Necessity is the mother of invention

...let us begin and create in idea a State; and yet a true creator is necessity, which is the mother of our invention.[1]

The Republic, Book II, 369c, Plato

"Necessity is the mother of invention" is an English-language proverb. It means, roughly, that the primary driving force for most new inventions is a need.[2]

Meaning

Need to communicate led to the creation of different communication devices– this is a prime example of the expression– Necessity is the mother of invention

History

The author of this proverb is unknown. This phrase was familiar in England, but in Latin, not in English. In 1519, headmaster of Winchester and Eton, William Horma used the Latin phrase "Mater artium necessitas" in his book "Vulgaria". In 1545 Roger Ascham used a close English version of "Necessitie, the inuentour of all goodnesse" in his book "Toxophilus". In 1608, George Chapman also, in his two-part play "The Conspiracy and Tragedy of Charles, Duke of Byron" used a very similar phrase– "The great Mother, Of all productions (graue Necessity)." But, the earliest actual usage of the proverb "Necessity is the mother of invention" is sometimes ascribed to Richard Franck who used it in his book "Northern Memoirs", calculated for the meridian of Scotland (1658) .[2]

In popular culture

Criticism

In an address to the Mathematical Association of England on the importance of education in 1917, Alfred North Whitehead argued that "the basis of invention is science, and science is almost wholly the outgrowth of pleasurable intellectual curiosity." and in contrast to the old proverb "Necessity is the mother of futile dodges" is much nearer to the truth.[8]

See also

Look up necessity is the mother of invention in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

  1. Barry Woods Johnston (19 March 2012). As We Sow: Why the Great Divide. AuthorHouse. pp. 285–. ISBN 978-1-4685-4629-3. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Necessity is the mother of invention". http://www.phrases.org.uk/. Retrieved 15 July 2012. External link in |publisher= (help)
  3. "Necessity". Oxford dictionaries. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  4. "Necessity is the mother of invention". Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  5. "Necessity Longman". Longman dictionaries. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  6. "The Mothers of Invention". BBC Music. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  7. Peter P. Rogers; Kazi F. Jalal; John A. Boyd (2008). An Introduction To Sustainable Development. Earthscan. pp. 20–. ISBN 978-1-84407-521-8. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  8. Plato; Julius A. Sigler (1 December 1996). Education: Ends and Means. University Press of America. pp. 140–. ISBN 978-0-7618-0452-9. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, March 30, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.