“It was precisely this notion of infinite series which in the sixth century BC led the Greek philosopher Zeno to conclude that since an arrow shot towards a target first had to cover half the distance, and then half the remainder, and then half the remainder after that, and so on ad infinitum, the result was, as I will now demonstrate, that though an arrow is always approaching its target, it never quite gets there, and Saint Sebastian died of fright.” FirstsResultsHalfCenturyShotsDiedInfiniteDistanceSeriesNotionSaintPhilosopherGreekTargetAdsNever QuitArrowsFrightGreek Philosopher Book:Jumpers Source: Jumpers
“Norman Rockwell, the Brueghel of the 20th century bourgeoisie, the Holbein of Jell-O ads and magazine covers; by common assent, the most American artist of all.” ArtistCommonCenturyMagazinesAds20th CenturyBourgeoisieMagazine Covers Author:Jerry Adler
“Fifteen hundred years is ample time in which to lose mutual comprehension. Iceland was colonized by the Norwegians at the end of the ninth century AD. Today's Icelanders, with considerable effort, can understand people from the Scandinavian peninsula, but the Scandinavians hardly understand the Icelanders. A thousand years is the minimum time span for a language to change so much that it becomes incomprehensible.” PeopleYearsEndsTodayLanguageLosesEffortCenturyEvolutionThousandHundredMutualAdsFifteenMinimumThousand YearsComprehensionIcelandNorwegiansPeninsulasScandinavians Author:Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza
“The Romans believed that what no man controls, no man can own. Justinian, writing in the sixth century AD, said that the air, flowing water, the sea and the seashore were common to all.” MenWritingSaidWaterCommonAirSeaCenturyRiversFishesBoatLakesFishingAdsSeashoreFlowing WaterJustinian Book:The End of the Line: How Overfishing is Changing the World and what We Eat Source: The End of the Line: How Overfishing is Changing the World and what We Eat
“Those who are guilty of the argumentum ad ignorantiam profess belief in something because its opposite cannot be proved ... In the realm where "prejudice" is now most an issue, it normally takes a form like this: you cannot prove by the method of statistics and quantitative measurement that men are not equal. Therefore all men are equal. ... You cannot prove again by the methods of science that one culture is higher than another. Therefore the culture of the Digger Indians is just a good as that of Muncie, Indiana, or thirteenth-century France.” MenFormCultureBeliefIssuesCenturyHigherProveEqualOppositesPrejudiceMethodGuiltyFranceRealmsStatisticsAdsMeasurementIndiana Author:Richard M. Weaver