Since wave shape is influenced by the depth and shape of the reef, these features are a reflection of the depth and shape of the surfboard penetrating the wave. So, the structure of surfing is an analogue of the link between spirituality and free will; the wave corresponding to the spirit, the surfboard to free will.
The interaction between the surfboard and the wave points to a subtle aspect of the relationship between language and mind, concerning the difference between foreground and background. This is reflected in the surfing analogy by how actively, versus passively, the surfer engages the wave. Actively engaging the wave can be likened to foregrounding an entity, because the surfboard - its shape and motion - is the primary factor influencing where it is going. Passively engaging the wave can be likened to invoking background information, because the surfboard follows a track determined more by the shape and motion of the wave than by the shape and motion of the surfboard.
Just as the components of language are assembled to generate speech sounds in the vocal tract, the components of surfboard design are assembled to generate manoeuvres on the wave.
In terms of Kant's model of the intellect, imagination is the product of understanding, represented by surfboard design, and sensibility, represented by the shape of the breaking wave. Characterising sensibility, the curvature in the surface of the wave is analogous to the access afforded by memory to past experiences. The hollower the wave, the deeper the access, the more experience to draw on. Characterising understanding, the penetration and release phases of a manoeuvre are analogous to concentration and contemplation, in the sense that concentration is active, while contemplation is passive.
Dan Webber is one of the six Webber Bros, an Australian family of surfers, sculptors, film makers and designers, who have been making surfboards since the 1970s. Today, Webber Surfboards are known throughout the surfing world, with a reputation built on innovative designs reflecting the family's avant-garde values and uncompromising creativity.
Surfism is a philosophy that views existence in terms that correspond to surfing.
The interaction between the surfboard and the wave represents the interplay between spatial and temporal relations in how we perceive reality.
Portrayed metaphorically as a breaking wave, the mind emerges from the confluence of spatial and temporal relations.
The interrelationship between spatial and temporal relations is so fundamental to our psychology that we are largely unaware of its influence. Like navigation and steering, their roles are interrelated and yet distinct. As with navigation, temporal relations concern a present position, which is always realised, but never fixed. By contrast, spatial relations are like steering, in that they concern future positions, which are always there, but never realised.
In this video, renowned surfboard shaper, Greg Webber, describes the extraordinary connection he feels when riding a surfboard of his own design. The surfboard shaper's ability to invoke the link between spatial and temporal relations legitimises the surfing metaphor as a tool for visualising the spatio-temporal structure of experience.
But, the response of the surfboard is also influenced by the shape and motion of the wave. Since wave shape is influenced by the depth and shape of the reef, these features are a reflection of the depth and shape of the surfboard penetrating the wave. So, surfing is analogous to the link between spirituality and free will; the wave corresponding to the spirit, the surfboard to free will.
With such a rich spatio-temporal structure, surfing is an ideal metaphor for the cognitive processes that influence what we 'make' of reality. For instance, waves carry energy like memories: the kinetic energy is stored in a chain of orbits, which taper into the depths. The orbiting particles are the wave's memory of the wind rippling the ocean surface. The more wind, the larger the wave, the deeper they reach. When the deepest orbits are compressed against the seabed, the whole chain is squeezed upward, causing each orbit to become elliptical. As wave height increases, the particles break free of their closed orbits and become displaced, either forward or backward of their previous position. The wave thus breaks inside, as well as on the surface. So, these breakages are like memories being released in response to a stimulus.
The whole surf break could represent the memory bank of experience needed to interact in society; the cultural values within which the psyche develops. It would be problematic to include the surfer in the metaphor, because his presence would amount to placing a mind within a mind, which is not only distracting, but leads to an infinite regress of minds within minds. In any case, the spirit of the surfer is reflected in the surfboard, insofar as its design comes from the mind of the surfer who shaped it. On the other hand, placing a mind within a mind might reflect the real life confusion caused by the ego influencing one's behaviour.
The goofy Sufi and his parameters of perception is a fascinating explanation of a spatio-temporal model of the psyche, which uses surfing as a metaphor for cognitive processes. The relationship between surfboard design and surfing is used to understand how spatial perception underpins mindness. The discussion draws on a range of interrelated phenomena to present an ontological perspective that transcends the limitations inherent in spatial relations.
1. The goofy Sufi and his parameters of perception is a paperback introduction to Surfism with a preface explaining the motivation behind the philosophy. >> More...
2. Zen and the Art of Surfboard Design is an academic paper that invokes the connection between surfboard design and surfing to understand how spatial perception underpins mindness. Published 2008 Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology.
3. Surfism: A Spatio-temporal Model of the Psyche is an essay that draws parallels between surfing and Kant's model of the intellect. Published 2009 Kurungabaa.
4. Zen and the Art of Spatio-temporal Analogy: A Surfer's Vision of Semiosis is a Master's Thesis that draws on a range of interrelated phenomena to present an ontological perspective on language that transcends the limitations inherent in spatial relations. Master's Thesis 2009, Aalborg University.
Dan has a Master's Degree in Cognitive Grammar. His essays have been published in Kurungabaa and the Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology. He regularly publishes articles in Surferpedia, a wiki encyclopedia of surfing that he founded. He studied multimedia at Aalborg University, Denmark, and today lives on the NSW north coast, developing Surferpedia.
