Not even wrong. The phrase "not even wrong" describes any argument that purports to be scientific but fails at some fundamental level, usually in that it contains a terminal logical fallacy or it cannot be falsified by experiment (i.e. tested with the possibility of being rejected), or cannot be used to make predictions about the natural world.
The phrase is generally attributed to theoretical physicist Wolfgang Pauli, who was known for his colorful objections to incorrect or sloppy thinking.[1] Rudolf Peierls documents an instance in which "a friend showed Pauli the paper of a young physicist which he suspected was not of great value but on which he wanted Pauli's views. Pauli remarked sadly, 'It is not even wrong'. "[2] This is also often quoted as "It is not only not right, it is not even wrong," or "Das ist nicht nur nicht richtig, es ist nicht einmal falsch! " in Pauli's native German. The phrase is often used to describe pseudoscience or bad science, and is considered derogatory.[3] See also[edit] The "Harvard Sentences" Secretly Shaped the Development of Audio Tech.
Some damned foolish thing in the Balkans. Prince Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg (1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), German aristocrat and statesman; Prime Minister of Prussia (1862–1890), First Chancellor of Germany (1871–1890); he is nicknamed the Iron Chancellor and is noted for his laconic remarks. Quotes[edit] When asked what was the greatest political fact of modern times, Bismarck is reported to have responded, that it was " the inherited and permanent fact that North America speaks English. "George Beer, 1917, p. 186Nicht durch Reden und Majoritätsbeschlüsse werden die großen Fragen der Zeit entschieden — das ist der große Fehler von 1848 und 1849 gewesen — sondern durch Eisen und Blut.Not by speeches and votes of the majority, are the great questions of the time decided — that was the error of 1848 and 1849 — but by iron and blood.
Variant translations : I must protest that I would never seek foreign conflicts just to go over domestic difficulties; that would be frivolous. The Kaiser vs. Disputed[edit] Turtles all the way down. The humorous anecdote holds that the world is carried by a chain of increasingly large turtles, and beneath each one is yet another: it is "turtles all the way down". "Turtles all the way down" is a jocular expression of the infinite regress problem in cosmology posed by the "unmoved mover" paradox. The metaphor in the anecdote represents a popular notion of the myth that Earth is actually flat and is supported on the back of a World Turtle, which itself is propped up by a chain of larger and larger turtles.
Questioning what the final turtle might be standing on, the anecdote humorously concludes that it is "turtles all the way down". The phrase has been commonly known since at least the early 20th century. History[edit] The origins of the turtle story are uncertain. A well-known scientist (some say it was Bertrand Russell) once gave a public lecture on astronomy. Hawking's suggested connection to Russell may be due to Russell's 1927 lecture Why I Am Not a Christian.
In John R. [edit] Colorless green ideas sleep furiously. Details[edit] The full passage says: Colorless green ideas sleep furiously. *Furiously sleep ideas green colorless.It is fair to assume that neither sentence (1) nor (2) (nor indeed any part of these sentences) has ever occurred in an English discourse. Hence, in any statistical model for grammaticalness, these sentences will be ruled out on identical grounds as equally "remote" from English.
Yet (1), though nonsensical, is grammatical, while (2) is not grammatical.[2] While the meaninglessness of the sentence is often considered fundamental to Chomsky's point, Chomsky was only relying on the sentences' having never been spoken before. Thus, even if one were to prescribe a likely and reasonable meaning to the sentence, the grammaticality of the sentence is concrete despite being the first time a person had ever uttered the statement, or any part thereof in such a combination. Attempts at meaningful interpretations[edit] Statistical challenges[edit] Related and similar examples[edit] The Ringworld Is Unstable! The Ringworld Engineers is a 1979 science fiction novel by Larry Niven. It is the first sequel to Niven's award-winning Ringworld and was nominated for both the Hugo and Locus Awards in 1981.[1] Origin[edit] In the introduction to the novel, Niven says that he never planned to write more than one Ringworld novel, but that he did so, in a large part, due to fan support.
Firstly, the popularity of Ringworld resulted in a demand for a sequel. Secondly, many fans had identified numerous engineering problems in the Ringworld as described in the novel. Plot summary[edit] In the course of the novel, Louis and Chmeee set forth in the Hot Needle of Inquiry on an exploration of the Ringworld in order to learn where the creators of the Ringworld may have built a control or repair system.
It is on the Map of Mars that the party finds the Ringworld control room, located in a vast maze of rooms contained in the hollow space under the map. References to other Known Space works[edit] Notes[edit] What does "the enemy's gate is down" really mean? Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. The sentence's meaning becomes clearer when it's understood that it uses three meanings of the word buffalo: the city of Buffalo, New York, the somewhat uncommon verb "to buffalo" (meaning "to bully or intimidate"), as well as the animal buffalo.
When the punctuation and grammar are expanded, the sentence could read as follows: "Buffalo buffalo that Buffalo buffalo buffalo, buffalo Buffalo buffalo. " The meaning becomes even clearer when synonyms are used: "Buffalo bison that other Buffalo bison bully, themselves bully Buffalo bison. " Sentence construction Bison engaged in a contest of dominance. A comic explaining the concept The sentence is unpunctuated and uses three different readings of the word "buffalo". Marking each "buffalo" with its use as shown above gives: Buffaloa buffalon Buffaloa buffalon buffalov buffalov Buffaloa buffalon. "New York bison New York bison bully, bully New York bison", or:"New York bison whom other New York bison bully, themselves bully New York bison".
Usage. The Helvetica Scenario. Bread and circuses. "Bread and circuses" (or bread and games) (from Latin: panem et circenses) is metonymic for a superficial means of appeasement. In the case of politics, the phrase is used to describe the creation of public approval, not through exemplary or excellent public service or public policy, but through diversion; distraction; or the mere satisfaction of the immediate, shallow requirements of a populace,[1] as an offered "palliative. " Juvenal decried it as a simplistic motivation of common people.[2][3][4] The phrase also implies the erosion or ignorance of civic duty amongst the concerns of the commoner. Rome[edit] This phrase originates from Rome in Satire X of the Roman satirist and poet Juvenal (circa A.D. 100). In context, the Latin metaphor panem et circenses (bread and circuses) identifies the only remaining cares of a new Roman populace which cares not for its historical birthright of political involvement.
See also[edit] Notes[edit] Sources[edit] Potter, D. and D. Further reading[edit]