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Stapelia Mixta
A compilation of 16 rigorous, eccentric essays commissioned by the German founder of psychophysics
The original 1824 German publication of Stapelia Mixta united a bevy of eccentric proposals, meditations and displays of consciously excessive learning that strove for an unusual clarity of absurdity, which was the hallmark of the pseudonymous author Dr. Mises. Aiming for a broader reading audience, it was titled after a flower, but one of such a stench as to guarantee originality. And such was the originality of these semiserious flights of excess that came under the cover of Dr. Mises, who wrote on everything from landscaping to the spiritual lives of plants and heavenly bodies while also conducting pioneering research in optics and experimental psychology.
The 16 essays of this collection include discussions of dancing, drugs, immortality, perception and psychology. These increasingly inventive essays start with a relatively digestible “Encomium of the Belly” before developing into a complicated, prepataphysical exploration of Spatial Symbolism.
The original 1824 German publication of Stapelia Mixta united a bevy of eccentric proposals, meditations and displays of consciously excessive learning that strove for an unusual clarity of absurdity, which was the hallmark of the pseudonymous author Dr. Mises. Aiming for a broader reading audience, it was titled after a flower, but one of such a stench as to guarantee originality. And such was the originality of these semiserious flights of excess that came under the cover of Dr. Mises, who wrote on everything from landscaping to the spiritual lives of plants and heavenly bodies while also conducting pioneering research in optics and experimental psychology.
The 16 essays of this collection include discussions of dancing, drugs, immortality, perception and psychology. These increasingly inventive essays start with a relatively digestible “Encomium of the Belly” before developing into a complicated, prepataphysical exploration of Spatial Symbolism.
152 pages, Paperback
Published November 19, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 19, 2025
Picked up on a whim, and glad I did! A breezy little set of (pseudo)intellectual musings. think Labyrinths, think Mr. Palomar, think think think.
December 30, 2024
Perfectly charming collection of thought-provoking, if pseudo-scientific, essays, to be taken (like all spoofs and quackery) with utmost seriousness. A number of these short works anticipate later figures; of particular note are “The World Upside Down” (which might plausibly have been written by Borges) and “Encomium of the Belly” (which reads like Acephale-era Bataille).
April 20, 2025
One day, I will be able to truthfully say I enjoy philosophy texts, and that day is sadly not today. This fascinating book is the product of the unique thought experiment of a polymath to describe his beliefs on matters benign and important. I appreciate Mises’ ability to create immense meaning out of the mundane. The book feels like a chaotic voyage through the mind of a man who seeks to explain everything he sees. However, because I rarely consume philosophy, I felt quite confused in the more abstract chapters. Nevertheless, I deeply enjoyed Mises’ analysis of food, the stomach, and all things gastronomic. For a seasoned scholar of philosophy, I would definitely recommend Stapelia Mixta. If you are like me, I would say to still give it a try but proceed with caution.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews