The Wisdom of the zenarchists

[Aufenthatt]

Who are the Zenarchists?

In ancient Rome, the scholars would often complain about the language they were forced to use. Greek held little problem to most people, and often they would simply transfer a word straight into their language if they had no Latin for it.

However, at the time the revered civilization was the Phoenicians, who had allegedly invented math science and philosophy, although some people said it came from before them.
The Phoenicians were very famous because of a man called Malacypse the doomsinger, who in a vision ordained from the ancient gods invented bowling. While discovering bowling he was told that the key to the perfect number system was a figure of no value.
Following this advise he invented a number system that consisted of several numbers, each worth nothing. Needless to say the Phoenicians were less than amused by bowling, a game in which even those who failed to meet the objectives ended up with the same score as the 'winners'.
The Greeks may have been victims of indigestion, but the Phoenicians were simply stupid.
Annoyed with bowling they invented numerals of ascending value, but with no valueless number, the concept of which they banned in a fit of rage, simply declaring that all things are valuable and relevant.   

Most of the official names of very serious important roman things were named in Phoenician, from plants to laws. This was very irritating to the normal Romans, who firstly couldn't afford to learn Phoenician and secondly weren't pretentious.
So a law was passed that all things should be named in Latin so all people could understand what they meant, and never again would the ruling class gain a monopoly on knowledge.

The naming of normal things in Latin is a tradition we keep to this day.       

Herman OVS Aufenthatt ~ the love socialist

[Faithless]

An interesting tidbit of history, and one I was unaware of.

I wonder why the Phoenicians disagreed with the concept of valueless numbers? Negative numbers would have them picking up their axes and rampaging, no doubt.

[Aufenthatt]

*Hopes someone understands*

[Reginald Ret]

Communicating is one part giving and one part receiving, as the giver you should think of the ones receiving cause otherwise you'll get miscommunication.

[Template]

*Hopes someone understands*

Who are the Zenarchists?  You have yet to say.  Nonetheless, I seem to have learned something about them.

Also, Malaclypse mentioned in a non-RAW, non-fail context ftw.

[Honey]

I always had a soft spot for the Phoenicians, "land of the purple" & I thought their language was closely related to Hebrew?

Also, Jezebel.   

-justa meshungenuh love monkey

[Kai]

Actually, the naming of things from greek and latin terms and the latinization of names goes back to Carl von Linne, aka Carolus Linnaeus, who published the first edition of Systema Naturae in 1758, and paved the way for the binomial nomenclature and the upper systematic nomenclature we use in biology to this day. This was back when Latin was still the lingua franca, so it made sense to use it because most educated Europeans learned it anyway.

[Aufenthatt]

Actually, the naming of things from greek and latin terms and the latinization of names goes back to The Vandals

Fixed.

[LMNO]

[East Coast Hustle]

I liked "Live Fast, Diarrhea" better.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Zen is what happens when Eastern folks chew paint chips.  The ONLY exception is Zazzen (sp?), because any religion that has involves people lining up for me to beat with a stick is fucking WIN. 

[Aufenthatt]

[Aufenthatt]

Zazen

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Zazen

Yeah, that too.

[P3nT4gR4m]

OP Yoinked for Intermittens 6