.0 on the tone scale. People who are temporarily suppressed below 2.0 commonly have bad breath.

— Page 380

Controversy

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One passage in particular in Chapter 27 of Science of Survival has been singled out for criticism by opponents of Scientology.[5] In it, Hubbard states that

The sudden and abrupt deletion of all individuals occupying the lower bands of the tone scale from the social order would result in an almost instant rise in the cultural tone and would interrupt the dwindling spiral into which any society may have entered. It is not necessary to produce a world of clears in order to have a reasonable and worthwhile social order; it is only necessary to delete those individuals who range from 2.0 down, either by processing them enough to get their tone level above the 2.0 line — a task which, indeed, is not very great, since the amount of processing in many cases might be under fifty hours, although it might also in others be in excess of two hundred — or simply quarantining them from the society. A Venezuelan dictator [Juan Vicente Gómez] once decided to stop leprosy. He saw that most lepers in his country were also beggars. By the simple expedient of collecting and destroying all the beggars in Venezuela an end was put to leprosy in that country.

— L. Ron Hubbard in Science of Survival [6]: 183–184 

Critics, such as the French Government's Anti-cult interministerial mission, believe that forcibly quarantining all human beings that are classified low on Scientology's tone scale would be a violation of human rights.[7]

Furthermore, the book's claims that "adders are safe bedmates compared to people on the lower bands of the tone scale"[7] and that it is one's "level on the tone scale which gives [him or her] value"[6]: 152  have also come under fire.[7][5]

Hubbard has also been criticized for the strong opposition to abortion, which he displays in the book, in which he says that "America spends [billions] yearly on institutions for the insane and jails for criminals ... primarily because of attempted abortions done by some sex-blocked mother to whom children are a curse, not a blessing of God."[8]: 272 

See also

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References

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Bibliography

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Science of Survival

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Science of Survival is a 1951 book by that builds on his earlier system by introducing the Hubbard Chart of Human Evaluation, known as the tone scale, for predicting human behavior based on emotional tones ranging from apathy to serenity, alongside concepts like theta as the static source of life and advanced auditing techniques to address and suppressors. The book serves as a foundational text for Scientology practices, outlining the ARC triangle—comprising affinity, reality, and communication—as a framework for improving interpersonal dynamics and processing mental blocks during auditing sessions, where auditors guide individuals to confront and release past traumas. It emphasizes survival across eight dynamics, from self to infinity, positioning and its extensions as tools for enhancing theta clarity and elevating one's position on the tone scale to achieve higher states of awareness and prediction of behavioral outcomes. 's work in the text simplifies and accelerates , making it accessible for practitioners to apply in real-life scenarios for personal and relational improvement.

Publication and Overview

Publication History

Science of Survival was first published in 1951 by the Hubbard Dianetic Foundation in Wichita, Kansas, under the full title Science of Survival: Simplified, Faster Dianetic Techniques. , the author, was directly involved in its writing and production as an expansion of his framework. The book underwent multiple printings in subsequent years, reflecting ongoing demand within 's emerging organizations, with an eighth printing issued in 1958 and a ninth in 1964 by the Hubbard Communications Office in East Grinstead, England. Later editions, such as those from Bridge Publications in 1989, continued to be produced by entities affiliated with Hubbard's Scientology groups. A PDF edition of the book is available online, preserving pagination where Chapter Six on Basic Laws of Theta appears on page 38.

Book Summary

Science of Survival expands upon the principles of by introducing techniques for theta processing, aimed at addressing emotional states and mental blocks to enhance survival across multiple dynamics of existence. The book's central thesis posits that human behavior can be predicted and improved through systematic auditing that frees theta—the life static—from entanglements in the , thereby elevating an individual's position on the emotional tone scale. This progression from Dianetics emphasizes proactive processing to achieve higher states of awareness and responsibility, rather than merely alleviating past traumas. The text is divided into two main books: Book One, "The Dynamics of Behavior," which explores the tone scale and its applications to various behavioral aspects, and Book Two, "Dianetic Processing," which details practical methods. Key chapters in Book One include Chapter Six, "The Basic Laws of Theta Affinity-Reality-Communication," and Chapter Eight, "Affinity," which delve into foundational concepts linking theta to interpersonal dynamics and emotional processing. This structure provides a comprehensive framework for to evaluate and predict human responses based on tonal levels. The tone scale serves as a core tool introduced for measuring emotional tones, enabling precise assessment of personality traits and potential for survival. Overall, the book synthesizes theoretical insights with actionable processes, building directly on to advance toward broader Scientology applications.

