On Tue, 21 Sep 1999, Russell T. Hurlburt wrote:
> I used in class the other day (talking about the importance of the
> empirical method) an example from Isaac Newton. Philosophers of Newton's
> day speculated about how many teeth horses had. One said it must be 24
> because of the size of the jaw; another said it must be 32 based on
> Pythagorean principles, and so on. Newton cut through that philosophical
> speculation by simply looking in the horse's mouth.
>
> Then a student asked what was my source for this story, and I had to
> confess that I couldn't remember the source, nor did I know for sure
> whether the story was true or apocryphal, or whether it really was about
> Newton, or whether I made the whole thing up.
HORSE'S TEETH
In the year of our Lord 1432, there arose a grievous quarrel among the
brethren over the number of teeth in the mouth of a horse. For
thirteen days the disputation raged without ceasing. All the ancient
books and chronicles were fetched out, and wonderful and ponderous
erudition such as was never before heard of in this region was made
manifest. At the beginning of the fourteenth day, a youthful friar of
goodly bearing asked his learned superiors for permission to add a
word, and straightway, to the wonderment of the disputants, whose deep
wisdom he sore vexed, he beseeched them to unbend in a manner coarse
and unheard-of and to look in the open mouth of a horse and find
answer to their questionings. At this, their dignity being grievously
hurt, they waxed exceeding wroth; and, joining in a mighty uproar,
they flew upon him and smote him, hip and thigh, and cast him out
forthwith. For, said they, surely Satan hath tempted this bold
neophyte to declare unholy and unheard-of ways of finding truth,
contrary to all the teachings of the fathers. After many days more of
grievous strife, the dove of peace sat on the assembly, and they as
one man declaring the problem to be an everlasting mystery because of
a grievous dearth of historical and theological evidence thereof, so
ordered the samewrit down.
Francis Bacon, 1592
(I can't identify the particular work this reference refers to)
-Stephen
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Stephen Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470
Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661
Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Lennoxville, QC
J1M 1Z7
Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy
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