Arthur Eddington? J. B. S. Haldane? Werner Heisenberg? Arthur C. Clarke? Stanley Kubrick? J. B. Priestly Question for 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 …
Category Archives: Arthur C. Clarke
Quote Origin: When a Distinguished But Elderly Scientist States that Something Is Possible, He Is Almost Certainly Right . . .
Arthur C. Clarke? Isaac Asimov? Apocryphal? Question for 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? Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1962 Arthur C. Clarke published a …
Quote Origin: The Goal of the Future Is Full Unemployment, So We Can Play
Arthur C. Clarke? Gene Youngblood? Apocryphal? Question for 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 …
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Quote Origin: The Space Elevator Will Be Built About 50 Years After Everyone Stops Laughing
Arthur C. Clarke? Arthur Kantrowitz? Apocryphal? Question for 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 …
Quote Origin: I Don’t Believe in Astrology; I’m a Sagittarian and We’re Skeptical
Arthur C. Clarke? Bob Thaves? Evan Esar? Jonah Peretti? Paul Heskett? Anonymous? Question for 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? Reply from …
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Quote Origin: Planet “Earth” Should Have Been Called Planet “Sea”
Arthur C. Clarke? Carleton Ray? Ann Henderson-Sellers? James E. Lovelock? Anonymous? Question for 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 …
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Quote Origin: A Human Is a Non-Linear Servo-Mechanism Weighing Only 150 Pounds that Can Be Produced Cheaply by Unskilled Labor
Arthur C. Clarke? Albert Scott Crossfield? George T. Hauty? S. Fred Singer? Question for 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. …
Quote Origin: Who Are the People Most Opposed to Escapism? Jailors!
J. R. R. Tolkien? Arthur C. Clarke? C. S. Lewis? China Miéville? Michael Moorcock? Neil Gaiman Question for 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 …
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