Background and Context

Hubbard's Preceding Works

's , published in May 1950, served as the immediate predecessor to Science of Survival, establishing core principles of that the later work expanded. emphasized the identification and erasure of —painful mental image pictures stored in the reactive mind—as the primary method to alleviate aberrations and enhance survival dynamics. Science of Survival builds directly on this framework by shifting focus from the reactive mind's engrams to theta, described as the static life force animating the physical universe, and introducing the tone scale as a tool for predicting human behavior based on emotional levels. While Dianetics targeted individual clearing for rationality, Science of Survival broadens the scope to a comprehensive science of survival encompassing prediction and interpersonal dynamics, marking an evolution toward evaluating human potential through theta's influence over matter, energy, space, and time (MEST).

Development Influences

drew upon Western psychological traditions, particularly through his mentor Commander Thompson, who relayed Sigmund Freud's insights on prenatal trauma and the unconscious mind, adapting these to inform auditing techniques for addressing mental aberrations. He also referenced biologist Alexis Carrel's experiments demonstrating cellular persistence after death, which supported distinctions between life energy and physical matter in survival dynamics. Philosophical influences included Western thinkers such as Francis Bacon and Isaac Newton for scientific methodology, alongside broader acknowledgments of figures like Will Durant in synthesizing historical philosophy, positioning as an advancement over materialist views critiqued in . Indirect nods to Eastern concepts appeared in discussions of life force akin to chi or prana and cultural practices like Chinese self-willed death, integrated into explanations of survival impulses. The book's emphasis on survival reflected post- concerns, including atomic age urgency for a "sane world" and observations of wartime psychology, such as totalitarian leaders' rhetoric and societal apathy following conflicts. This aligned with 1950s self-help trends in popular psychology, expanding amid rising interest in personal improvement systems. 's engineering-oriented mindset further shaped the work's precise, systematic approach to human behavior as solvable problems.

Core Theoretical Concepts

Tone Scale

The tone scale, introduced in 's Science of Survival, is a hierarchical model charting emotional states from total apathy at 0.0—associated with death and minimal survival drive—to serenity of beingness at 40.0, representing optimal theta activity and expansive potential for creation and action. Intermediate levels include grief (0.5), fear (1.0), anger (1.5), antagonism (2.0), and enthusiasm (4.0), each correlating with predictable behavioral patterns such as avoidance in lower tones or proactive engagement in higher ones. This scale serves as a predictive tool for human behavior, indicating an individual's survival potential and capacity for responsibility, with lower tones signaling entrenched reactive patterns and higher tones reflecting rational, causative control. Building on ' focus on , the tone scale expands into Scientology by quantifying theta—the dynamic life force—as manifested through emotional tones, allowing auditors to assess a person's current state and trajectory toward higher survival dynamics. positioned it as an observable metric derived from extensive case observations, where tone levels reflect the organism's overall affinity for life and ability to postulate realities effectively. In practice, the tone scale aids in identifying emotional blocks by mapping an individual's predominant tone, guiding auditors to process incidents that anchor them below optimal levels, such as through targeted communication to elevate theta expression and resolve aberrative computations. It integrates with auditing by directing focus to tone-specific locks, enabling progression upward as suppressed emotions are discharged, thereby enhancing predictability in interpersonal dynamics and personal causation.

Theta and Life Units

In Science of Survival, defines theta as the "life static," an immaterial, unchanging essence that underlies all life and exists independently of physical dimensions such as matter, energy, space, or time (MEST). This static is characterized by its potential for knowingness, without mass, motion, or location, serving as the fundamental source capable of animating and directing the physical universe. Hubbard posits that theta manifests through individual life units known as thetans, which are portrayed as immortal, self-aware entities capable of creating and perceiving reality. These thetans, as units of theta, engage in survival across multiple dynamics—urges extending from self-preservation to the survival of broader groups, mankind, and ultimately the spiritual realm—contrasting with entrapment in MEST traps that diminish vitality. Chapter Six, "Basic Laws of Theta," elaborates on theta's creative role in generating perceptions and realities, while noting that suppressors hindering survival cannot always be confronted directly but may be resolved indirectly through theta's inherent capacity to postulate and alter conditions. The book emphasizes theta processing techniques to enhance these dynamics, freeing thetans from reactive influences and restoring their static potential for optimal survival. The tone scale provides a gauge for assessing degrees of theta entrapment in lower emotional states.

Practical Techniques

ARC Triangle

The ARC triangle in Science of Survival models understanding as the product of three interdependent components: Affinity, representing emotional closeness or rapport; Reality, denoting agreement on perceptions or facts; and Communication, encompassing the exchange of ideas or information. These elements operate multiplicatively, such that a deficiency in any one diminishes overall understanding, forming a foundational framework for interpersonal dynamics and theta's interaction with the environment. Chapter Eight delves into Affinity while elaborating the triangle's structure, linking it to the tone scale for evaluating reality levels without addressing suppressors directly there. The model posits that suppressors impacting one point of the triangle can be approached indirectly by enhancing the other two, as disruptions in ARC life energy and hinder clarity. This approach underscores the triangle's role in fostering balanced interaction essential for survival.

