Voltaire wrote much about man and nature. A short letter to a friend on 24 November 1755 in the wake of the Lisbon earthquake picks up some perennial themes: This is indeed a cruel piece of natural philosophy! We shall find it difficult to discover how the laws of movement operate in such fearful disasters…… Continue reading #OTD 24 November – Brave new world
Tag: 23 November
#OTD 23 November – The world’s but an act
The phrase “according to tradition” confesses and avoids falsehood to justify a truth. It is apt for 23 November 534 BC, the day Thespis became the first “actor”. It is also apt that most online sources justify the assertion along the lines “according to Aristotle in his Poetics“. Aristotle says no such thing in that… Continue reading #OTD 23 November – The world’s but an act