When you post the answer, can you also say what your purpose was? Is this intended to cast doubt on the view it expresses by associating it to the larger document it’s drawn from, or boost the original by saying that this bit of it seems sensible, or something else?
I can say my purpose now, before I give the answer. I’m glad you asked, because people tend to make assumptions.
My purpose is neither to cast doubt on the views expressed here nor to boost their source. It’s just a piece of intellectual history. I think it’s interesting that someone had this view at a particular time and place, and in a particular context. It’s interesting to think about what evidence they had that might have led them to this view, and what evidence they clearly didn’t have (e.g., because it hadn’t happened yet) that therefore couldn’t have been part of what led them to this view. I think when we trace the history of ideas, and see how far back they go, we learn something about the ideas themselves, and the arguments that led to them.
I googled it. So, it’s that.
When you post the answer, can you also say what your purpose was? Is this intended to cast doubt on the view it expresses by associating it to the larger document it’s drawn from, or boost the original by saying that this bit of it seems sensible, or something else?
I can say my purpose now, before I give the answer. I’m glad you asked, because people tend to make assumptions.
My purpose is neither to cast doubt on the views expressed here nor to boost their source. It’s just a piece of intellectual history. I think it’s interesting that someone had this view at a particular time and place, and in a particular context. It’s interesting to think about what evidence they had that might have led them to this view, and what evidence they clearly didn’t have (e.g., because it hadn’t happened yet) that therefore couldn’t have been part of what led them to this view. I think when we trace the history of ideas, and see how far back they go, we learn something about the ideas themselves, and the arguments that led to them.