Auditing Processes

Auditing in Science of Survival builds on practices by incorporating the ARC triangle to process emotional states and mental blocks, focusing on elevating an individual's tone level through targeted questioning and confrontation of suppressors. Auditors guide preclears to address locks—stored emotional residues—on points of affinity, reality, or communication, thereby indirectly accessing underlying suppressors that inhibit theta flow and survival dynamics. A key principle outlined is that "the auditor cannot directly discover the suppressor on one point of the triangle," as direct confrontation often evades identification; instead, suppressors emerge by fully resolving on the remaining two points, such as enhancing communication and reality to unlock affinity-based inhibitions. This indirect method, detailed in Chapter Six on Basic Laws of Theta (page 38 of the PDF edition), prevents the preclear from evading the suppressor through defense mechanisms tied to low-tone states. Step-by-step processes involve repetitive auditing commands to run and , akin to but augmented with tone scale awareness to prioritize high-tone dynamics for theta liberation. For instance, auditors assess the preclear's emotional tone via observable behaviors, then apply ARC-focused drills to discharge suppressors, progressively freeing life energy and improving survival potential across dynamics.

Reception and Impact

Contemporary Reviews

Science of Survival, published in 1951, drew criticism from skeptics in the scientific and psychological communities who viewed it as an extension of pseudoscientific ideas from . Martin Gardner, in his analysis of such fads, highlighted the book's rapid production—suggesting it was composed in mere days—and its incorporation of metaphysical elements like theta as life energy, reincarnation, and new terms such as entheta and enMEST, which lacked empirical support. These aspects positioned it as unsubstantiated within mainstream psychology, with the tone scale serving as a particular point of contention for its non-scientific approach to emotional evaluation.

Influence on Scientology

Science of Survival marked a foundational shift from to Scientology by formalizing the tone scale as a core evaluative tool, enabling auditors to assess and elevate individuals' emotional states in training processes aimed at higher awareness levels. The introduction of theta as the static life force distinct from the reactive mind elevated auditing beyond engram clearance, integrating theta perception into practices that expanded in subsequent lectures and texts. This positioned the book as a doctrinal bridge, where tone scale application and theta auditing techniques prefigured the path to thetan clearing by addressing survival dynamics and suppressors through indirect processing methods. In modern Scientology contexts, nuances of suppressor auditing—such as accessing blocks via locks on interconnected triangle points—remain embedded in advanced processing evolutions, though adapted within structured rundowns.

References

  1. https://firstindependentchurchofscientology.org/books-by-l-ron-hubbard/science-of-survival/
  2. https://www.bridgepub.com/store/item/science-of-survival-lectures.html
  3. https://www.scientology.org/store/item/science-of-survival-hardcover.html
  4. https://avalonlibrary.net/ebooks/Scientology/Science_of_Survival_SOS.pdf
  5. https://www.amazon.com/Science-Survival-Prediction-Human-Behavior/dp/1403144850
  6. https://www.burnsiderarebooks.com/pages/books/140945373/l-ron-hubbard/science-of-survival-simplified-faster-dianetic-techniques
  7. https://scispace.com/pdf/l-ron-hubbard-and-scientology-an-annotated-bibliographical-3kh815z1wb.pdf
  8. https://blog.veryfinebooks.com/2009/01/04/science-survival-manuscript-hubbard-founder-dianetics/
  9. https://www.ebay.com/itm/395873252602
  10. https://www.perusethestacks.com/pages/books/6867/scientology-l-ron-hubbard/science-of-survival-prediction-of-human-behavior
  11. https://www.abebooks.com/9788773366066/Science-Survival-L-Ron-Hubbard-8773366064/plp?cm_sp=plped-_-4-_-image
  12. http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/toc/fy031/2001276571.html
  13. https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/wakefield/us-01.html
  14. https://vinaire.me/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/1950-dianetics-the-modern-science-of-mental-health.pdf
  15. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/744834.Science_of_Survival
  16. https://www.scientology.org/store/item/science-of-survival-lectures.html
  17. https://www.whatisscientology.org/html/Part13/Chp39/pg0720-b.html
  18. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-9/l-ron-hubbard-publishes-dianetics
  19. https://vinaire.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/dianetics-evolution-of-a-science.pdf
  20. https://www.scientology.org/what-is-scientology/basic-principles-of-scientology/the-tone-scale.html
  21. https://www.scientologyhandbook.org/tone-scale/sh4_1.htm
  22. https://www.scientologycourses.org/tools-for-life/tone-scale/steps/the-emotional-tone-scale.html
  23. https://archive.org/details/scienceofsurviva0000hubb_n4m3
  24. https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/gardner/index.html
  25. https://www.scientology.org/store/item/philadelphia-doctorate-course-lectures.html
  26. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/book/edcoll/9789004330542/B9789004330542-s004.pdf
  27. https://oro.open.ac.uk/61691/1/Aled%20Thomas%20Thesis%20Final%20Copy.pdf
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