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Post by Pacifica on Sept 9, 2023 12:33:04 GMT
Do you find him funny?
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kizolk
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Post by kizolk on Sept 9, 2023 14:26:10 GMT
Was he what we would usually consider a polymath?
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Post by terentiusfaber on Sept 9, 2023 19:31:21 GMT
No. Quite the opposite. He was a very unfunny guy. |
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Post by terentiusfaber on Sept 9, 2023 19:32:28 GMT
Was he what we would usually consider a polymath? I think he could fit that category. |
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Post by Etaoin Shrdlu on Sept 9, 2023 19:49:58 GMT
Was he from the British Isles?
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Post by terentiusfaber on Sept 9, 2023 20:08:57 GMT
No - nor Ireland.
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Post by Etaoin Shrdlu on Sept 9, 2023 20:43:32 GMT
From the US?
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kizolk
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Post by kizolk on Sept 9, 2023 20:54:34 GMT
Was something famous (as in, known to the general public) named after him?
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kizolk
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Post by kizolk on Sept 9, 2023 20:56:19 GMT
The "known to the general public" precision might be too restrictive (and vague), but it's hard to word this kind of subjective questions adequately.
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Post by terentiusfaber on Sept 9, 2023 20:57:51 GMT
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Post by terentiusfaber on Sept 9, 2023 20:58:12 GMT
Was something famous (as in, known to the general public) named after him? Not that I'm aware of. |
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kizolk
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Post by kizolk on Sept 9, 2023 23:21:17 GMT
Was he mostly known for his academic work?
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Post by Etaoin Shrdlu on Sept 10, 2023 9:22:59 GMT
He was not a scientist, but his two best-known works (which we should not concentrate on) are scientific in nature. I feel we should find this more of a hint than I currently do.
He was very unfunny, which is interesting, unless I'm reading too much into Terry's choice of words. There are any number of historical figures who are not reported to have said or done anything amusing in their lives, but would you say they were very unfunny if you were asked that question? You'd probably say 'not known for that' or the like. So how does one acquire a reputation for being very unfunny? If you're Queen Victoria, you can say, 'We are not amused,' and get quoted a lot, but even that doesn't prove that she didn't find other things hysterical.
Also, despite being a polymath well-known enough for us all to be expected to be familiar with him, there's nothing named after him. Pretty much every famous person gets something named after them, even if it's only a street. City planners get desperate at some point, because coming up with names for places isn't as easy as it looks.
Is he generally considered a Bad Person?
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kizolk
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Post by kizolk on Sept 10, 2023 9:30:31 GMT
"Not professionally", which may be a very important nuance, as it's easy to forget who was/started out as an amateur, especially before the 20th century. I did wonder if I was reading too much into the "very unfunny" thing. |
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kizolk
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Post by kizolk on Sept 10, 2023 9:34:39 GMT
I thought it could've been Terry's way of hinting at the fact that the guy's field of expertise was generally considered boring or too formal, but that would have been a bit of a stretch.
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