Tracing Quotations
Arthur Eddington? J. B. S. Haldane? Werner Heisenberg? Arthur C. Clarke? Stanley Kubrick? J. B. Priestly Dear Quote Investigator: The physics of quantum mechanics, relativity theory, and string theory are mind-bending. Scientists have made remarkable strides in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries; yet, some believe that the progress will stop before the completion of an …
Continue reading “The Universe Is Not Only Queerer Than We Suppose, But Queerer Than We Can Suppose”
Arthur C. Clarke? Isaac Asimov? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The famous science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke believed that proclamations of impossibility were too readily dispensed by blinkered elderly scientists. Would you please help me to find a citation for Clarke’s First Law? Quote Investigator: In 1962 Arthur C. Clarke published a forward-looking book filled …
Arthur C. Clarke? Gene Youngblood? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: While reading about the economic notion of a universal basic income I came across a statement attributed to the farsighted science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke advocating the goal of “full unemployment” instead of “full employment”. Clarke felt that the computers and robots of the future …
Continue reading “The Goal of the Future Is Full Unemployment, So We Can Play”
Arthur C. Clarke? Arthur Kantrowitz? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Science fiction luminary Arthur C. Clarke described the audacious idea of building an elevator from the surface of the Earth straight up into space and beyond geostationary orbit in his 1979 novel “The Fountains of Paradise”. The megaproject would require extremely strong lightweight material, and some …
Continue reading “The Space Elevator Will Be Built About 50 Years After Everyone Stops Laughing”
Arthur C. Clarke? Bob Thaves? Evan Esar? Jonah Peretti? Paul Heskett? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The famous science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke was once asked whether he believed in astrology, and he gave a facetious self-contradictory answer. I have not been able to find a solid citation. Would you please help? Quote Investigator: The …
Continue reading “I Don’t Believe in Astrology; I’m a Sagittarian and We’re Skeptical”
Arthur C. Clarke? Carleton Ray? Ann Henderson-Sellers? James E. Lovelock? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The water covering our planet makes it look like a blue marble in pictures taken from outer space. Roughly three-quarters of the surface is enveloped in H₂O in liquid or frozen form. The science fiction luminary Arthur C. Clarke suggested that …
Continue reading “Planet “Earth”: We Should Have Called It “Sea””
Arthur C. Clarke? Albert Scott Crossfield? George T. Hauty? S. Fred Singer? Dear Quote Investigator: In the early days of the space-age researchers and administrators were considering replacing human pilots and astronauts with computers. The argument against this form of automation was presented with a single humorous sentence that emphasized the advantages of humans. Are …
J. R. R. Tolkien? Arthur C. Clarke? C. S. Lewis? China Miéville? Michael Moorcock? Neil Gaiman Dear Quote Investigator: Today, the genres of science fiction and fantasy are ascendant in popular culture. But detractors have long complained that works in these domains are escapist, and critics have asserted that the literary values displayed are sharply …
Continue reading “Who Are the People Most Opposed to Escapism? Jailors!”