But the scientific men do muddle their heads, until they imagine a necessary mental connection between an apple leaving the tree and an apple reaching the ground. They do really talk as if they had found not only a set of marvellous facts, but a truth connecting those facts. They do talk as if the connection of two strange things physically connect

... See more

The universe, they said, depended for its operation on the balance of four forces which they identified as charm, persuasion, uncertainty and bloody-mindedness. Thus it was that the sun and moon orbited the Disc because they were persuaded not to fall down, but didn’t actually fly away because of uncertainty. Charm allowed trees to grow and bloody-

... See more

I merely remark here on the fact that both cases have the same kind of completeness and the same kind of incompleteness. You can explain a man's detention at Hanwell by an indifferent public by saying that it is the crucifixion of a god of whom the world is not worthy. The explanation does explain. Similarly you may explain the order in the univers

... See more

“If they have sophons, then what’s the need for probes?” one engineer asked. This question made them all stop and think, but Ringier soon broke the silence. “Forget it. This isn’t something we can figure out.” “No,” Fitzroy said, raising a hand. “We can figure out at least a part of it.… We’re looking at events from four years ago. Can you determin

... See more