Monday, April 23, 2018
An old shared lie
From a Gernsback mag, 1925:
Partly transcribed:
Had Columbus known as much of English theological literature as he knew of navigation, he might have saved himself a deal of pains in his effort to prove the world was round. He might have consulted a musty tome recently dug out of the dust of Oxford's libraries, etc.
Gernsback's writers should have known better!
Columbus was NOT trying to prove the world was round. He made his journey SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE HE KNEW the world was round. Every literate European at that time also knew the world was round. Chris was only trying to find a quicker route to ship spices from Indonesia to Europe, using the KNOWN FACT that the world is round.
The idea that everyone believed the world was flat is a remarkably persistent Shared Lie, or maybe Shared Ignorance. This ignorance is WORSE than the alleged (but false) ignorance about the world's shape.
Partly transcribed:
Had Columbus known as much of English theological literature as he knew of navigation, he might have saved himself a deal of pains in his effort to prove the world was round. He might have consulted a musty tome recently dug out of the dust of Oxford's libraries, etc.
Gernsback's writers should have known better!
Columbus was NOT trying to prove the world was round. He made his journey SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE HE KNEW the world was round. Every literate European at that time also knew the world was round. Chris was only trying to find a quicker route to ship spices from Indonesia to Europe, using the KNOWN FACT that the world is round.
The idea that everyone believed the world was flat is a remarkably persistent Shared Lie, or maybe Shared Ignorance. This ignorance is WORSE than the alleged (but false) ignorance about the world's shape.Labels: Shared Lie
¶ 3:27 AM
