do with straightness of character. The same power that straightened our backbone inspired us with a moral essence and dignity. The column in various forms has in fact been regularly associated with sun cults, periods of a blooming in philosophy and democratic constitutions that placed the dignity and selfdetermination of every individual above all else. The obelisk stood in the solar temples of Egypt symbolizing a petrified sun-beam or the sun god Ra himself. The column dominated the architecture of the Greeks during their era of flourishing philosophy and democracy. The Rayonnant Gothic of the Middle Ages was contemporaneous to High Scholasticism and the formation of aristocratic parliaments. Finally, in the last Michaelic age from the end of the 19th century, the obelisk returned in the form of the modern skyscraper. Was it not also that the menhir reminded prehistoric man of his human nature and the dignity that has advanced him beyond the animals? In this way, the menhir can be understood from what we ourselves are doing here and now. Even this hypothesis is not complete until it matches the outer evidence, which is still missing. But it is preferable to all others because it is not based on sheer arbitrariness. It requires agreement with the inwardly observed shapes of the spirit and formulates an empirical thesis that is falsifiable (it predicts flourishing epochs of this architectural element). So it relies at least on something more than nothing. The menhir, obelisk, and column are actually the spine; or more precisely, they represent that power of the soul, which encourages us to stand erect. Many things from the history of architecture can be understood in this way from within. The rationalist Enlightenment created neoclassic architecture where everything is strictly bilaterally symmetric – because it is a projection of the nervous system that reflects the bilateral symmetry of the body. The consumerist Baroque appeared together with philosophical materialism and ethical hedonism, and it takes its inspiration from nothing but asymmetric ovals similar to the forms of the abdominal organs. Romanticisms love bright colors that are best represented by gothic rose windows – in the same way as pigments are coupled with sexuality in the body. Spherical, circular shapes can be found where the most intense ossification process in the body takes place – and so rigid bureaucratic absolutisms also enjoy arches and domes. In other words, the history of architecture can be integrated with anatomy. 7 Incentives for pedagogy Human memory functions by associating things, making connections between them, and engraves them on the mind in proportion to their emotional importance. Things in context and those that are personally meaningful can be easily remembered. You may forget the nameArchibald, but not if you associate it with the image of a bow and remember that you practiced archery on the day you made the acquaintance of a person with this name. It requires an effort to remember a series of numbers and yet one week later it will be forgotten. But a day spent with your first love will remain etched on your mind forever. It is totally against the nature of memory to 70 (34) Emil Páleš
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