82,891
edits
Quod erat demonstrandum: Difference between revisions
m
Amwelladmin moved page Q.E.D. to Quod erat demonstrandum over redirect
Amwelladmin (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
Amwelladmin (talk | contribs) m (Amwelladmin moved page Q.E.D. to Quod erat demonstrandum over redirect) |
||
| (2 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{ | {{a|latin|}}“[[Quod erat demonstrandum]]”. A jolly good {{tag|Latin}} expression, meaning “the very thing that you were trying to prove”; to be used when you are trying to show off, seem articulate or be witty. But steer clear of it if you are trying to inform, because, [[Q.E.D.]], those without a classical education won’t understand it and may grow restive. | ||
But it was in the ''Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy''. | |||
:''Now it is such a bizarrely improbable coincidence that anything so mind-bogglingly useful could have evolved purely by chance that some thinkers have chosen to see it as the final and clinching proof of the non-existence of God. | |||
:''The argument goes something like this: “I refuse to prove that I exist,” says God, “for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing.” | |||
:''“But,” says Man, “The Babel fish is a dead giveaway, isn’t it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don’t. [[Q.E.D.]].” | |||
:''“Oh dear,” says God, “I hadn’t thought of that,” and promptly vanishes in a puff of logic. | |||
Also, my [[secret Latin advisor]] tells me, “demonstrandum” is a [[gerundive]]. Which is nice. | Also, my [[secret Latin advisor]] tells me, “demonstrandum” is a [[gerundive]]. Which is nice. | ||