This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------7A80145B52083EA0A2E82F92 I heard a wonderful story from someone who sent this to me. A cannot find anything on Neckham in the Berkeley library. Does anyone know how to track this down? The punch line is that the peasants were ahead of the intellectuals. > In the 12th or 13th century, Alexander Neckham was working on his compendium > of known science called De Natura Rerum or De Rebus Naturis or De Re Naturae, > or some such title. > > When he came to the section on the tides, he wrote: > > concerning the origin of the tides, there are two dominant explanations given > by the authorities. > > The first says that the serpent that circumscribes the earth [you can see this > reptile on early maps of the known world] flexes and relaxes its coils. As it > does so, it causes the ocean's waters to flow in and out, which causes the > tides. > > The second says that there is a cavity in the ocean. When it opens, the water > rushes into it, causing the tide to go out. When it closes, the water is > expelled, causing the tide to come in. > > And then he goes on to say, almost as a toss-away: sed vulgi putant causa est > luna. "But the peasants think the cause is the moon." > > It's notable that he uses putant as the word for thinking, which is lowest > order of thinking (as in, I think I'm hungry), as opposed say, to cogitant, > which is the kind of thinking Descartes did. > > Michael-please note that these are recollections of an encounter I had with > Neckham more than 30 years ago. I don't have the materials with me any longer > to check the accuracy of the text and the campus library is as bad off as > yours. So please accept the spirit of it, which is right and accurate, and not > the letter (i.e., the actual Latin wording), which could be off here and > there. That is, don't go into print on this, but use it liberally with your > students and you will be just fine. > -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 916-898-5321 E-Mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------7A80145B52083EA0A2E82F92 Return-Path: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Delivered-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Delivered-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1998 14:04:31 EDT To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: neckham Michael Perlman In the 12th or 13th century, Alexander Neckham was working on his compendium of known science called De Natura Rerum or De Rebus Naturis or De Re Naturae, or some such title. When he came to the section on the tides, he wrote: concerning the origin of the tides, there are two dominant explanations given by the authorities. The first says that the serpent that circumscribes the earth [you can see this reptile on early maps of the known world] flexes and relaxes its coils. As it does so, it causes the ocean's waters to flow in and out, which causes the tides. The second says that there is a cavity in the ocean. When it opens, the water rushes into it, causing the tide to go out. When it closes, the water is expelled, causing the tide to come in. And then he goes on to say, almost as a toss-away: sed vulgi putant causa est luna. "But the peasants think the cause is the moon." It's notable that he uses putant as the word for thinking, which is lowest order of thinking (as in, I think I'm hungry), as opposed say, to cogitant, which is the kind of thinking Descartes did. Michael-please note that these are recollections of an encounter I had with Neckham more than 30 years ago. I don't have the materials with me any longer to check the accuracy of the text and the campus library is as bad off as yours. So please accept the spirit of it, which is right and accurate, and not the letter (i.e., the actual Latin wording), which could be off here and there. That is, don't go into print on this, but use it liberally with your students and you will be just fine. Best wishes Bob Lucas --------------7A80145B52083EA0A2E82F92--
