5 ideas
16676 | Why use more things when fewer will do? [William of Ockham] |
Full Idea: It is pointless to do through more things something that can be done through fewer. | |
From: William of Ockham (Tractatus de corpore Christi [1323], Ch. 29), quoted by Robert Pasnau - Metaphysical Themes 1274-1671 14.3 | |
A reaction: The more famous formulation isn't found in his works, so I'm delighted to find an authentic quotation from the man. |
21994 | The handmill gives feudalism, the steam mill capitalism [Marx] |
Full Idea: The handmill gives you society with the feudal lord; the steam mill society with the industrial capitalist. | |
From: Karl Marx (The Poverty of Philosophy [1847], p.202), quoted by Peter Singer - Marx 7 | |
A reaction: If technology dictates social structure, then feudalism is still with us, in low-tech industries. What if the steam mill had been invented in 1300? |
1748 | Archelaus was the first person to say that the universe is boundless [Archelaus, by Diog. Laertius] |
Full Idea: Archelaus was the first person to say that the universe is boundless. | |
From: report of Archelaus (fragments/reports [c.450 BCE]) by Diogenes Laertius - Lives of Eminent Philosophers 02.Ar.3 |
16675 | Every extended material substance is composed of parts distant from one another [William of Ockham] |
Full Idea: Every extended material substance is composed of substantial parts distant from one another in place or location. | |
From: William of Ockham (Tractatus de corpore Christi [1323], Ch. 12) | |
A reaction: Pasnau glosses this as that 'bodies have corpuscular structure', meaning that they are made up of parts of matter (rather than just enformed matter, I think). |
5989 | Archelaus said life began in a primeval slime [Archelaus, by Schofield] |
Full Idea: Archelaus wrote that life on Earth began in a primeval slime. | |
From: report of Archelaus (fragments/reports [c.450 BCE]) by Malcolm Schofield - Archelaus | |
A reaction: This sounds like a fairly clearcut assertion of the production of life by evolution. Darwin's contribution was to propose the mechanism for achieving it. We should honour the name of Archelaus for this idea. |