I give. "Turtles all the way down". Dilbert just used it. Where's it from?

[CalMeacham]

You mean it’s not about a chocoholic/nut lover’s vision of Heaven?

[Misnomer]

@Simplicio

And I think its earlier then any source cited in the wikipedia link.

Not quite: “Note also that Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice in Wonderland, used the story of the tortoise for a philosophical regressus-argument in one of the first volumes of the philosophical Journal Mind (1895).”

[cjepson]

@Simplicio

Actually, the sources are all fairly clustered.

So are the turtles.

[Simplicio]

@Misnomer

Not quite: “Note also that Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice in Wonderland, used the story of the tortoise for a philosophical regressus-argument in one of the first volumes of the philosophical Journal Mind (1895).”

The Lewis Carrol article has a tortise and some talk of infinity, but it isn’t remotely the same story.

[Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew]

@cjepson

[Quote=Simplicio]

Actually, the sources are all fairly clustered.

So are the turtles.
[/QUOTE]

Mmmm, turtle clusters!

[CalMeacham]

Look up 4 entries

[The_Controvert]

Hello to recursion! Hello, hello!

Just to pile on the recursive bandwagon, it’s SDMB [reference to previous] Turtle Threads all the way down!

I give. “Turtles all the way down”. Dilbert just used it. Where’s it from? Reply to Thread (2011)

Basic programming question (2011)

How do they get large equipment out of the hole? (2010)

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=12621195 (2010)

Molten metal turtles all the way down? (2008)

“It’s turtles all the way down.” (2000)

Flat Earth Society? (2000)

…

Ob_Smilies_All_The_Way_Down


:eek:
:mad:
:rolleyes:




:o
:dubious:

:smack:

[Defensive_Indifference]

I found a book transcribing an 1854 debate on whether the Bible is divinely inspired. The clergyman arguing in favor of divine inspiration uses the “turtles all the way down” line to mock his opponent, to “Vehement and vociferous applause.”

An October 1863 edition of The Methodist Review relates it as “rocks all the way down,” which it calls the “schoolboy’s proverbial solution” to the question of ultimate causes.

“Rocks all the way down” appears to be the earlier form. The whole “what does the world stand on … rocks all the way down” version turns up in the September 15, 1838 version of a periodical called The New York Mirror.

(I hope those links work. They are to Gogle Books pages, with the relevant phrase highlighted).

[Folacin]

@billfish678

That’s also something the physics community was “worried” about for awhile.

You had atoms. Then the atoms were found to be made of electrons, protons, and neutrons. Then these were found to made of quarks. Also, over a hundred? other particles besides electrons, protons, and neutrons were found.

For awhile there, it kinda looked like maybe it was “turtles all the way down” and that all basic components would be found to be made of “lower” other basic components. And on and on and downward and downward…

Note, I am not a particle physics guru, but thats my 2 cent impression of the times…

Apropos of very little - this was the background for Doc Smith’s Skylark series - our hero would discover a new level of physics and use it to save the world/galaxy/universe. Then he’d need a new level for the next book, since the tech from the previous book was now in wide use.

Joe

[Simplicio]

@Bayard

I found a book transcribing an 1854 debate on whether the Bible is divinely inspired. The clergyman arguing in favor of divine inspiration uses the “turtles all the way down” line to mock his opponent, to “Vehement and vociferous applause.”

Well, William James was born in 1840’s, so I guess thats the end of that theory.

Good finds though (and the links work, for me anyways).

[RitterSport]

@Tom_Scud

Brevity is … wit.

This is one of my favorite Simpsons references. Just so, well, witty and brief.

@Bayard

I found a book transcribing an 1854 debate on whether the Bible is divinely inspired. …

So, what you’re saying is that it’s turtle quotes all the way down?

[Baal_Houtham]

@Bayard

I found a book transcribing an 1854 debate on whether the Bible is divinely inspired. The clergyman arguing in favor of divine inspiration uses the “turtles all the way down” line to mock his opponent, to “Vehement and vociferous applause.”

An October 1863 edition of The Methodist Review relates it as “rocks all the way down,” which it calls the “schoolboy’s proverbial solution” to the question of ultimate causes.

“Rocks all the way down” appears to be the earlier form. The whole “what does the world stand on … rocks all the way down” version turns up in the September 15, 1838 version of a periodical called The New York Mirror.

Fine work.
(And BTW, my earlier links about Richmond deal with William James brother Henry, but they corresponded extensively.)

[Chronos]

Quoth The Controvert:

Hello to recursion! Hello, hello!

Hello to recursion! Hello, hello!

[JoelUpchurch]

I thought it was Asimov, but a search in Google books shows a reference to Oliver Corwin Sabin from 1905.

http://books.google.com/books?id=mTYQAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA238&dq=%22turtles+all+the+way+down%22&hl=en&ei=JNVRTd7dPIW4tweIuf3WCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22turtles%20all%20the%20way%20down%22&f=false

[Raguleader]

@The_Devil_s_Grandmother

But Yertle was the turtle at the top of the stack. we’re interested in the turtle at the bottom.

Incidentally, that turtle is standing on another turtle’s back.

EDIT: A thought came to me: What if the turtle on the bottom in fact… turns out to be on a treadmill?

[AncientHumanoid]

@Raguleader

Incidentally, that turtle is standing on another turtle’s back.

EDIT: A thought came to me: What if the turtle on the bottom in fact… turns out to be on a treadmill?

That’s the beauty of it! The turtle doesn’t DO anything!

[jackdavinci]

@NoClueBoy

That’s the beauty of it! The turtle doesn’t DO anything!

I think it swam down into a trench once, for twenty minutes.

[Sam_A.Robrin]

@jackdavinci

I think it swam down into a trench once, for twenty minutes.

There were turtles in it…

[VanillaGorilla]

@Sam_A.Robrin

There were turtles in it…

You know what else was there? 14 k of g.

[BMalion]

@Sam_A.Robrin

There were turtles in it…

With a 1920’s style death-ray.