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Edgar Allan Poe, Cosmologist

Posted by timothy on from the sure-beats-nostrodamus dept.

David Mazzotta writes "Bet you didn't know Edgar Allen Poe pre-discovered the Big Bang and Black Holes. This article at the NYT discusses the concept of pre-discovery, or theorhetical anticipation of eventual scientific discoveries. Most of these come from forward thinking physicists, but occasionally they come from a morbid, alcoholic, poet."

8 of 263 comments (clear)

  1. No I didn't and... by Chembryl · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    ... and unless there is as good a foundation in his works as Feynman's Quantum Electron Dynamics then I bet he didn't. Stop pulling, anal FUD on slashdot...

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    - This and all my posts are public domain. I am a Physicist. I am not your Physicist. This is not Physically advice
    1. Re:No I didn't and... by Chembryl · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Do NOT forget!!! Astrodamus and is inane writtinings can be interpreted as meaninging anything you want, should you feel so passionately inclined. "primordial particle" in "one instantaneous flash." In the context of Edgar's writings... "From the one particle, as a center," he wrote, "let us suppose to be irradiated spherically -- in all directions" By which he means from a point source, let something expand. A concept that was already so blindingly obvious at his time.... " -- to immeasurable but still to definite distances in the previously vacant space -- a certain inexpressibly great yet limited number of unimaginably yet not infinitely minute atoms." Whoah!!! Clearly a genius!!! As if the concept had never been thought of before! No really! Newton was a child incomparison to Poe! Shame on you contempory historians for getting it all wrong! Its as if the Greeks had never been OMG!!!!.

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      - This and all my posts are public domain. I am a Physicist. I am not your Physicist. This is not Physically advice
  2. A morbid, alcoholic, poet by vlad_petric · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    And who are you, Timothy, to say that about Poe ?

    In a hundred years nobody will remember you, but I'm pretty sure Poe will still have an important place in the American literature

    The Raven.

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    The Raven

  3. Re:None of these are "discoveries". by Chembryl · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Dear Coward, Afraid of religion? No religion is for those who are incapable of forming there own opinons based on the evidence presented before them. When they say 'faith', they mean believe what we tell. No reason, really.... but we are right and don't you forget it. When 'science' specifically, people like myself say- "We have studied the evidence after spending years building instruments, calibrating out instruments and then devisins experiements.... we have finally come to the conclusion that this is th most likely scenario" People, like are convinced that it is still just a 'THEORY'. Well inactual fact, as far as your perception is concerned kiddo, this is the best description of reality that you have available. Now unless you are able to prove any of my previous points wrong then STFU u n00b and go back to school you religious zealot you.

    --
    - This and all my posts are public domain. I am a Physicist. I am not your Physicist. This is not Physically advice
  4. Re:None of these are "discoveries". by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Yes, calling anonymous posters on the Internet idiots is the mark of a very sophisticated intellect. I'm so honoured you can share your wisdom with us, Mr. Chembryl.

  5. Re:None of these are "discoveries". by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    You keep posting. There must be something for you to defend, namely your fragile and flawed faith (i.e. "not being able to think for yourself", as you so eloquently put it) in the absolute authority of science. You're no better than the buck-toothed, slack-jawed Bible-thumpers in the deep South.

  6. Re:Poe Was Not an Alcoholic! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Living in Richmond, VA, a city where Poe lived for a large part of his life, I have more than a passing familarity with Poe.

    There are a bunch of people who have lived and died in Richmond who never had a clue who Poe was. Living there does not give you any special insight.

  7. sigh.. another NYT article by euxneks · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Why doesn't slashdot just create a permanent link on their site for NYT online?

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    in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni